Outsider Vault
by Dis Lexic
Summary: A place for Outsider ideas that wont flourish to get the attention they deserve.
1. Forword

Normally I wouldn't do this, but for this, its kinda necessary. I have a TON of Outsider ideas on a daily basis, some make it to my computer, others are laughed off as completely stupid. However, sometimes the ideas are good enough to share, but not good enough to become full stories for whatever reason. Still, I need a place to put them.

With that in mind, I have cracked open a second vault with the intention of storing those ideas here. From now on, the Vault of Secrets will be for non-Outsider works, while this will be solely for Outsider works. Hopefully this will help stem the flow somewhat and get my muse back on track.

Oh, and a word of warning. While this is rated T and I will endevor to keep it as such, the chapters contained within are posted raw. I rarely cover anything too graphic in the first two or three chapters, but still, reader digression is advised. If it gets too bad, I'll bump up the rating, but for now it will be fine.


	2. Tokyo Underworld Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Tokyo Underworld

Death is never fun. Getting reborn into a world where monsters of all sorts haunt the streets is even worse. Add in a bunch of childish Immortals locked in a war and an emo best friend and you have a recipe for disaster.

 **Sooo, this is an odd idea, but it could be interesting. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of Twilight books falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about, even if it was less painful than reading them. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby. Now, normally I wouldn't complain about that, but when I found out that I got reborn into a world infested with man eating monsters who are indistinguishable from Humans until they are chewing on your spare ribs, I think I have the right to start swearing like a sailor. The fact I was also born as a future plot point to help the protagonist start to grow a pair didn't help matters. Oh, am I being to obtuse? Let me make it clear then. I have been reborn into the Tokyo Ghoul world as Hideyoshi Nagachika. Eh, I guess it could be worse though.

* * *

Anyway, other than discovering I was a god damn side character, I managed to adapt fairly quickly. I didn't get too bored going through school again by virtue of being a brit last time and thus, the schooling was completely different...mostly. I mean, it was still mildly annoying having to act like a toddler to keep from freaking people out but whatever. I grew up with a single mother, but that was no real hardship since she had a decent job and my Dad wasn't a complete deadbeat. I never did meet him though and all Mum could tell me was that he was apparently Hungarian and that she hadn't been with my Father long before I was born.

* * *

Despite being disgruntled over having the roll of squishy best friend, that didn't mean I wasn't about to help out Kaneki when I got the chance. Seriously, the kid spent most of the time looking like a kicked puppy, I couldn't not do so. Plus, Kaneki was highly intelligent and, like me, a complete bookworm, although I prefer fantasy and gothic literature over the down right disturbing horror Kaneki liked.

Oh, speaking of being the squishy friend, I should have known that whatever asshole god stuck me here would never allow me to remain such. Honestly, I'm surprised that I never noticed that something was...different about me. It was little things, like the fact that my senses were incredibly accurate, to the point that I could actually hear dog whistles, although it was right on the edge of my hearing range so I never actually noticed, other than a slight irritation when one was used around me. Still, the fact I could hear what the neighbors three doors down were doing should really have tipped me off. Plus, the fact I once managed to sniff out one of my classmates lost backpacks thanks to the tuna sandwich in her lunch box was just one more thing that should have tipped me off. I also liked my meet so raw it was practically still mooing, had a short temper that I definitely didn't have last time through and got antsy on the full moon should have been a massive slap in the face that I wasn't quite as Human as I first looked.

However, for some utterly unknown reason, I didn't figure it out until it was literally shoved into my face. How? Well, a couple of weeks after my 16 birthday, I found myself waking up in a field not far from my house, naked and covered in blood. I also had fur in my teeth and a half eaten rabbit at my feet. Not exactly what I'd call a normal wakeup.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" I muttered.

"I can answer that."

"GAH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice and spun around to see an amused looking man sat on a nearby rock. He was clearly not Japanese and had long, slightly ragged looking brown hair and dark blue eyes. He was wearing tattered jeans, a rumpled shirt and an old long coat with baggy sleeves.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Lucian," said the man, "Here, put this one."

He tossed a bundle at me and I was surprised to find that it was my jeans and a t-shirt.

"How did you..?"

"Get dressed and I'll explain," said Lucian.

I did as I was told.

"Alright, spill," I said as I sat down across from the older male, "Who are you and what happened to me last night?"

"I admit, I only came back to Japan because I needed some time away," said Lucian instead of answering, "I never dreamed that you'd actually turn."

I blinked.

"Turn? What do you mean?"

Lucian chuckled.

"Alright, enough beating around the bush," he said, "Last night, the first full moon after your 16 birthday, you Changed for the first time."

I blinked a couple of times, then froze as a rather uncomfortable realization settled over me.

"Wait, Change? Full moon?" I asked, "Are you saying I turned into a Werewolf?!"

"Technically you're a Lycan, but yes," said Lucian with a smirk that showed a mouthful of way to sharp teeth, "Natural born Lycans transform for the first time after they turn 16. Admittedly you're a tad different since you're only half Lycan, but the fact remains that you did Change last night."

I let out a strangled groan and dropped my face into my hands. Then I paused as I realized something.

"Wait, how did you know I could change?" I asked, "Your not local, so you don't know from my scent or whatever, so how…?"

"Your mother kept me up to date," said Lucian.

"Why would she…" I started, before my eyes widened again, "Wait a sec, are you…?"

Lucian held up a photograph of him and my mother with their arms around each other.

* * *

Soo, yeah, thats how I found out that Ghouls weren't even close to the top of the food chain. That spot was the place of the Immortals, the Vampires and the Lycans, the monsters hidden by the darkness of night and the vigilance of their forbear. I stumbled into this world, a part of it yet separate. I was unique, a hybrid of Human and Lycan, the son of the first of the Lycans.

Ahem, sorry, I was channeling Selene there. Let me translate. Tokyo Ghoul is not the only world present here, there's also Underworld and I have the dubious honour of having the original Lycan as a father. Eh, at least I'm a VERY long way from Victor or he'd probably have me killed on principle alone.

* * *

Speaking of my standing as a half Lycan, I got to spend the next couple of years working with a few Japanese Lycans who Dad got in to train me so he could go back and continue his campaign against the Vampires. I'd have said something about that, but Victor deserves everything he gets. Over time, I was able to gain control over my Lycan side to the point where I was able to change at will, unlike most young Lycans. I'm not sure if its because I was born a Lycan or if it was my Human side, but I had a far easier time controlling my Change. On the other hand, I wasn't as strong or fast as a full blooded Lycan, although I was plenty strong enough to go toe to toe with Ghouls and Vampires in my Human form, at least according to my trainers. It turned out that my Human form actually had more of a boost than your average Lycan.

One thing I did have over other Lycans however was my near immunity to silver. Oh sure, it was irritating, but at most it caused a rash and a slight fever if it got into my system, rather than utterly crippling me. My wolf form was also smaller and slimmer than my fellows, granting me higher speed and agility than the bulky yet powerful full bloods. Oh, and I had a tail. I still had no idea why since neither Lycans or Werewolves had tails, but I wasn't about to complain about it.

* * *

And thus, time continued to march on forwards and, other than spending my full moons hunting with the local pack, my life during the day didn't change. I went to school, hung out with Kaneki and got into University studying literature to keep with the fact that I hadn't lost my love of reading and writing. Hell, I'd even managed to get a book of my own published, although I never did tell Kaneki about it and wrote it under a nom de plum.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"To that cafe I told you about," said Kaneki.

"Ohh, you mean the one where you met your Prince Charming?" I said with a smirk.

"Hide!" whined Kaneki.

I just snickered as Kaneki pouted. Teasing him was so much fun. Unfortunately, my smile because a tad fixed as we rounded a corner and Kaneki brightened up.

"There it is," he said, pointing at a cafe a short distance away.

It was Anteiku. Well, looks like I'd be going hunting in the not too distant future. There was no way I was gonna let Kaneki get Ghoulified without a fight.

We entered the cafe, placed our orders and took a seat, just as the news started a report on a Ghoul attack in the Takada building.

"Jeeze, thats near here," I said as a waitress placed our orders in front of us, "Kinda scary, right?"

Not really, at least, not for me. The likes of Rize and Jason were strong for Ghouls, but considering they wouldn't expect a seemingly normal person to turn into a gigantic, angry wolfman, I'd have the advantage of surprise if they did try to attack me.

"I guess," said Kaneki, "But I've never even seen a Ghoul."

"I guess its hard to be scared of something you've never even seen," I said, "Then again, considering they're supposed to look Human, you wouldn't know someone was a Ghoul until they were chewing on your rump steak."

I grinned, losing a very small amount of the Wolf to make my teeth look bigger.

"Even I could be one."

Kaneki shuddered and glared at me.

"Don't do that!" he said, "You know I think that wolfish grin of yours is damn unsettling."

I stifled a snort as I took a bite out of my bacon and sausage sandwich. Considering they couldn't eat it, the sandwich was surprisingly good.

"So, which girl is it that caught your eye?" I asked, "Is it her?"

I jerked my thumb at Touka as she walked past.

"No, shes a customer, not a waitress," said Kaneki, "Although I guess shes cute…"

"Hnn," I said as Touka walked past, resisting the urge to wrinkle my nose slightly.

Ghouls had a different scent to Humans, not bad, but they always smelt of dried blood and coffee which didn't exactly make a pleasant combination.

"Um, excuse me?" said Touka as she stopped next to our table, "Are you done with that?"

She indicated to my empty plate.

"Oh, sure," I said, handing it to her.

The hidden Ghoul bowed slightly and took the empty plate, but not before shooting me an odd look. I couldn't help but notice that her nose twitched ever so slightly as she did. I guess I must smell strange to her, but I guess I shouldn't be totally shocked. If Ghouls smelt different to Humans, there's no doubt that Lycans and Vampires would as well. I turned back to Kaneki, who was wearing a smirk that had me on guard. Kaneki wasn't the type to tease people, but that didn't mean he couldn't.

"I think she likes you," he said.

"Jailbait," I drawled.

Kaneki rolled his eyes.

"Three years at the most," he said.

"We're here because of your lovelife, not mine," I said in annoyance.

Kaneki snickered, before he suddenly blushed and ducked his head. I didn't need to turn to know that Rize had just walked in, I could smell it. She reeked of fresh blood and I could literally smell the blood lust leaking off her. I forced myself not to growl by burying my now clawed hands in my palm and using the pain to focus on something other than my instinct to rip the crazy bitch apart.

"Um, are you Ok Hide?" asked Kaneki.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "So, I take it thats her?"

Kaneki nodded.

"Yeah, you haven't got a chance," I deadpanned.

"Wha...HIDE!"

"What? Shes way out of your league. It'd be like Beauty and the Bonehead."

"You mean beast," growled Kaneki.

I forced a chuckle and stood.

"Whatever, now I've seen your crush, I'm outa here," I said, dropping a handful of coins on the table to pay for my food and drink, "Later."

"See you."

I left the cafe and quickly ducked into an alley where I let my carefully reigned in anger loose. I may have more control than a Pureblood Lycan, but my instincts and rage were still strong. Still, I was able to limit my change to my teeth, fingers and eyes. I gritted my teeth as a feral growl rumbled from my chest, despite my efforts to stop it. Damn, I'd severely underestimated how much Rize affected me. Hell, I don't even know why I was reacting like this! Sure she was a bloodthirsty murderer, but still. I was barely holding back the urge to transform and tear Rize apart….

"GRRRAHH!"

SRANG!

I took a deep breath, my anger now calmed slightly with the sacrifice of a metal bin that was now sporting a set of slash marks in the metal.

"Tch, I need to go hunting tonight," I muttered as I left the alley and headed home.

 **And done. Yes, this is a bit of an odd one, but hey, all the fun things are. Underworld will likely take a back seat since I just needed an excuse to use Lucian in a story. Plus, in order to get Hide involved, I'd need to send him to Europe and I don't have an excuse for that right now.**

 **Despite that, I probably will have a few Vampires and Lycans make appearances to make things interesting, so theres how things stack up. Ghouls are about as strong, physically, as Vampires, but have the advantage of solid skin and Kagune. They also have a resistance to the viruses of the Immortals. Despite that advantage, in a fight, a Vampire would probably win by virtue of experience and a transformed Lycan would be able to tear them apart. A Kakuja on the other hand would be able to fight on par with a Lycan. They wouldn't stand a chance an Elder or Werewolf though, but thats par for the course.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Please leave a review!**


	3. Tokyo Underworld Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Tokyo Underworld

Death is never fun. Getting reborn into a world where monsters of all sorts haunt the streets is even worse. Add in a bunch of childish Immortals locked in a war and an emo best friend and you have a recipe for disaster.

 **And we're back. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"So, you managed to get a date with that girl?" I asked around the mouthful I was chewing.

"Yep, we're going to the bookstore tomorrow," said Kaneki.

"Huh, sounds like you got lucky," I said, "So whats her name?"

"Rize Kamishiro," said Kaneki, "Hey, are you eating something?"

"Yeah, you caught me in the middle of dinner," I said.

"Oh, sorry about that," said Kaneki, "Anyway, I should go."

"Sure sure, have fun on your date," I said and snapped my phone shut.

I let out a huff and pushed myself up off my seat, absently tossing the chewed arm bone in my hand back onto the pile of bloody meat that looked like it had been torn at by a rather large dog. I hadn't been lying to Kaneki when I said I was eating dinner, what I hadn't told him was that dinner had been a Ghoul who had been stupid enough to attack me on my way home. What? I'm a Lycan! I'd eaten Humans and Vampires in the past when they had been stupid enough to try and pick a fight during the Full moon. I hadn't even tried to pick a fight with the idiot, he just decided to jump me out of nowhere. Still, the look on his face after I transformed was priceless...right up until I chewed his face off.

"Well, I got a lecture and a hunt tomorrow, so I guess I should head home," I muttered as I crouched, "Thanks for the meal."

And with that, I jumped up three stories and landed on the rooftop, already fully transformed, and took off across the roofs at speeds that easily outstripped the cars on the roads below.

* * *

"Hurff, damn, that guy I ate last night is repeating on me," I grumbled as I walked home from the corner shop with a bag of milk and indigestion tablets, "This is why I hate junk food."

"There is a reason why we don't tend to eat Ghouls," said a female voice from a nearby doorway.

"I was hungry, pissed and he attacked me," I drawled, "Now what do you want Yoriko?"

The girl stepped out of the shadows to reveal that it was Touka's friend, Yoriko Kosaka who also happened to be a Lycan and member of the Tokyo pack. Yeah, I was surprised when I found out about that too.

"I saw that friend of yours with a Ghoul earlier," said Yoriko, jerking her thumb down the street, "And she stank of fresh blood. If you want to keep him from getting eaten, I suggest you hurry…"

Before she had time to finish, I had already taken off, pausing only to drop my bag on top of a roof to be retrieved later and took off in the direction Yoriko had pointed, following the smell of Kaneki's blood. Unfortunately, it was apparent that I was too late as my sensitive ears picked up the sound of falling metal and a scream of pain. I cursed and sped up, landing on a beam above the 'accident' site a short time later. I was too late to catch the asshole responsible for dropping it.

" **Damn it,"** I growled, clawing furrows in the metal beneath my paws, **"Tch, aw well, I'll get another chance."**

I glanced down at the pile of metal girders.

" **Hnn, I wonder if I should...nah, not worth the risk."**

Despite being a half breed, I was still a carrier of the Lycan virus, meaning that my bite was just as infectious as any other Lycan. I'd never actually turned anyone, but tests performed by Singe, my Fathers personal science geek, determined that the result would be a perfectly normal Lycan. He did theorize that any I turned would have a higher immunity to silver than most, but that was just supposition.

That meant that I could have bitten Kaneki, but considering that the chance of him dieing from the virus was higher than him making the change safely, I wasn't about to take that risk. True, it would mean that Kaneki would become a Ghoul, but with a little help from yours truly, I'd be able to smack him out of his moping without him having to get tortured by Jason.

Decision made, I jumped away from the bloodbath, retrieved my shopping and headed home.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but your friend still isn't up to receiving visitors," said the nurse at the front desk.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. It had been three months since the accident and, although I was expecting it, it still hurt that Kaneki was reluctant to speak with me.

"Can you at least tell me when he'll be discharged?" I asked.

"Actually, I think he's set to be discharged today," said the nurse.

"Thanks," I said and left the hospital, "Now then, is it worth me shelling out for food that won't get eaten? I guess I should as a friend, but I really don't have the money to burn, so…"

I let out a huff and smirked.

"Think I'll go buy him coffee, see if he can figure out I already know."

I headed to the shop and bought a large jar of coffee, which I ended up leaving hooked on Kaneki's door handle with a note.

"Right, now my good deed for the day is done, I gotta go help with planning the festival…" I muttered, "Why did I volunteer for that again? Oh yeah, peer pressure."

I pulled a face and headed out.

* * *

Heres an interesting question. How the hell do you start a conversation with a friend about being what amounts to a fictional creature? I mean, Ghouls were a known quantity, but Lycans? There was a reason that Touka still didn't know that Yoriko was a Lycan after all. It was this very question that I found myself wrestling with over the next few weeks as I went about my business waiting for Kaneki to pull his finger out and get his arse back to school.

Speaking of, I next saw Kaneki about two weeks after he was discharged, stood in the universities courtyard and staring at a couple of girls who were enjoying lunch.

"Wow, you move on quickly," I said as I walked over, "Then again, I guess you did only go on one date."

Kaneki nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of my voice and spun around.

"O-oh hi Hide," he said.

"Hi yourself," I said, "So, are you feeling better now?"

Kaneki nodded.

"Great, now maybe I won't be so lonely during class," I said, "Now, since you're here, wanna tag along with me? I need to get some stuff from an upper classman and could use the help."

"Alright, I guess," said Kaneki as we started heading towards the main building.

I glanced over my shoulder at the new Halfbreed and hid a smirk as I noticed him sniffing the air and looking confused.

"Hey Hide, do you smell wet dog?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. Was that what Lycans smelt like to Ghouls? Interesting.

"Nope, sorry," I said, "So, have you been eating right? You look a little pale."

Kaneki twitched and I heard his heart rate spike.

"Y-yeah, I've been eating fine," he said, his voice shaking.

I gave him a flat look that said I didn't believe him, but didn't press the issue.

"So, where are we going?" asked Kaneki.

"I need some data from last years festival," I said, "The guy who has it is called Nishiki Nishio. He's a little snarky, but a good guy."

* * *

The rest of the short trip was taken in silence, but fortunately, it wasn't long until we reached the room he was in.

"This is it," I said as I knocked on the door.

Considering I remembered how this meeting started, I wasn't about to barge in. My sensitive ears picked up a startled gasp and a decent amount of scuffling from inside, before the door slid open to allow Kimi to leave, slipping on her jacket and throwing a goodbye over her shoulder to a disgruntled looking Nishiki.

"Did we interrupt something?" I asked, although considering I could smell arousal, that was pretty much a rhetorical question.

"Yes, now what do you want Nagachika?" growled the Ghoul as he turned to face us.

I was actually mildly impressed with his self control considering his only reaction to seeing Kaneki was a slight widening of his eyes. Well, that and an increase in heartbeat, but it would take someone with Lycan level hearing to detect that, so its kinda irrelevant. Kaneki's reaction was more obvious as he paled and took a step back.

"Hey, you OK Kaneki?" I asked.

"I-I'm fine," said Kaneki in a strangled voice.

"Well, come in," said Nishiki, "So I take it you're Hide's friend? Kaneki is it?"

"T-thats right," said Kaneki.

"Hnn, I'm Nishiki Nishio, a second year pharmaceutical student," said Nishiki, "Nice to meet you."

I could hear the bloodlust in his tone, but only because I was looking for it.

"So, I was hoping that you had the data on last years sales numbers," I said.

"Oh, right," said Nishiki, turning back to his desk and rummaging through the stacks of boxes, "Hmm, I can't remember where I put it...Nagachika, could you check that shelf over there?"

"Sure thing," I said.

Kaneki joined us in going through the boxes and files.

"Aw damn it, I think its back home," said Nishiki at length.

"Really? Dang, I need that data," I said.

"Well, I don't live far," said Nishiki, "We can go it if you like."

"If its not too much trouble," I said, "Sorry Kaneki, but we'll have to meet up later."

Kaneki hesitated, before he swallowed and spoke up.

"U-um, do you mind if I tag along?" he asked.

"Sure, I don't mind," said Nishiki, "You aren't coming in though."

"T-thats fine," said Kaneki.

Now, you might be wondering why I was letting this play out considering it'd end with me getting kicked in the head. Well, considering my nature, theres no way I'd be permanently harmed. Hell, chances are I'd come out of this without a scratch. Nishiki on the other hand...I smirked, feeling my teeth itch slightly as they started to morph from Human to wolf.

* * *

The three of us chatted about random stuff as we headed towards Nishiki's place, pausing to get some Taiyaki that turned out to be excellent. Shame that Ghouls couldn't enjoy Human food. True, my body was far more inclined towards a carnivorous diet, but I could still enjoy other types of food. I was just finishing my snack as we stepped under a bridge when Nishiki paused, turned on his heel, and kicked me in the side of the head.

* * *

Third person POV, Kaneki

"HIDE!" shouted Kaneki as the Ghoul kicked his friend into the shadows below the bridge, "Why you…"

"I thought I was the only Ghoul on Campus," said Nishiki, cutting the half breed off by grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground, "I dun know how I missed you though. You stink like a female."

Kaneki tried to struggle against Nishiki's grip, but not only was the other Ghoul too strong, but he slammed him into the support of the bridge.

"You know, hanging out with Nagachika is pretty risky," said Nishiki conversationally, "Hes a sharp one, it wouldn't take much for him to figure you out. Still, I guess the risk makes the hunt that much more enjoyable."

"W-what are you talking about?" groaned Kaneki.

"Don't play dumb with me," sneered Nishiki, "I know your game. There's nothing quite like the look on their face when they realize your betraily. It really whets the appetite."

Kaneki stared at the sneering Ghoul in horrified realization as he realized what he was getting at.

"N-no, t-thats not it!" protested Kaneki, "Theres no way I could eat Hide!"

"Is that so?" sneered Nishiki, drawing back his hand.

He was about to plunge it through Kaneki's stomach, when his wrist was suddenly caught in a vice-like grip. He looked around in surprise, only to freeze in shock when he saw that the perpetrator was Nagachika, looking none the worse for ware from his kick. But...that was impossible! No Human could get up so soon after that kick!

"That hurt asshole," growled Hide, tightening his grip on Nishiki's wrist to the point where the Ghoul was actually worried the bones would break.

"W-what the...how are you able to move?" snarled the Ghoul as he tried to tug his arm free.

"I heal quick," said Hide, "Lets see if you can do the same."

The next thing Nishiki knew, he was flying through the air with a set of throbbing slash marks across his chest.

Kaneki gasped for breath as Nishiki was forced to release him, but that didn't stop him from staring up at Hide in shock as his 'Human' friend put his foot back down from where he had kicked Nishiki. Then, Hide looked at Kaneki and the half Ghoul recoiled. His friends eyes were no longer brown, instead they almost looked like a Ghoul's Kakugan, but instead of red, it was a cobalt blue. Not only that, but his teeth had changed into a set of canine like fangs and his ears appeared to be pointed.

"You OK Kaneki?" he asked, snapping Kaneki out of his shock.

"Y-yeah, but...whats happened to you?" asked the half-Ghoul.

Hide blinked and glanced down at his hands, which were now tipped with sharp looking claws.

"Huh, guess I lost some control," said Hide, "Eh, I guess this saves me trying to figure out a way to explain…"

He paused and glanced into the shadows where he'd kicked Nishiki.

"Tch, looks like he doesn't know when to stay down," he muttered, "Alright, Kaneki, wait here a sec and whatever you do, don't move."

He stepped away from Kaneki and moved into the middle of the area as Nishiki staggered out of the shadow, looking a tad dazed and clutching at the gashes across his chest that were still bleeding sluggishly.

"You...what are you?!" he growled, "Actually, I don't care, you're dead!"

Hide smirked.

"Rather than tell you, I think I'll just show you," he said, "It'll be easier and save me some time explaining all this to Kaneki and the girl in the shadows."

Kaneki heard a startled intake of breath from the darkness, but that was quickly wiped from his mind as Hide shrugged off his shirt and started to change. His muscles rapidly expanded as his skin turned black and started sprouting fur, his arms lengthened and his hands morphed into powerful looking claws. His legs reversed direction and his feet transformed into clawed paws while his face began to bulge out into a muzzle full of sharp teeth and his ears morphed into lupune points. Finally, the monster that had been Hide threw back its head and let out a howl.

The creature was huge, towering over Kaneki as a mass of muscles, claws and teeth, covered in black fur with a thick, blond mane the same colour as Hide's hair running down its back and a bushy tail tipped in blond fur.

" **So, still think you can kill me?"** growled Hide with a wolfish grin as he flexed his claws, **"You're welcome to try if you think you're strong enough."**

Nishiki gulped and took a few steps back.

 **And there we go, done. Sorry if this seems all over the shop, but I wanted to get the ball rolling. Things will be changing and becoming more cohesive pretty soon.**

 **I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I made Yoriko a Lycan, it just sorta happened. I doubt it'll have much bearing on the plot though.**

 **Yes, Hide's Lycan form is different than his fellows, but hes not exactly normal. He's a natural born Lycan with the First as his dad and a half blood. Thats all combined to give him a unique look. Plus, I may exercise my imagination and give the Lycans somewhat more personalized looks.**


	4. A New Guardian Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: A New Guardian

O...K, I wasn't expecting this. When I was reborn into a world that I'm pretty sure was Mass Effect, I was gearing up for some serious fun watching people fumble, even if I would be getting on a bit when it finally rolled around. What I wasn't expecting was to end up in an entirely new world after my favorite video game ended. Well, this is gonna be fun

 **OK, I admit it, this is gonna be really, really odd. The Mass Effect thing is literally so I can throw the MC off and screw with his head, although it may come back into play later on. I'm not sure how long with will last, but whatever. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Hmm, I think I might be in trouble. When I died from a crashed Xbox electrocuting me, I probably should have seen this coming. I mean, I was playing Mass Effect! How much cliche could you get for the start of an SI insert? Then again, unlike those, I woke up as a baby, not on Eden Prime, so I guess thats something.

To be perfectly honest, other than the advanced technology and the fact that we had colonies on other planets, growing up in this new world wasn't actually all that different. I went to school, did homework, played games and did everything I did last time through. Still, I'd learnt from my mistakes last time through and so focused on improving myself. That is until I was 12 and a new type of game was released. Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, or DMMO-RPG's, weren't new, hell, there were a good number of fun ones and the current version of WoW held the distinction of being the first of its kind. However, in 2126 a game was released that blew it and everything before it out of the water and turned me into a full on Gamer geek once again. YGGDRASIL, a truly massive game with an incredible amount of player freedom, a constantly evolving world and an amazing community. It had a frankly obscene number of races, classes and jobs to choose from and I frickin _LOVED_ it. It hit every single nerd button I had and, for a couple of years, it consumed my life. I did eventually drag myself out of that pit though and became a contributing member of society...insofar as a 14 year old can be at least. That didn't stop me from playing it at every opportunity though! I loved the game so damn much I completely missed the obvious that was staring me in the face until it was way too late.

My character was a Werewolf, a form of Heteromorphic race similar to Vampires that could switch between a Humanoid form and a powerful, wolf like monster. My Human form possessed agility, Magical abilities and the ability wear armour and incredible stealth skills, while my wolf form possessed an incredible amount of raw power and speed, especially under the light of the full moon. Thanks to that racial ability and my (admittedly excessive) playtime, I quickly earned a reputation as one of the most powerful solo players in the game. Ironically enough, since Werewolf players were so rare, very few people actually knew that that was the class I played. True, my 'Human' form had beasteal features, such as animal like ears, nose, fangs, claws and pads on my hands and feet, but most people thought I was playing a Demi-human race.

Thanks to that, I didn't have to deal with quite as many PKer's as the more obvious Heteromorphic races did, mostly those that actually bothered to look up what Race I was or didn't care either way. In fact, I actually tended to work as a mercenary for hunting parties to earn my gold and EXP...right before turning around and tearing my clients apart as soon as we parted ways. Hey, it may be dirty, but it was way better than some of the Human Race players treated my fellow Heteromorphic players.

Oddly enough, despite the fact my clients always ended up getting torn apart by a giant wolf monster, no one ever seemed to notice and I had a steady supply of customers and even invites to join various Guilds. I turned them all down though. Like I said previously, I much prefered playing as a lone wolf. That is until one day when a group of particularly dim group of Human players who kept hiring me and then getting torn to bits. Apparently they wanted my help dealing with a group of Heteromorphic players who kept striking into Human lands and slaughtering anyone who tried to cross them. Considering the only thing these idiots had going for them was deep pockets, I'm not sure what they planned to do, but I'd yet to get board of slaughtering them, so I agreed to tag along.

* * *

"How in the hell did they manage to get lost in their own territory?" I growled as I stomped through the forest where my current pray were prone to appearing.

It also happened to be my current employers territory, which is why I was so annoyed that they had somehow managed to get lost. I was currently using my Tracking skill to track down my future doggy chow, grumbling all the while. Considering how high my skill was, it didn't take me long to find them in a nearby clearing.

"How the fuck did you lot manage to...get…" I trailed off as I entered the clearing and found my clients facing down a group of nine non-Human players, "Huh, guess you didn't need me after all."

I quickly scanned the newcomers levels and let out a huff when I saw they were all much stronger than my current companions...who were currently sneering, posturing and making threats. True, they greatly outnumbered the strangers, but numbers likely wouldn't mean much here. Especially not when I recognized the group. They were one of the strongest up and coming Guilds that had managed to take over one of the most difficult dungeons in the game with only nine players. Yeah, these idiots were doomed.

"HA, now Loup has arrived, we can finally get this party started and show you scum who's boss!" shouted the leader of my soon to be chew toys.

I sighed.

"You idiots do realize that these guys are much stronger than us, right?" I asked, "And I really don't feel like getting smacked down a level."

"Awww, we can take um!" said one of the other members, "After all, we're the heroes!"

I let out another sigh.

"Right, thats it," I said, "RPing is one thing, but I'm not losing my EXP to idiocy. Beastform."

"Huh?"

My body began to glow and morph, rapidly growing a thick pelt the colour of steel, my face bulging out into a powerful muzzle full of razor sharp fangs, my normally yellow eyes turning red and my humanoid frame contorting into the shape of a massive wolf the size of a horse with steel gray fur with a silvery stripe down my back and a massive set of claws and teeth that I quickly put to good use turning the idiots into mulch. They were so surprised they couldn't react before I'd finished them off. With the last one taken out, I turned to the nonplussed would-be pray and sat on my hunches.

"Um, good doggy?" said a Warrior in white armour.

I just let my currently canine tongue loll out of my mouth, showing off my massive fangs in a doggy grin.

* * *

And thats how I met the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, one of the strongest Guilds in the entire game. I'm honestly not sure how it happened, but I ended up tagging along with them to finish the quest they were on and ended up adding the lot of them to my Friend List. They were just so much fun to hang around with. I didn't actually join the guild, mainly due to the fact that, as previously mentioned, I like lone wolfing it, but also because I didn't fit the requirements for being a member of the Guild, being only 14 at the time (and wasn't that a shock for my friends when they found out. Hooray for Reincarnation induced maturity!). Still, that didn't stop me from making friends with and adding an extra set of claws on occasion, nor the Guildmaster, Momonga adding me to the 'Guest List' feature that Guilds had that allowed non-guild members to come and go as they pleased, albeit with some restrictions. It did stop the various OP NPC's the Guild created from tearing me a new one, so I had no problem with it.

It says something about a game, especially an MMO, when it can remain strong and at the top of the charts for 12 years. WoW was proof of that considering it was still consuming countless lives, although Yggdrasil now had it beat. However, all good things must come to an end and eventually, the player numbers began to slip. The fact that the devs had moved onto other things by this point meant that the game was slowly dieing. Hell, even Ainz Ooal Gown was hemorrhaging members by the end and they were one loyal lot. I suspect that the announcement of a new, very similar game being announced by the Devs didn't help the longevity of the game and, frankly, I was looking forwards to it as much as everyone else. However, I'd poured a lot of time and money into Yggdrasil, so I'd be sad to see it go. As such, I was currently wandering through the world, occasionally teleporting from area to area, taking in the sights and remembering all the good times I'd spent in this world.

I reached the top of a cliff and stopped, knocking my fist on a tree with a slight smile as I took in the view.

"I'll miss this when its gone," I muttered, "Even if the new games even better, I think this world will always have a special place in my heart…"

I let out a sigh and glanced at the clock. Half an hour until timeout. I brought up my console, intending to logout, but before I did, I noticed a name still logged in on my Friend List. It was the Master of Ainz Ooal Gown. I snorted. If I knew him, he'd be staying on until the Servers shut down. I hesitated for a moment, before shrugging and activating a teleport spell to the Great Tomb of Nazarick instead of logging out. Since we both shared a rather unhealthy love for the game, it felt right to spend the last few moments hanging out and reminiscing.

I appeared in front of the Gates and equipped the Guest Amulet that would prevent the defences from activating as I entered the Dungeon turned HQ. The Amulet had similar enchantments on it to the Guild Ring, allowing for limited teleporting within the Tomb, although not as freely as with the Rings. As soon as I stepped through the door, brushing past the undead guards, I teleported deeper inside, reappearing outside the meeting room that had been distressingly empty of late. I stuck my head into the room, but it was empty. I noted that the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown was missing from its pedestal though. I quickly checked my friend list and saw that, yes, Momonga was still online. I spent a few minutes wandering the corridors, but I quickly realized he must be in the Throne Room, one of the areas I couldn't access as a Guest since it also served as the location for the Guilds last stand, should the need arise.

I let out a huff and turned on my heel.

"Guess hanging outs now not an option," I said, "Guess I'll go sit outside until the game ends...then I should go to bed. I gotta go make that pitch tomorrow at work."

I pulled a face and teleported outside. I took a deep breath and stretched, relishing in the feeling of my virtual muscles stretching for the last time, before I dropped down beside the gate and tilted my head up, watching as the fluffy clouds wafted over the half moon.

"Heh, I wonder what the skybox in the new game will look like," I muttered.

I smiled and closed my eyes, focusing on the clock to bring it up to center stage.

"Just a few more seconds…"

I watched as the clock ticked down the last five seconds until midnight, waiting for the serve to kick me as it shut down at midnight. The clocked flicked to six zeros and I let out one last breath...before the clocked ticked forwards one more second and my body was consumed in pure pain.

 **And done. If you're wondering why Loup didn't realize that staying in Yggdrasil was a bad idea unless he fancied ending up in a fantasy world, the main reason was because he didn't think of it. Like it was mentioned, he just assumed that Mass Effect was the only world, so he never made the connections, despite it staring him in the face. Denial can be a powerful force.**

 **Speaking of, since I didn't have anyone mention it, this character's name is Loup Garou, which is french for werewolf.**

 **I'm probably taking some liberties with how Yggdrasil works, but I honestly don't give a shit. Unless it directly contradicts the rules laid out in canon, I'll be doing my own thing. Oh, and since this is an Outsider Chronicles, expect crossovers.**

 **Until next time, please leave a review!**


	5. A New Guardian Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: A New Guardian

O...K, I wasn't expecting this. When I was reborn into a world that I'm pretty sure was Mass Effect, I was gearing up for some serious fun watching people fumble, even if I would be getting on a bit when it finally rolled around. What I wasn't expecting was to end up in an entirely new world after my favorite video game ended. Well, this is gonna be fun

 **And we're back. Nothing to add, so lets get going. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

To this day, I have never known pain the likes of which I had felt that day. Hell, neither me nor any of the people we've met since have been able to figure out WHY I was put through such agony. Ainz didn't feel any discomfort in the transition, the lucky beggar. For me though, it felt like my entire body was lit on fire, not helped in the slightest by the sudden spiking of my senses, including the effectiveness of my nerves ability to transmit data. I'm still not 100% sure what happened during my first few moments in the world, but I was fortunate enough that I didn't remain conscious for long.

* * *

Short start, but lets head to Ainz POV for a bit

Momonga was utterly confused. He was currently watching the Guardians of the 6th Floor, the Dark Elf Twins, Aura and Mare battling a summoned Primal Fire Elemental with apparent glee, something that _shouldn't be possible!_ This was after not getting kicked from the game like he should have and discovering that the various NPCs had somehow come to life. The Lich was suddenly very glad that he was just bones when he remembered how he had discovered that fact.

He shook himself to get his thoughts back on track. He had already spoken with Sebes, the head Butler of the Tomb, and discovered that the swamps that had surrounded the Tomb had apparently been replaced by grasslands in all directions. Taking that with all of the other bizarre things that had happened over the last quarter of an hour, the only conclusion that he could draw was that he and Nazarick had somehow been transported to a completely different world and made real. Now, while most people might have panicked or considered finding a way home, Momonga's undead body prevented the first and he had discarded the second without a second thought. It wasn't like he really had anything back in his old world after all.

He looked around the arena at the bowing Guardians who had just finished swearing loyalty to him. For some reason, he felt whole for the first time in ages. Maybe because, through these former NPC's, he could have his friends back…

"Thank you my friends, your words mean a lot," he said, inwardly thanking his lucky stars for the acting lessons he'd taken, "Now, Nazarick appears to be in a rather odd situation. Sebes is scouting the area, but…"

He was cut off as said butler entered the arena with something in his arms.

"Forgive the interruption my Lord, but there is something you need to see," he said as he approached and placed the item in his arms onto the ground.

Momonga took a step forwards, before jerking back in shock. It was a person and a very familiar one at that. Small and slight, with a psyche that belied the incredible power hidden within and resulted in a good number of people mistaking his gender (which might have been the point). His skin was lightly tanned and his hair was a shade of very pale lavender that was nearly silver and fell to his shoulders. His features were mostly Human, but his ears were pointed and the tips of fangs could be seeen poking out of his lips. He had clawed hands and feet, as well as pads on his palms and the bottom of his feet. He was wearing a sleeveless, midnight blue tunic and trousers made of Dragon scales while his feet were wrapped in bandages, the pads on the soles negating the need for actual shoes, while his shins were covered in silver greaves with crescent moons engraved in the metal. The armour covering his forearms matched his grieves, a pair of fingerless, silver gauntlets with built in knuckle guards that served to increase his punching power while leaving his claws free, just in case he needed an extra weapon. The armour also bore the sigil of the moon, this one three quarters. Finally, he wore a small, silver breastplate that was designed to provide protection while not impeding movement at all and bearing the mark of a full moon.

"Loup?" muttered Momonga, "I didn't know he was still around…"

"I found him unconscious outside the gates," said Sebes, "He appeared to be in quite a bit of pain. I also found this."

He held up an amulet with the Guild's crest on it.

"Whats wrong with him?" asked Momonga as he examined the bloody foam that was leaking out of his friends lips.

That couldn't be healthy.

"I'm not sure," said Sebes, "As far as I can tell, he is perfectly healthy."

Loup chose that moment to wake up with a groan, turn over...and vomit all over Momonga's shoes.

* * *

Back to Loup

"Urrrg, I feel like I've gone ten rounds in the ring with Anderson," I groaned, "What happened?"

I twitched as I felt a monstrous amount of murderous intent settle over me. I slowly turned my head and blanched when I saw a very familiar group of Guardians glowering at me while a towering skeleton eyed the puddle of puke that he was standing in.

"That...can't be good," I muttered.

"You…" said Albedo, "HOW DARE YOU…!"

"YIPES!"

I scrabbled away from the furious Succubus as her aura spiked. What I wasn't expecting was for me to go flying across the arena to slam head first into the stone wall.

"Owwwww," I groaned, "What the hell is going on?"

"Albedo, enough," snapped Momonga before the head Guardian could try and cave my head in.

"But master…"

"He meant nothing by it," said the massive Litch as he stepped out of the puddle and cleaned the puke off his feet.

While Momonga was trying to calm down his minions, I was busy cursing in my head. Considering how shaken and dazed I was, it took me a while to realize what had happened, but Albedo's explosion had been what tipped me off. Now I was calling myself an idiot for not realizing it sooner. Considering I had spent the last ten years hanging out with the members of Ainz Ooal Gown and had even helped create some of the NPC's that protected the Tomb of Nazarick, it was almost inconceivable that I had failed to realize that staying online as the Servers were shut down was a fucking terrible idea. Then again, considering how dull reality was, I shouldn't really complain. True, some interesting things were in the future of my old world, but not for a really long time.

I let out a sigh and got to my feet, stumbling slightly as I did. Unlike Momonga who was just a skeleton animated by magic, I truly was an entirely different race. My entire body was completely different than a Human one, from my senses to my bones and my muscular structure. The fact my Avatar was smaller than my actual body didn't help, but I was used to that.

"Alright Momonga, what the hell is going on?" I asked, drawing attention to me.

"How dare you…" started Albedo.

"Calm yourself Albedo," said Momonga, "While he wasn't a member of the Guild, Loup Garou is an old friend."

He turned to me.

"That is a very good question my friend," he said, "As far as I can tell, we have somehow been transported to a new world. As you can see, the NPC's are now very much alive and I think my body has literally become my Avatar."

"Oh, I can confirm that," I said as my ears twitched, "I can hear their heartbeats."

I let out a sigh.

"This is gonna be a right pain in the tail," I said.

"Indeed," said Momonga, "Perhaps it would be wise to remain together for now."

"Good plan," I said, "And, um, I'm sorry for puking on your shoes."

"No harm done," said Momonga, "Now, make your report Sebes."

The Butler bowed and did as bidden. I listened with half an ear while the rest of me was busy taking stock of my new body and skillset. It was strange. I mean, due to how the game worked, people tended to pick up skills they learnt in it over time, such as using weapons and the like, but the program did provide a certain among of help with combat. I could feel all of the skills and spells my character knew resting within my mind, ready to come out in an instant. I hesitantly reached out and winced slightly as my hand vanished into thin air, before I pulled it out with a Health potion in my grip.

"Huh, looks like I can still access my inventory," I muttered, "Thats nice."

I returned the potion to the pocket dimension.

"Loup."

I looked up.

"Need something Momonga?" I asked.

"Could you use your Summons to scout the area?" he asked, "Wolves, even your spectral ones, should not stand out too much."

"With pleasure," I said, **"Summon Pack!"**

My hair spiked up, extended and began to glow, scattering small sparks of light around me. As they floated in the air, they rapidly expanded and formed into the shape of a pack of wolves with gray fur, red eyes and lavender coloured ruffs. They milled around for a moment, before a sharp growl from me sent them shooting into the sky and away.

"They'll send me any useful information they find," I said.

"Thank you for your assistance," said Momonga.

I inclined my head, which Momonga returned before teleporting out.

"Yeesh, melodramatic much," I muttered, "Now then, I really need to...HOLY…!"

I let out a very canine yelp as I was suddenly grabbed by the lapels and yanked bodily into the air by Albedo who had somehow got from the other side of the arena. Now I found myself staring into her enraged eyes as a purple aura leaked from her body.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I will not allow you to disrespect Lord Momonga!" she snarled.

"Albedo, thats enough!" shouted Demiurge, "Did you not hear Lord Momonga? Loup Garou is his friend, along with being close with many of the other Supreme Beings! He may not be one himself, but he is still worthy of our respect."

"What the Demon said," I said, instinctively baring my teeth as my hair stuck up in response to my anger, "Now do you mind letting me down?"

Albedo scowled, but set me on my feet nonetheless.

"Fine, but I won't let you beat me," she said.

I paused as I patted down my hair.

"Pardon?"

"Lord Momonga is my love!" said the Succubus.

I blinked a couple of times as Aura started snickering and Demiurge facepalmed.

"Alright, first point, Momonga's a skeleton and, as such, lacks the one bone you want," I said slowly. "And second…"

I jumped and smacked her over the head with a paper fan I'd pulled out of my Inventory.

"I'M MALE YOU MORON!"

Albedo stared at me for a moment, before she suddenly spun around to glare at the laughing Aura as the young Dark Elf rolled around in hysterics. The other Guardians had better control, but Demiurge and Shalltear were definitely smirking and Mare was giggling slightly. It was impossible to tell what Cocytus was thinking, but I'm pretty sure his shoulders were shaking slightly.

"You all knew that?!" growled Albedo.

"Of course we did," said Shalltear, "Lady Bukubukuchagama and Lord Peroroncino often teased him about being a 'trap' as they called it."

I blushed brightly. While screwing with the so called 'hero' players was a lot of fun, especially when I was mistaken for a girl, now my Avatar was my actual body, something told me I was going to seriously regret designing it like this. To be fair, my character wasn't exactly feminine, but it certainly leaned more towards androgynous than manly.

"A trap?" asked Demiurge, "Is that some kind of class?"

"Not exactly," I said, "Its a term used to refer to individuals, usually males, who look like attractive members of the opposite sex. Mare is a good example of one."

All eyes turned on the young crossdresser, making him shrink behind his staff slightly…somehow.

"Interesting," muttered Demiurge, "Perhaps we could make use of that…"

"Unlikely," I said, "While it is good for a surprise and the odd joke, it has no real combat applications."

"Thats too bad," said Demiurge, "I would like to use something like that to gain an advantage in battle.

"That would only work if the opponent in question was a massive pervert and, frankly, I'd rather just tear my opponents apart," I said.

"Oh, why am I not surprised that a Mutts first instinct is to attack blindly," said Shalltear.

I let out a growl of irritation as my claws lengthened slightly and my hackles went up.

"Watch it lamprey!" I snapped, "Wait…"

I blinked a couple of times as the sudden surge of anger faded.

" _Why the hell did I react like that?"_ I thought.

"Careful Mutt, you really don't want to pick a fight we me," said Shalltear, glaring at me.

I let out another growl and I felt my blood start to boil. With an immense force of will, I shoved down the urge to transform and **tear this pathetic parasite to shreds!** That thought shocked me out of my anger. I blinked a few times and shook myself to settle my fur.

"Oh? Are you losing control?" sneered Shalltear, "Typical of a dog."

That did it. I let out a snarl and pounced, my claws extended and ready to tear the Vampire a new one. I did manage to hold back from transforming fully, but the instinctive rage was too much for me to control. Shalltear gave a snarl of her own as she summoned a ball of magic into existence and bared her fangs at me.

"ENOUGH!"

I skidded to a stop as Cocytus axe slammed into the ground in front of me

"The two of you are acting like children!" snarled the icy warrior.

I took a few steps back as I struggled to reign in my instincts that were demanding that I attack the Vampire, regardless of the oversized bugs protests.

"Tch, fine," said Shalltear, "I need to get started on my mission for Lord Momonga anyway."

I clenched my fists, using the pain from my claws penetrating my palms to get my emotions back under control.

"Man, I've heard that Werewolves and Vampires don't get along, but I didn't know it was that bad," said Aura as Shalltear created a Gate and vanished through it, "Are you OK Lord Loup?"

I let out a huff through my nose and pulled my claws out of my palms, ignoring the tingling feeling as the wounds quickly closed.

"I'm fine, but I do need some time to get used to these new instincts and emotions," I said, "Momonga got lucky. As an Undead, he shouldn't have any trouble. Oh, and don't call me Lord."

I activated my amulet and teleported away to find somewhere to meditate and try to get used to my new body. This was not going to be fun.

 **And done. Before I sign off, a few points.**

 **First up, despite being a player rather than an NPC turned real, Loup will end up with a much more casual relationship with the Guardians and other characters than Ainz, simply due to the fact that he wasn't one of the Guild members. They do however have a lot of respect for him...mostly.**

 **Yes, I did swipe the cliche Vampires vs Werewolves thing.**

 **Actually, thats it. Nice and short. Don't forget to review!**


	6. Elemental Shenanigans Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Elemental Shenanigans

Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting. I mean, getting reborn into the world of Avatar was one thing, but finding four gems in a cave and unleashing a horde of stupidly powerful Elemental Spirits and finding that I apparently have more power over the Elements than the Avatar himself? That was unexpected.

 **Golden Sun is awsome. Just thought I'd say that and get it out of the way. I've ben trying to come up with a way of doing this for a while, but now I've got it! Just to be perfectly clear, the Golden Sun events happened thousands of years ago in this story, although there are still a few remnants floating around, including a few Artifacts. Right, lets get this party started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, when I died, the very last thing I ever expected was to wake up again in the body of a baby. A baby in a world that was decidedly not the same one I died in. How do I know? Well, considering that there are a few people in town who can control rocks with their mind and kung fu moves and others who can shoot fire from their limbs, you tell me. Oh yeah, and lets not forget about the talk of a war that had been going on for the past century and a few bedtime stories about a guardian who could control all four elements. I'd been reborn into the world of Avatar!

Growing up was rather...interesting. The town I lived in, called Vale, was one cut off from the Four Nations at the northern edge of the Earth Kingdom at the base of a massive, extinct volcano that looked like someone had set off a few kilotons of TNT inside at some point. It was a peaceful place, cut off from the war by massive mountain ranges and protected by skilled warriors from all four Nations who left their homes in search of peace away from the war. It was easy to tell those who came later from the natives though as the Village as a whole seemed to have a more western style to it than the rest of the World. The building style made it seem more like a village from the English countryside, all thatched roofs and solid wooden structures and the names used matched as well. My friends were called Garet, Felix and Jenna while my name was…

"ISAAC!"

Yeah, that. I groaned as my mothers voice yanked me from my sleep, helped along by the almighty crash of thunder.

"Isaac, wake up!" shouted Mother as she frantically shook my shoulder, "The storm shook the mountainside loose! Theres a landslide coming this way, we need to evacuate!"

I shook the last dregs of sleep from my mind and scrambled out of bed as Mum hurried away, returning a moment later to shove my tunic into my arms.

"Hurry!"

She shepherded me outside where my Dad was staring up at the mountain top through the driving rain. As we left, he turned to us.

"Hurry up Dora, they won't be able to hold it for much longer!" he said, "You two need to go and take refuge in the Plaza."

"What about you Kyle?" asked Mum.

"I still need to help the rest of the villages evacuate," said Dad.

"Oh no you don't," said Mum, "I'm going with you!"

"Dora please, just look after Isaac," pleaded Dad.

Mum shook her head.

"Isaacs old enough to make his way to the Plaza on his own," she said, "Right?"

I nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said.

Mum nodded.

"Right, lets go," she said and marched past Dad.

Dad gave me a helpless look and followed her. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but snicker at my parents antics as I started heading towards the Plaza. Said good humor was almost immediately dashed however as a large boulder dropped down in my path, blocking my way.

"Well, thats a pain," I groused as I turned and headed back up to find a way around.

Vale was built into the side of the mountain on a series of small platous connected by stairways cut into the rock. It made defending it easy, but it also meant that trying to get around could be a right pain in the rear. The river running through the middle of the town certainly didn't help matters. I headed up a layer, intending to cross the river and make my way down on the other side, when I came across my friend Garet, who seemed to be trying to get a heavy looking chest to shift. It must have been incredibly heavy as Garet was incredibly strong for his age. He was one of the biggest kids in the Village with his spiky, red hair only adding to his height. Despite his size and strength, he was a nice guy, always laughing and joking.

I rolled my eyes as I passed him and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him away.

"HEY, whats the big idea?!" he spluttered, "Isaac, I need to save my stuff!"

"Stuff can be replaced, your life cannot," I said.

"You sound like my Mom," grumbled Garet, but didn't protest as I pulled him up the stairs and across the bridge.

As we crossed it, we could see a number of Earthbenders attempting to hold back the incoming landslide, but they were barely slowing it down. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that something was pushing it on and through the Benders powers, but the only things capable of something like that would be Badgermoles or Spirits. And since Badgermoles didn't live in this part of the world, I really hoped it was something else or we were all dead meat. We hurried down a level, but were stopped by a loud yell.

"FELIX, NO!"

Garet and I looked at each other, before running around the house to see Felix had fallen in the now swollen river and was now holding onto a bit of wood that was all that was left of the dock that used to extend out into the river. My parents, Jenna and her parents were stood on the remains of the dock that was still intact, trying desperately to find a way to help Felix, although it was apparent that none of them had any idea how to do it.

"ISAAC, GARET, GO GET HELP!" shouted Mum when she spotted us on the bank.

"GOT IT!" I shouted back and dragged Garet away.

"What should we do?" asked Garet as we sprinted towards the plaza.

"A Waterbender would be best," I said, "I just hope Master Rief is there…"

I was cut off as peal of thunder shook the town, causing the very air to vibrate around us.

"We'd better hurry before the way is blocked," I said.

"Good idea," said Garet.

We quickly broke into a run, dodging the rocks that were still falling. It didn't take us long to reach the plaza where most of the villagers had already gathered. The resident Waterbenders had set up a temporary clinic area where they were treating any injuries the townsfolk had sustained, directed by a tall man in white robes and gray hair.

"Master Rief!" I called as we ran over.

Master Rief turned, looking more than a little haggard from all the work he'd done.

"Whats wrong Isaac?" he asked.

"We need help," I said, "Felix has fallen into the river!"

Master Rief closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I see," he said, "Very well, let us go."

He quickly informed another Healer where he was going and followed us as we started heading back to where Felix was fighting for his life. Fortunately, it didn't take us long to reach the river and Master Rief was able to get Felix out of the water with little trouble.

"Excellent work Isaac, Garet," said Mum as Felix clung to his family, all four sobbing with relief.

"Would you expect anything else?" asked Garet with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and smacked him upside the head.

"Not the time," I said.

"Isaacs right," said Dad, "Frank, Alice, we need to move."

The two adults quickly pulled themselves together and nodded, guiding their children to their feet so we could get away from the danger zone. Unfortunately, we were a tad to late.

We were just crossing the bridge over the swollen river when, with an almighty crack, a monstrous lightning bolt struck the mountaintop, blasting the entire rock face to pieces. Almost immediately, the ground started to shake violently, as a bright, golden light that had appeared at the peak of the mountain and released a pulse of energy that caused the laws of physics to apparently break. Everything seemed to freeze in place, from the falling rocks, to the raindrops. Then, a beam of golden light shot out the peak of the mountain and split into four orbs, one red, one yellow, one blue and one purple. For a moment, they remained above the mountain, slowly orbiting the peak, before they suddenly shot off in different directions, taking the storm clouds with them.

Then, time started back up and the mountain top simply exploded with such force that I'm pretty sure pieces of it would land in the Northern Water Tribe. However, I had more important things to worry about. I'm not sure what made me do it, but my body moved before I could react, shoving Felix and Jenna, who still hadn't let go of each other, out of the way, just in time to take a thin sliver of purple crystal that the explosion had sent flying at us through the gut.

This probably goes without saying, but it HURT. I staggered a few steps and fell to my knees, blood leaking from my lips as I stared down at the stone spear. I'm not sure if I was hallucinating, but it almost looked like it was glowing. The world around me seemed to fade away as slowly slumped down. I could hear someone shouting, but it sounded muffled. I felt so tired... maybe I should take a nap…

"Huh? GAH!"

I barely had time to close my eyes before my body was flooded with energy, jerking me back to full consciousness as the purple stone in my gut glowed brightly and vanished, taking the wound with it. It was so unexpected that everyone around me stopped panicking and just stared.

"Er, what just happened?" asked Garet.

"I...have no idea," said Rief, "I've never seen anything like this! How do you feel Isaac?"

"Surprisingly good," I said as I probed my stomach.

There wasn't even a scar. I looked up and opened my mouth to suggest we get moving, but before I could, my companions all recoiled in shock.

"What?"

"Ah, Isaac, your eyes are glowing," said Jenna.

I blinked.

"Glowing?"

Jenna nodded.

"Glowing yellow."

"Huh…"

"INCOMING!"

The mystery of my glowing eyes was wiped from all of our minds at the yell as we spun around to see that the landslide had finally managed to overpower the Earthbenders holding it back and was now barreling towards the village at incredible speed. It seemed that the damage done by the lightning strike and explosion hadn't helped matters either and now it was clear that the landslide would easily bury the entire village.

"MOVE!" roared Dad, grabbing Mum by the hand as everyone bolted, trying to get out of range of the mass of earth.

However, for some reason, my legs decided not to move, instead turning me to face the wall of rock that threatened to crush my home.

"ISAAC!" shouted Mum.

I ignored her, instead lifting my arms as if to stop the landslide, something that would be impossible, even for a fully fledged Avatar at this point. Then, the power I'd felt earlier made another appearance, surging through my body and causing the glow in my eyes to increase until they were like twin stars. I gritted my teeth as I felt the power surge out of my body, causing the bridge under me to buck and the wood to start to grow branches and leaves. I felt my power sinking into the rocks and mud that made up the landslide, bending the force of nature to my will. My knees buckled at the huge weight I was somehow holding, but I didn't fall, instead I pushed back. I knew I couldn't stop it completely, that was impossible, so I did the next best thing. I let out a wordless roar of effort as I flung my arms wide, splitting the landslide down the middle and forcing it to flow around the village instead of over it. Fortunately, the falling earth had lost a good deal of its momentum in the short time I'd been able to hold it, so it wasn't long before it settled and I was able to release my power. The moment I did, I wavered and fell on my ass.

"Ohhh, that was exhausting," I muttered.

"That...wasn't Bending," muttered Felix.

"Indeed it wasn't."

I was to tired, but everyone else, still on edge from the chaotic night, nearly jumped out of their skins and spun around. Stood at the other end of the bridge was an old man with long, white hair and a short, pointed beard. He was wearing brown robes festooned with pockets and pouches. His sharp, gray eyes were covered with round glasses and were currently taking over our group. Despite my tiredness, I couldn't help but notice he seemed surprised by something.

Flanking him were two taller individuals completely concealed under floor length, hooded cloaks, although I could see the tip of a sheath emerging from under one of them.

"Master, are you sure this is wise?" asked the one with the sword.

His voice was deep and held the vaguest hint of a growl to it as if its owner wasn't quite human.

"Very much so," said the old man, "I came here to discover the reason for the spikes in energy upon the remains of Mt. Aleph. I'd say that explosion proves that my theory was correct. However, I wasn't expecting to run into the side effects quite this soon."

"What are you talking about?" asked Garet as he stepped forwards, "What side effects?"

"That power your friend used was far older than Bending," said the old man, "A power that I truly believed would never again be seen in the world, outside my friends in the Mars Clan."

"What power?" I asked, feeling an uncomfortable sense of doom rise in my gut.

The old man fixed with with an amused look, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"A power that was once wielded by the people who lived in this area," said the old man, "A people sworn to defend the Mountain and the secrets it hid…"

"Look, I get that old men like to be all mysterious and all, but my head feels like someones split it with an axe," I growled, "Get to the point already!"

"Why you little…" growled the man with the sword, taking a step forwards.

"Calm down Saturos," said other cloaked person, a woman with a deep, sultry voice, "He didn't mean any disrespect. Besides, do you really want to agitate a Venus Adept powerful enough to stop that landslide without training?"

The cloaked man, Saturos apparently, let out a very draconic growl, but stepped back. However, I was much more interested in what she had referred to me as. Now why did the term Venus Adept sound so familiar...my eyes widened and I snapped my eyes back to the old man, then to his bodyguards. Despite having stepped back, Saturos was gripping the hilt of his sword, allowing me to see that his hand was covered in blue scales.

"Oh dear," I muttered as my headache doubled in size.

Then, everything that had happened over the night caught up with me and I fainted.

 **And done. I'll be honest, I'm not entirely pleased with this opening chapter, but it hits all the marks I wanted so lets go with it.**

 **Just to reiterate, the events of Golden Sun happened thousands of years ago and the use of Psynergy and Alchemy has almost completely died out, with the only remaining users being the Mars Clan from Prox...at least, that was the case before this little event thats triggered the reemergence of the powers.**

 **In other news, an Adept is much, much stronger than a Bender. Thats not to say that Benders are weak or helpless against Adepts as a skilled Bender could beat an Adept through more experience, clever tactics and so on. Plus, Adepts have a limited pool of energy to draw from to use their techniques while a Bender doesn't.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	7. Elemental Shenanigans Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Elemental Shenanigans

Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting. I mean, getting reborn into the world of Avatar was one thing, but finding four gems in a cave and unleashing a horde of stupidly powerful Elemental Spirits and finding that I apparently have more power over the Elements than the Avatar himself? That was unexpected.

 **And here is your daily reminder that Golden Sun is awsome. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

I came too in my bed. For a moment, I lay still, staring up at the wooden beams that crisscrossed my ceiling as I went over the events of the night in my head. That...had to have been a dream, right? Theres no way I could be an Adept, it was impossible. Then again, before I died, I'd have thought being reborn into the Avatar world would be impossible as well. Of course, the fact that this world was definitely the world of Avatar was one of the big reasons I was so hesitant to accept the fact I could be an Adept. No, it had to be impossible…

"Oh good, your finally awake."

"GAH!"

Jumping out of my skin was becoming an uncomfortable habit, but hearing an unfamiliar girls voice in my bedroom was definitely a good reason. I rolled out of bed, grabbing my practice sword as I did, and came up on my feet on the other side of the room. I opened my mouth to demand who the girl was, but stopped before I could and instead stared at the girl who was perched on my dresser with her arms crossed and a mildly annoyed look on her face. Well, there went my theory that it was impossible for me to be an Adept. What made me say that? Well, the girl was most definitely not from Vale (fuck me) and, as bezar as the Avatar world could be, I highly doubt it could produce a Human like this girl without help.

She looked about the same age as me, but her skin, no, scales, were a dark lavender colour, her eyes were red and her hair was reddish pink and cropped short except for her long bangs. She had pointed ears and was wearing a dark brown set of midriff baring leather top and a short skirt with a red pattern, thigh high boots and a long, crimson scarf. Her forearms and hands were covered in black gloves, but her shoulders were covered in visible scales and small spikes. Not really what I expected a 12 year old to wear, but whatever. Oh, and she also had a rather large scythe leaning against the dresser next to her.

"What are you looking at?" she growled.

"Well, waking up with a cute girl in my room isn't exactly a standard thing for me," I said without thinking.

The dragon girls eyes widened slightly and I swear her scales darkened slightly, before she scowled and snorted.

"Yeah, whatever ya squishy bastard," she growled as she hopped off the dresser, "Now come on. Now you're awake, Master Kraden will want to talk to you."

I stumbled at that. I thought the old man looked familiar! Still, could it really be THE Kraden? The old geezer who's basically responsible for Saturos and Menardi getting their hands on the Elemental Stars? I quickly shook my head as I followed the girl downstairs. I needed to keep an open mind right now or I'd probably go insane...er.

"So, you mind telling me your name?" I asked, "I'm Isaac."

"Karst," grunted the girl.

I blinked and suppressed the urge to facepalm. I shoulda known. We entered the living room where my Parents and Master Rief, who was on the council of Elders, were watching Kraden as he studied a map of the world that seemed to be glowing slightly. His guards were also there, now without their cloaks and I was completely unsurprised to see that they also had dragon-like features. Oh, and they were Saturos and Menardi, the main villains of the first game. Frankly, that wasn't as surprising as it should have been.

"Hey sis, Earth boys awake," said Karst, "Freakin finally."

"Don't be rude Karst," scolded Menardi.

Karst rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

"ISAAC!"

"OOF!"

I suddenly found the air getting squeezed out of me as Mum grabbed me in a tight hug, before rapidly checking me over, ranting to quickly for me to keep up in my current state. A moment later, my Dad put his hand on Mums shoulder.

"Calm down and let the boy breath Dora," he said, "He's fine, Master Rief confirmed it himself.

"Indeed," said the elderly Waterbender, "Now then, now that Isaac has joined us, perhaps our guest would be so kind as to enlighten us as to what is going on."

Kraden let out a huff and straightened.

"Very well," he said, "I suppose I should start with proper introductions. My name is Kraden, a scholar and Alchemist. My companions are my guards and students, Saturos, Menardi and Karst of the Mars Clan. We are the last remnants of a civilization so ancient it predates the art of Bending itself. In fact, I believe I could go so far as to say we predate many Spirits."

"Thats impossible!" gasped Rief.

"Perhaps," said Kraden, "However, I do know that we predate the advent of the Spirit Worlds connection with our own. The Mars Clan is the last of those who can still use the Ancient art of Psynergy."

He paused.

"Or rather, they were," he said, "With the explosion up on the Mountain releasing so many Psynergy Stones, and the energy of the Elemental Stars it wouldn't surprise me in the least if more Adepts began to appear. Hell, the other Clans may well resurface."

He paused when he caught the look of confusion on everyones faces.

"Ah, sorry, I should start from the beginning," he said, "This will take a while, so let us be seated."

Once we were all seated, he began the tale. I don't feel like writing it all down, so I'll summarize it. Basically, I was right and this world was Weyard only far FAR into the future. Like, so far that it was basically impossible that I'd meet anything to do with the original story...or at least, thats what I thought. As it turned out, Kraden wasn't like everyone else in the room (with the possible exception of Rief) with an uncanny resemblance to the characters, he _was_ the Kraden from Golden Sun, made immortal by the Golden Sun event and excessive use of the Elixir of Youth he'd managed to replicate and perfect. According to the old geezer (emphasis on old), the use of Psynergy and Alchemy had become extremely prevalent after the events of Dark Dawn that we know of, but over time Human nature came into play and war broke out. The end result was a huge amount of destruction and Death caused by Psynergy and Alchemy, resulting in those without the abilities to develop a fear of those who used the powers. Over time, that fear became hate and someone decided to do something about it and opened a gateway to the Spirit World with the aid of Vaatu, bringing about the start of the history revealed in Avatar.

The regular Humans were only able to survive thanks to the creation of the Lion Turtles through a rather impressive Alchemical ritual that used the power of the Lighthouses and the Djinn to create the massive creatures, while the Psynergy using clans remained in the wilds, able to survive thanks to their incredible powers. Still, over time, the Clans began to diminish until only the Mars Clan remained, largely thanks to the isolated nature of their home. There were still descendants of the Clans throughout the world, a result of those Clan members who either lacked the power to survive or had 'ahem' rendezvous with normal Humans when they came hunting for food.

Needless to say, once Kraden had finished the story, Mum, Dad and Rief were completely stunned. Hell, even I was a little poleaxed, and I already knew most of it!

"Thats all very well, but what about the explosion up the mountain?" I asked.

"Ah, now that is an event I truly never believed would happen," said Kraden, "This village sits upon the exact same place that the Village of Vale once stood, at the foot of Mt. Aleph, the center of the Seal that once held Alchemy. It was the spiritual center of our World, so, upon their Deaths, the Lion Turtle's elemental powers returned here where it has slept for thousands of years. However, last night, all that power was released once again upon the world and returned to the Elemental Stars that once served as the Lion Turtles hearts."

"That...can't be good," I said.

"Indeed," said Kraden, "However, the Stars will be safe for now. I have kept track of the gems that will have become the Stars and all of them are in the hands of powerful individuals. Besides, they cannot even be handled by someone unless they are an Adept of the corresponding Element."

"But you said that this release will result in these 'Adepts' reappearing, correct?" asked Dad.

An awkward silence fell over the room.

"Like I said, we have time before that will become an issue," said Kraden, "Besides, its unlikely anyone will realize they are different from Benders, despite the power difference."

"Power difference?" asked Mum.

"Adepts are far more powerful than Benders," said Minardi, speaking up for the first time, "For example, despite her youth and lack of training, Karst could easily overpower just about any Firebender the Fire Nation has to offer. With training, Isaac will probably become powerful enough that he could stop the landslide from last night without breaking a sweat."

This time, I joined my fellow Villages in their utter shock. I knew that Adepts were powerful, hell, Isaac and his party regularly proved that considering some of the shit they fought, but that was frankly insane. However, that shock was quickly replaced with a dark grin on my part as I started cackling.

"Ohhh, this is gonna be fun!" I said, "When do we start?"

The two older Mars Clansmen shared a glance then grinned at me in a way that did NOT foster good feelings.

"Immediately," said Saturos

* * *

Three Years Later

Three years past in the blink of an eye, although that was largely thanks to the sheer amount of training I was put through. Oh, and by training, I meant torture. Saturos put me through absolute hell to train me in the way of the sword, axe, mace and in the use of my Psynergy, although he could only teach me the basics since I was a Venus Adept. I had to figure out how to use my connection to the Earth myself. To help with that, I convinced some of the Earthbenders to teach me the basics of Earthbending and used that as a base for my Psynergy, even though I technically didn't need to use movements to use my powers in the same way a Bender does. Still, despite the bruises I regularly had to heal with judicious use of Cure Psynergy, I have to say that it was a ton of fun.

In other news, while I was the first Adept to emerge thanks to taking what amounts to pure, crystallized Alchemy through the stomach, it wasn't long before others in town began to show signs of developing Psynergy of their own. In fact, just about everyone who wasn't a Bender or over the age of 50 became an Adept within two years. According to Kraden, the reason was due to our close proximity to Mt. Aleph and the old man seemed to be really enjoying teaching everyone how to properly use their powers. Very few chose to truly take it to the same level as me though, but I did gain sparring partners in the form of Garet, Felix and Jenna. By this point, I'd pretty much accepted that my life was a cosmic joke, so it honestly wasn't that surprising and having a fellow Venus Adept in the form of Felix made mastering our powers far easier. Jenna and Garet had it 'easier' since they were Mars Adepts, although calling it easy probably isn't accurate considering that they were taught by Menardi and she was just as bad as Saturos.

In that three years, I also formed a sort-of friendship with Karst, despite her fiery (HAH!) temper, rude demeanor and sarcastic comments. I think it helped that I had no trouble whatsoever in meeting her sarcasm in kind and quickly reached a level of skill where I could spar with her without one of us simply steamrolling the other or having to hold back, other than to prevent causing permanent damage to the environment. We also proved to be a deadly tag team, taking advantage of our Psynergys natural synergy to great effect to the point that we were able to defeat Felix, Jenna and Garet at the same time and even hold of Saturos and Menardi for a short time. That was pretty impressive as those two were strong enough that the Elders said they could probably match a fully realized Avatar.

* * *

Of course, it wasn't all training and Psynergy. The war was still raging and, as isolated as we were, we still got plenty of news from the outside world, including the apparent revival of the Avatar. Then again, the fact that the statues in our shrine lit up was a good indication of that. With that revelation, the council was convened and promptly devolved into arguing over what we should do. Opinions were split between the idiots (those who thought the War was none of our business, completely missing the fact that sooner or later, the Fire Nation would MAKE it our business) and the people who wanted to go out and actually do something about it. The argument was just about the get physical when a massive pulse of power erupted from the altar, knocking everyone in the room over.

"What the…" started someone, only to trail of as he and everyone else saw the thing that was now floating above the alter.

It looked like a massive boulder with a huge eye, but the power it was putting out was frankly insane. Kraden was the first to recover and bowed to the floating rock.

"Greetings Wise One, it is good to see you again," he said, although I got the distinct impression he was gritting his teeth.

" **Do not lie to me, Kraden of Tolbi,"** said the Wise One, its voice rumbling to the point I could feel it in my stomach, **"I did not return to this world to exchange pleasantries."**

"Of course," said Kraden, "So what do you want?"

" **The return of Alchemy and Psynergy has not gone unnoticed,"** said the Wise One, **"The ones you call the Fire Nation have noticed and are already making plans to attempt to harness the powers. They will fail, however, they have an ally who will not. As much as I wish I could wait a little longer, I fear that if I do it will be to late."**

The floating eyeball shifted his gaze to me where I was stood at the back of the room.

" **You of the blood of Isaac, I have a task for you,"** it said, **"You must travel forth and reclaim the Elemental Stars before the old Foe can claim them. Should he succeed, not even the Avatar will be able to save this world."**

"Of course," I muttered.

"Wait, why Isaac?" asked Dad.

" **Because he is very powerful, the strongest Venus Adept on the planet,"** said the Wise One, **"Not only that, but your ancestors saved this world three times, making him the best chance for success. However, he will not be able to complete this alone. He will need help."**

The artificial beings single eye scanned the silent room.

"I'll go."

I blinked and looked over to where Karst had just stepped forwards.

"Karst…" said Minardi warningly.

"I'm the best choice," said Karst before her sister could protest, "I'm stronger than almost everyone else here and Isaac and I work well together. Besides…"

She smirked at me.

"Someone needs to watch his back so a racoonbear doesn't sneak up on him."

My eye twitched.

"One time," I growled under my breath, "One time I let my guard down and she never lets me hear the end of it!"

 **And that'll do. Bit of an odd ending, but I really don't care overmuch.**

 **So, Kraden is still around, Human nature fucked the world and Alchemy managed to save the day. I did plan to reveal all this over time but eh, this works to.**

 **Hmm, I wonder who's the ally who may be able to harness the power of Alchemy?**

 **Yes, the villains of the first two games have a role as allies in this, but I couldn't make it exactly the same.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review!**


	8. This Bites Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: This Bites

Getting reborn into the dark ages isn't exactly my idea of a 'good time', but nearly getting my throat ripped out by my own brother, then recruited as an Immortal bodyguard for a crazy vampire with a chip on his shoulder? Really not fun either. Surviving 300 years then getting sent to investigate odd occurrences in America in the same town as a goddamn Vampire slayer? Really not fun.

 **Interesting idea here, a crossover of Underworld and Buffy. Considering that the two versions of Vampires are so different, it'll be interesting to see what comes of it. Oh, and before I forget, go check out Anime PJ's story, Top of the Food Chain, which is based on my idea, OC: Tokyo Underground. With that done, lets goooo!**

Chapter 1

I really don't feel like going into detail as to how I died, so I won't. I also really don't feel like going into detail about my rebirth. Lets just say that theres a very good reason why you don't remember that and leave it at that. Honestly, it was rather surprising to me when I opened my eyes as a baby. I was never really religious and, while I liked the idea of reincarnation, I never really believed in much of anything. Still, I guess I should be thankful I wasn't in hell or something. Then again, considering the time period I had been reborn into was the 18th century and the place was Ireland. Still, could be worse I suppose. My family were at least moderately wealthy thanks to my Fathers job as a textiles merchant. There was a slight issue with the fact I had an identical twin brother who was, to quote my father, 'a drunken, whoring layabout with nothing redeeming about him whatsoever'. While harsh, it wasn't exactly inaccurate. Despite my best efforts to get it through his thick skull that acting like a bum wouldn't end well for him, he refused to listen. Just about the only person who could get through to the idiot was our Sister. I was proven correct shortly after my brother and I turned 26 when my brother and Father had a massive argument which ended in him storming out and getting himself killed.

* * *

OH YOU SON OF A BITCH FATE! I knew something stank but I didn't think it would be something like this! Whats got me so mad you ask? Well, a few hours after we got back from burying my brother, the soulless bastard showed up at our front door, convinced our sister he was an angel and then started draining everyone dry.

"You know, you were right brother," growled Liam (or Angelus as he would soon be known) as he advanced on me, "I was wasting my life."

"Well, thats a cold comfort," I said as I kept backing up, cursing myself for not wearing a crucifix.

In my defence though, I never thought I'd have to contend with a goddamn vampire tonight. Or ever for that matter.

"So what, you gonna drain me dry to?" I asked.

Angelus smirked.

"What can I say, your bloods just too SWEET!"

Before I could react, he shot forwards and buried his fangs in my throat. What happened next is a little blurry since the bite fired off all my pain and pleasure receptors and turned me into a drooling mess, but the next thing I knew was groggily coming too as another set of fangs were dug into my neck and I was once again sent into the darkness, this time by pure agony.

* * *

"Ohhh, next time Liam asks me to go on a bender with him, I'm turning him down," I groaned as I slowly regained consciousness.

I slowly sat up, blinking away the blurriness and rubbing my aching neck. I paused as my fingers ran over what felt like two sets of bite marks. I also noticed that, despite the fact I was in a room that was nearly completely dark, I could see perfectly.

"That can't be good," I muttered, "Did I get Turned by one of those nuts?"

Considering I still seemed to have my sanity and didn't feel like going out and committing atrocities to kill boredom. I did feel different, but not like my Human soul had been replaced by a demented demon.

"So, you survived."

"GAH!"

I blinked as I found myself stuck to the ceiling with no apparent means of support and hissing at the newcomer from between my brand new fangs. The second I did, my hands and feet came lose and I fell to the ground with a crash.

"Very graceful."

I groaned and tilted my head back to look at the newcomer, only to freeze once again in utter shock as I recognized her. As beautiful as an ice sculpture and twice as cold, with inky black tresses and eyes like sapphires, she was wearing black leather armour and had a silver sword sheathed at her side. AHEM, I'm sorry, I'm channeling Selene. Ironic seeing as thats exactly who I was describing. Well, I think I've just discovered how I survived. Something tells me I'm gonna be dealing with a lot of people mistaking me for a monster in the future.

"On your feet," said Selene, marching forwards and yanking me to my feet, "Marcus wants to speak with you."

"Marcus?" I asked weakly, "Where am I? Who are you?"

I was still a little shaken from discovering that I'm now just as much a Vampire as my brother, albeit entirely Earthly in nature.

"Marcus is our current leader," said Selene as she led me from the room I'd awoken in and into a lavishly decorated corridor, "He also happens to be your Sire, so I suggest you show him the respect he deserves."

Holy shit, Turned by the original Vampire?! Thats some serious pedigree. I just hope Viktor doesn't decide to *ahem* deal with me when he finds out. By this point, my head had stopped spinning, so I was able to walk just fine, although Selene kept a tight grip on my elbow as she steered me through the halls. As we did, we passed a number of Vampires who gave me odd looks.

"Newcomers are a bit of a reality," said Selene before I could ask, "You were also in pretty bad shape when the Deathdealers brought you in. Few thought you'd survive."

She glanced back at me and I resisted the urge to squirm under her piercing gaze.

"You're stronger than you look."

"Guess I should take that as a complement," I muttered.

Selene ignored me as she stopped in front of a pair of doors and shoved them open, revealing a decent sized throne room with a number of richly dressed Vampires milling around. Lounging in the throne at the head of the room was a man with long, red hair, piercing blue eyes that were nearly identical to Selene's and a goblet of what I'm pretty sure wasn't wine. He was wearing expensive looking clothes, the sort that my Father would have loved to be able to afford.

Marcus looked up as we entered and, for a very brief moment, a look of loathing crossed the Elders face. If I didn't know Marcus' feelings towards Viktor and his ilk were, I wouldn't have noticed it. The room fell silent as Selene and I crossed the floor to the dius where the throne stood where the (much) older Vampire bowed, shoving my head down as she did.

"Raise your heads," said Marcus.

We did so and I found myself staring straight into Marcus' eyes.

"Welcome Lucas Corvo," said the First, "We have a lot to discuss."

* * *

The next few hours were spent in Marcus' private sitting room as the Elder gave me a thorough introduction to the life of a Vampire and the supernatural world in general. As it turned out, the Immortal clans were very well aware of the Demons, Magic, Hellmouth etc and were just as adept at slaughtering them as they were each other. I did my best to act surprised, but frankly, by this point I was numb and I don't think I could have reacted, even if I didn't know more than a bit of this shit.

It took surprisingly little time to get used to my newly enhanced body, although I did managed to bust a couple of walls before I got used to my new strength, and the whole drinking blood thing was also a little jarring. I was still mentally Human after all. Still, it could be a LOT worse, so I sucked it up and dealt with it.

* * *

A few weeks after being Turned, I was laying back on the roof of the house the Coven was currently using as a base, staring up at the moon. I was…torn I guess was the best way of putting it. I was currently staring down eternity (Unless I did something really dumb) and I had no idea what to do about it. Demonic Vampires are built for Immortality since, while they may appear Human, they aren't. At all. I, on the other hand, was essentially the same person I was before I was turned. The only differences were physiological, not psychological. In other words, I needed a hobby.

I let out a huff and rolled to my feet, intending to go find something to do rather than just sit around doing nothing. Before I went inside though, my eyes were drawn to a flicker of movement and a flash of silver. I looked down to the courtyard were a group of Vampires in black leather armour were sparing. I blinked, before a feral grin crossed my lips.

* * *

Shortly after that night, I signed on with the Death Dealers. I had never really been one to sit on my arse and do nothing and being a Death Dealer meant that I may be able to hunt down Angelus and try to prevent a few of the atrocities he committed. I wasn't about to kill him since A, he was still my Brother, and B, he was kinda important to preventing the end of the world. Multiple times over. That didn't mean I couldn't beat him bloody though! Plus, I quickly discovered I was something of a battle maniac and quickly became the Elders goto guy for dealing with the non-Corvinus related nasties. I was just as good at killing Lycans, but I didn't have the same drive to kill them as some of my colleagues (*COUGH*Selene*COUGH*). Oh sure I'd deal with them if they attacked or if ordered to (usually by Viktor when he was up and about), but I was usually content to just leave them alone.

Speaking of Viktor, he really wasn't best pleased when he woke up for his century in charge and found out about me. He hid it well, but considering he kept finding any excuse to keep me away from the Covens home when he was in charge, it was pretty clear he didn't entirely trust me. The fact I was friends with Selene probably didn't help matters.

Well, maybe friends is the wrong word considering she was colder than the Nordic Coven in the middle of winter. Rather, we had a mutual respect that came from the fact I was able to hold my own against her, despite being five centuries older than me. That didn't stop multiple rumors starting up among the Coven about our relationship, much to Viktor and Kraven's ire.

Speaking of the cowardly worm, he really didn't like me and made no attempt to hide it. His only real saving grace is that he limited his hostility to glares and veiled insults and threats. The guy might technically be a Death Dealer, but he didn't actually have that much skill. Or rather, his centuries of decedent living on the tails of his 'success' against Lucian had caused his skills to atrophy.

Of course, I didn't just spend my time annoying the higher ups of the Coven, I also spent a fair amount of time trying to track down Angelus. Thanks to the many false leads, I quickly racked up a Demon Dust count that rivaled Selene's Lycan count. I also got into a few other scuffles with people who mistook me for Angelus, including a Slayer who seemed very surprised when she tried to Stake me and I responded by smacking her over the head with the flat of my sword. That particular wound took three days and two pints of blood to fix, so I made a point to avoid similar experiences in the future. I didn't kill her though.

Unfortunately, despite my best efforts and the many successes I had at chasing of the crazy bastard before he could hurt someone, I failed at stopping the one that I really wanted to. Drusilla. The problem was that Viktor was in charge at the time and had his head firmly shoved up his arse regarding Demons. Marcus was well aware of the problems caused by them and Amelia had been a Watcher before Marcus turned her following the death of her Slayer, so they had no issue with me trying to put Angelus in the ground. Viktor on the other hand was so damned paranoid he severely limited my movements. By the time I managed to convince him to let me head out, I was already too late and the new 'family' had already left. The only good thing that came of it was the fact that Angelus tended to be a tad sloppy in his kills, so I occasionally managed to save someone after the fact...when it wasn't kinder to just put them out of their misery.

This time I was lucky. It looked like Angelus and Darla were in a hurry and they somehow managed to miss one of Drusilla's sisters who I found curled up in a corner muttering to herself frantically. It didn't take long to figure out that the shock of the attack (and the fact her disemboweled and brutally raped mother was lying just a few meters away) had triggered similar psychic powers in her. That, combined with the trauma of seeing a Demon slaughter her family had resulted in something snapping. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be the dangerous kind of crazy like Dru, so I decided to drop her off at a hospital. Hey, they may not be exactly...pleasent right now, but its probably still her best chance.

* * *

"So, I take it thats the guy?" I asked as my partner tensed slightly on the balcony beside me.

"Thats him," said Selene, not taking her eyes of the man who had just left the theater we'd spent the last three hours staking out.

"FINALLY, I was starting to worry he'd snuck out the back," I said, flipping to my feet.

The year was 1890, the place, Paris. Selene and I had been deployed by Kraven (and an order from Amelia for me to tag along) to deal with a trio of Lycan brothers who had set up shop in a mansion the wormy bastard wanted for his own. The fact they were posing as Lords really didn't help matters and it was apparent that Selene couldn't wait to get started.

The disguised Lycan paused for a moment before he got into his carriage, glancing in our direction. Even after over a century as a Vampire, it still amazed me how I could see his eyes narrow slightly from over a kilometer away.

"Think he saw us?" I asked as the carriage moved away.

"Does it matter?" asked Selene, "He and his flea bitten brothers will die either way."

I rolled my eyes. Considering how much Selene hated Lycans, the fact she'd fall for one (even if he only spent about a day as one before becoming a Hybrid) was more than a little ironic. I glanced up as a messenger bat futtered down and landed on my shoulder, dropping a scroll into my hand as it did.

"Wow, I'm not surprised Kraven wants the Brothers place," I said as I studied the layout of the castle the three Lycans had claimed, "The place is a damned Palace."

"Who wants it is irrelevant," said Selene as she glanced at the plans and crushed them, "Those animals have no right to it. Lets go."

I decided not to point out that we had as much right to the place as them and followed Selene as she jumped off the roof and took off across the rooftops of Paris after the carriage. It didn't take us long to reach our destination where Selene lead the way down into the sewers by smashing a hole in the allyway and dropping down into the tunnels.

"Lovely, you take me to the nicest places Selene," I said as I dropped down after her.

"Oh quit complaining," said my partner, "Its just a Storm drain."

"Tch, fine," I grumbled, "Lets get this over with."

I jumped and latched onto the ceiling, crawling through the darkness above Selene as she ran through the ankle high water. It wasn't long before our sensitive hearing picked up the sound of three large bodies dropping into the water and coming towards us at impressive speed. Selene shifted into a ready stance as I smirked and flexed my fingers as a faint shimmer seemed to emerge from the sleeves of my coat. A moment later, a loud growl came from the darkness behind Selene as the three brothers emerged from the shadows, already ready to rumble.

Selene responded by tossing a pair of throwing stars at them. The two eldest brothers dodged while the third had the tip of his ear sliced off. The three wolf-men snarled and moved to attack as Selene vaulted over them and jammed a pair of swords into the eldest's shoulders. While the three Lycans were distracted by Selene, I dropped from the ceiling and threw my arms out. There was a silvery shimmer in the air and suddenly the youngest brother, the one with the newly sliced ear, found his arms bound to his sides. He glanced of his shoulder in confusion, only for his eyes to widen as he saw me apparently perched on thin air. I smirked and flexed my fingers, causing the thin wires that were emerging from my sleeves to catch the light. His eyes widened in shock and fear, before I closed my fingers and pulled. The Lycan let out a howl, before it was abruptly cut off by the razor sharp wires slicing him into pieces.

The other two Lycans froze in shock at the unexpected death of their brother, staring at the chunks of meat as they fell into the water. I smirked and pointed behind them. They looked confused for a moment, before the eldests eyes widened in realization. They had been so surprised, they'd completely forgotten about Selene. They were reminded of her presence a moment later when she removed their heads.

* * *

"Excellent work you two," said Amelia, staring down at the two of us from her throne, "Those Lycan brothers could have been extremely troublesome for us. While I don't entirely approve of Kraven's use of the Death Dealers to move up the property ladder, I can't argue with the result."

She shot a glare at the annoyed looking Kraven where he was stood off to the side.

"It was our pleasure to serve," said Selene.

"Mmm hmm," said Amelia, "Kraven, Selene, you may leave. Lucas, you stay. I have new orders for you."

The two named Vampires bowed and left, leaving me kneeling before the Elders throne.

"You may stand," said Amelia.

I did so and adopted a parade rest.

"Lucas, are you aware of my plans for forming a new Coven in America?" asked Amelia.

I nodded. It was something of a hot topic around the Mansion considering it had been a very long time since a new Coven had been formed at the behest of one of the Elders. Sure, smaller ones popped up on occasion, usually formed by Vampires who had left the Coven for various reasons, but they were usually small, weak and didn't last long before getting slaughtered by opportunistic Lycans.

"I would like you to accompany me," said Amelia, "Despite what Viktor thinks of you, I know you are loyal to the Coven and are one of our strongest Death Dealers. As such, I would like you to head my Guard and the new Coven's Death Dealers."

My jaw dropped. While it was standard practice for a powerful Death Dealer to be chosen as the leader of a new Coven's military force, the one chosen was usually one of the founders offspring or someone so far down the line that they had practically no connection to any one Elder. It spoke volumes of Amelia's trust in me that she was willing to make me the head of her Guard.

"I-it would be an honour," I stuttered.

Amelia smiled.

"In that case, go and prepare," she said, "We'll be leaving at the end of the week."

I snapped a salute and marched out of the room, sprinting to my chambers as soon as I was outside. This next century was gonna be fun! Or at least, thats what I thought.

* * *

It had been nearly 100 years since I had agreed to serve as Amelia's main guard in the New World Coven and in that time the Coven had become fairly well entrenched. We acquired a large house on the outskirts of New York to serve as our base and then proceed to use a combination of the huge amount of money we had from a combination of eternal life and our many successful business ventures around the world and the massive amount of experience we had to obtain a number of low income companies which would become our new money spinners in America. By this point, we'd turned those companies into large organizations under our umbrella. I also made a point to suggest that we should buy up stock in a few of the companies that I knew would make big, things like Microsoft, Apple, Google and so on.

We had a few slight problems when the two World Wars sparked up and even more when the Great Depression hit, but if theres one thing that Immortality teaches, its patients. Despite the issues we faced, Amelia's calm and collected leadership allowed us to get through it. There IS a reason that Amelia was the most well liked of the Elders after all, other than Viktor's paranoia and rabid hatred of Lycans getting people killed and Marcus' antisocial tendencies.

In other news, an interesting discovery was made in the year 1932 (by Ziodex Industries, one of the pharmaceutical companies under our control) of a rather unique type of cell found in Humans. The were named Red Child Cells, RC for short, due to the fact that they resembled a curled up fetus. The discovery led to the discovery of one of the inhuman races that called Earth home, a race of Humanoid cannibalistic creatures that were given the name Ghoul. That particular discovery had me locked in my room swearing like a sailor when I found out about it. Fortunately, Ghouls were quickly proven to be completely helpless against an Immortal, whatever the race, after I ended up getting into a punch up with one and ripped his head off with little to no problem.

Of course, it wasn't all moonlight and blood for us. While she was a better leader than Viktor and Marcus, Amelia still had a few quirks which made working for her a right pain in the rear. The most obvious one was that she had a tendency of vanishing into thin air on occasion. Usually she reappeared after about a year, but in 1978, she vanished for a full five years before she resurfaced in 83. All I could get out of her was that she gone to visit some old friends in Japan before she kicked me out of her chamber. That didn't stop me from hearing her crying a few times. After that, she became far more melancholy than ever before, only really perking up after meeting Thomas in 1989. Oh, and she vanished again shortly after that too, but I was able to divert attention away so no one figured out that she'd been pregnant.

After that bit of insanity, things were mercifully quiet for the next couple of years until 1997 when Amelia called me to her chambers for a mission that would serve to be my biggest headache in the past 200 years.

 **And there we go, done. Next time, Lucas is sent to a certain town by Amelia.**

 **I know this is kinda all over the place, but I wanted to set the scene with this character in one chapter. It'll become a bit more coherent from here.**

 **The fight with the Lycans was the one from the first part of Endless War, the three animated shorts. Naturally, with all three brothers dead, that particular part of the timeline is already gone.**

 **Now, why would I have included that nod to Tokyo Ghoul I wonder? Could it have something to do with a certain half Lycan? Maybeeee~**

 **Hmm, I wonder how else I'm going to stitch the worlds together? Hehehe, this is gonna be fun!**

 **Anyway, I'm done, so make sure you lot leave me a review!**


	9. This Bites Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: This Bites

Getting reborn into the dark ages isn't exactly my idea of a 'good time', but nearly getting my throat ripped out by my own brother, then recruited as an Immortal bodyguard for a crazy vampire with a chip on his shoulder? Really not fun either. Surviving 300 years then getting sent to investigate odd occurrences in America in the same town as a goddamn Vampire slayer? Really not fun.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, so lets dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"You wanted to see me Amelia?" I asked as I entered the Elders office.

Amelia looked up from the report she was reading with an unusually serious light in her eyes.

"I have a job for you Lucas," she said, "And its imperative that you don't fail."

I immediately straightened.

"I am at your command," I said.

Amelia nodded.

"A few days ago, I received a report of a robbery at one of our storage vaults in Vienna," she said, "It was a high security vault, intended to hide secrets and treasures that are far too dangerous to allow out into the world, so the fact they succeeded in their robbery is...disconcerting to say the least."

"You think we have a rat?" I asked.

"Possible, but thats not your job," said Amelia, "I will deal with the break in. You are to track down what was taken and retrieve it."

I nodded.

"Alright, what was taken?" I asked.

"A box containing a fragment of an ancient and incredibly powerful Demon," said Amelia, "He was called the Judge and we helped to destroy him over six centuries ago."

I bit my tongue to prevent myself from reacting.

"So I take it that the fact someone took the box is a bad thing?" I asked.

"Oh yes," said Amelia, "See, we couldn't kill him. He was immune to any weapon forged, so we ended up being forced to dismember him. That battle was one of the few times Viktor approved of the use of Lycans after he awoke and found out from the Blood Memories."

"Oh, so very bad?"

Amelia gave me a flat look.

"Anyway, if someone managed to bring the parts of the Demon back together, he would be revived," said Amelia, "I don't know who stole it, but I have a horrible suspicion it was Spikes goons. The idea of someone like that with the Judge on their side...doesn't bear thinking about."

"Got it," I said, "Any idea where I should start looking?"

"We managed to track the crate to Sunnydale California, so start your search there," said Amelia, "And hurry."

I snapped a salute and left the room.

* * *

"Well, this is gonna be fun," I grumbled as I pulled up in front of the safehouse we had in Sunnydale, "Me in the same town as Angel and the Slayer. Ohhh, that'll end well."

I kept grumbling as I stalked upstairs with my bags and started taking stock of what I had.

"Right, plenty of blood bags, enough guns to make Kahn drool and...a torture chamber. Great."

I shut the door to the sterile room set up for 'interrogations' in favor of checking on the living quarters. As was standard, they were rather spartan, designed more for function than comfort, but that was fine. In my 200 years as a Death Dealer, I had dealt with far worse. At least this place had a bed. A quick check of the security system revealed that there was only about an hour until dawn, so I decided to call it a day. I could start my search in the evening.

* * *

The next evening, I was 'eating' breakfast while waiting for the last of the evening light to fade while trying to come up with a game plan. While I knew that Spike and his gang were using an abandoned warehouse as a base, I had no idea which one. It certainly didn't help that Sunnydale seemed to have an uncomfortable number of such locations to choose from. Then there was the issue of figuring out if the Judge had been reassembled yet. If he had, it would probably be a good idea to offer the Scoobys my help…

I pulled a face at that thought. Yeah, that meeting would go well if Angel had already been de-souled. I'd already had to deal with one Slayer in my time, I wasn't looking forwards to a second, especially not one whos recently been dumped and targeted by someone who happens to look exactly like me. Still, that didn't change the fact that talking with that lot was the best way of figuring out where the Judge was and dealing with him. I sighed and tossed my drained blood pack into the bin as I stood.

"Well, lets get this over with," I muttered as I opened the window and jumped out.

* * *

It didn't take me long to reach the school and even less time to locate the library skylight. I had no intention of using the door, especially not when Buffy had a rocket...launcher, aw shit. I let out a groan and rubbed my eyes in an attempt to alleviate the headache that was suddenly pounding behind my eyes.

"Well, lets get this over with," I muttered as I placed my hands on the edge of the window, "Hup."

I flipped up into a perfect handstand, holding the pose for a moment before pushing myself of and crashing through the window, feet first.

* * *

Third Person POV, with Buffy

Buffy felt numb. Considering everything that had happened over the last couple of days, that honestly wasn't all that surprising. Between failing to stop the Judge from being restored, discovering that Angel had been de-souled because of her and finding out that the newly evil Vampire was out to kill everyone even remotely connected to her for revenge, she was all emotioned out. Not even learning how to use a rocket launcher from Xander of all people could elicit much of a reaction from her. However, the skylight abruptly exploding and a figure in black dropping into the room was still odd enough to surprise her. The figure landed on the table in front of a startled Willow without so much as bending his knees, despite the two story drop. In fact, it almost looked as if he'd simply stepped down of a step.

"Hnn, maybe I should have opened that first," he muttered in a voice coloured by an irish accent as he brushed broken glass of his shoulder, "Sorry about that."

Buffy stared at the newcomer, trying desperately to figure out just how and why someone would drop through the ceiling. Then she noticed that Willow and Giles both looked terrified and the Watcher was inching towards a cross on a nearby shelf. The reason for those reaction became apparent a moment later however when he turned around to face the Slayer, revealing a face that was identical to Angel's. Buddy's eyes widened as a combination of fear, grief and white hot fury shot through her body. Her eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth as her fingers closed around a handy nearby stake.

"Whoo boy, I knew this was a bad idea," muttered 'Angel', right before Buffy charged him, stake aimed squarely for his chest.

In an impressive display of flexibility that should not be possible for the Human body, the man bent backwards, avoiding the stab as he spun away from the Slayers attack.

"Huh, not bad," he said.

Buffy snarled and charged him again, her anger blinding her to the fact that the mans eyes were a bright, electric blue instead of Angel's dark brown. He signed and ducked under the thrust, catching Buffy's wrist and flipping her over his shoulder to slam into the table, twisting her arm behind her in the same movement in a perfect lock that rendered Buffy completely immobile, It didn't help that he was incredibly strong.

"Say uncle," he said.

Instead, Giles splashed holy water on him from behind. However, instead of the faint hissing and screams they were all expecting, the Scooby gang were treated to a perfect deadpan look.

"Really? Holy water?"

Giles blinked at the sight of the newcomers blue eyes.

"Oh, right," he said, "I suppose that would be a waste of time on you."

"So would the cross the idiot's about to hit me with," said the man.

Xander paused as he was about to do just that.

"Er, shouldn't you be running from this?" asked the teen.

"No, because I'm not a demon," drawled the stranger.

"W-wait, what?" stuttered Willow, "B-but…"

"Hes right Willow, this isnt Angel," said Giles.

"Oh, so thats why little miss Slayer got so angry at the sight of me," said the not-Angel, "Let me guess, you slept with him and broke that curse of his?"

Buffy, who had stopped struggling at this point, immediately went bright red as Xander and Giles jerked in surprise.

"I'll take that as a yes," drawled the newcomer with a shit eating grin that looked very odd on Angel's face, "Now, if I let you up, are you gonna try and stake me again? Cus that shit hurts."

Buffy's response was to let out a pained moan. Still, the Angel-looka-like took that as a yes and released her before dropping into a sitting position on the table.

"So, um, if your not Angel, why do you look so much like him?" asked Xander, "I mean, its uncanny. Are you some kind of clone?"

The stranger snorted.

"Nah, I'm his twin," he said, "Names Lucas by the way."

Cue five very confused looks.

"Angel has a twin?" asked Willow.

"I doubt he knows I'm still alive considering he killed our entire family after he was Turned," said Lucas, "I was lucky enough to survive, although he did leave me with this lovely souvenir."

He tilted his head to the side to reveal a nasty looking scar that everyone recognized as a vampire bite.

"So wait, if your Angels twin, how are you still alive?" asked Oz, "I mean, isnt he pretty old?"

"Over 200," said Giles, "But hes not Human either. Those blue eyes are indicative of a Corvinus Strain Vampire."

"Stick that in me and I'll do more than just slam you into the table," said Lucas as Buffy's fingers twitched towards the fallen stake.

"But if hes a Vampire, how come Holy water didn't affect him?" asked Xander.

"Because Corvinus Strain Vampires are not related to Demons," said Lucas, "We're biologically immortal transgenics created from a mutagenic virus carried in blood and saliva."

"Err…"

"They're Humans mutated by a virus, not corpses possessed by demons," translated Giles, "They're actually more closely related to Werewolves than the Demonic Vampires that we know."

"Don't let Viktor hear you say that," muttered Lucas.

"What? Oh, yes, of course," said Giles, "Actually, having him here may be a big help. It was originally the Vampire Elder Amelia who defeated the Judge."

"Wait, let me guess," said Lucas, cutting the Watcher off, "Spike was the one behind stealing the bits of Demon and he and his little nutcase of a squeeze have managed to put him back together?"

"Rather crude, but accurate," said Giles.

Lucas groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"Great, Amelia's gonna kill me," he muttered, "Right, so lets take stock, the Judge is back, my Brother is now back to being a soulless killer 'artist' who considers that nutjob Drusilla to be his best work and the Slayer is apparently in love with said soulless killer."

Buffy twitched.

"How did…" started Oz.

"I'm over 200 years old kiddo," said Lucas, "You learn to pick up on these things."

"Fair enough."

"Alright you lot, enough," said Buffy, "We have a plan and a Demon to destroy so we really shouldn't hang around any more."

"Great, I'll tag along," said Lucas, hopping off the table, "Dealing with the Judge is supposed to be my job here after all. Plus…"

He grinned, showing off a set of fangs that had everyone in the room recoiling since they were even larger than Angels and looked even more eery set into his still very Human face.

"Its been 200 years since I've last seen my brother. I think we're due a visit."

* * *

Buffy really wasn't sure what to make of Lucas. Every time she looked at him, she was reminded of Angel and yet...he was so different. Even at the height of their time dating, Angel always had an air of melancholy about him, a near tangible aura of the weight of the sins he bore. Lucas utterly lacked it. Instead, he seemed rather carefree and cheerful, almost like Xander but with an air of preparedness that reminded her of Kendra. He was a soldier, there was no doubt about that, and stronger than her if the way he had easily manhandled her when she'd tried to attack him was anything to go by, yet Buffy got the distinct impression that he wasn't really a threat to them.

Then there was his smile. That more than anything proved to Buffy that Lucas was nothing like Angel. Angels smile always held a tinge of regret to it, or, more recently, sheer malevolence and evil. She didn't think she had ever really seen a true smile from her ex, but Lucas..? She glanced over at the Vampire, who already seemed to have created a rapport with Xander and Oz and was cracking jokes that had the two in stitches. Yeah, defiantly nothing like Angel. Hell, looking at him right now, it was hard to believe he was even a 244 year old Vampire rather than a normal collage aged man. Well, so long as Buffy ignored the body armour he wore under his coat and the holstered guns at his hips.

"Need something Buffy?"

The Slayer jerked as she realised that the subject of her thoughts had caught her looking at him. She quickly looked away to hide her reddening cheeks at being caught.

"N-no, nothing," she said, inwardly cursing the stutter.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, but didn't get chance to push as they had arrived at the factory Spike and his minions were using as a base, much to Buffy's relief. The fact she was relieved to be fighting a stupidly powerful Demon she couldn't kill but could kill her with a touch over trying to talk to Lucas was completely lost on her.

* * *

Back to Lucas

As tempted as I was to simply direct everyone to the shopping centre (or snag Spike at the factory), I had no real way of explaining that away. I suppose I could have told them how I know, but somehow I doubt that'd go over too well. As for Spike, well, maybe its stupid, but the guys so damn cool I couldn't resist letting him stick around.

"200 years and I still haven't lost my sense of whimsy," I muttered.

"Pardon?" asked Jiles.

"Nothing," I said as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened, "Lets go blow up a demon."

I hoisted the box containing the bazooka over my shoulder (being the strongest, I had been ordered to carry it by a very tense Buffy) and followed the Slayer out of the lift and down the hall to where the blue form of the Judge was zapping people left and right. A quick shot from Buffy's crossbow put a stop to that, although it apparently didn't do much more than annoy him.

"That won't work you stupid girl," said the Demon, sneering at the Slayer, "And I won't fall to those foolish little Immortals this time either. Not when they are too busy tearing at one another's throats."

He switched his sneer to me.

"That was then," said Buffy, "Lets see how you hold up to a modern weapon."

I opened the box and passed the Slayer the bazooka, barely suppressing the urge to smirk when I saw Angelus and Drusilla's eyes widen in horror. Yeah, even Werewolves can't walk of getting hit by a damned rocket (don't ask how I know that), so Vampires really don't stand a chance.

"Whats that do?" asked the Judge dumbly as his two bodyguards dove for cover and Buffy pulled the trigger.

One explosion and I scowled as I brushed a bit of Demon of my shoulder.

"You know, I really don't think we need to worry about him coming back any more," I grumbled, "But just to be sure, make sure you encase one of these bits in concrete and drop it into the sea or something."

"Thats...actually a good idea," said Xander.

"Don't sound so surprised," I muttered, "Anyway, you lot keep picking up the bastard, I'm gonna go kick my brothers arse."

I vaulted over the counter we had taken cover behind and sprinted through the door Angelus had just vanished through as the sprinklers came on. I burst through a door and immediately dropped to my knees, sliding under the swipe Angelus took at my head while tripping him with a length of wire around his ankle.

"Heh, not bad Buff…" started Angelus, only to trail off when he saw me, "Who the hell are you?"

"Aww come on Liam, I know its been a while, but surely you haven't forgotten me," I said as I flipped to my feet.

Angelus' eyes widened in disbelief.

"N-no, your dead," he said, "I killed you, you are DEAD!"

"Nope, still very much alive," I said, "Now then, why don't we settle this."

I dropped into a fighting crouch as my fangs extended to their full length and my eyes blazed like lightning bolts. Angelus snarled right back and the two of us pounced.

 **Ohhh, so mean, so horrible so...actually no, thats all its was. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 ***cough*, anyway, Lucas is off to a flying start. Between a crazy entrance, nearly getting staked and already getting in with the Scooby gang, this looks like things are gonna get crazy.**

 **Speaking of, if your wondering why they were so quick to trust him, they weren't really. Well, Giles probably does...ish since the Watchers know and have had dealings with the Covens in the past. Usually when Amelia's in charge since Marcus doesn't really care and Viktor is...well, Viktor.**

 **Yes, I am setting up a possible romance between Buffy and Lucas. Maybe thats a tad iffy considering she just broke up with his identical twin, but thats half the fun. Plus, it'll be interesting to see if I can pull of the inevitable drama.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Next time, Angelus vs Lucas, brother vs brother and Demon against Corvinus. Should be interesting. Until then, please leave a review!**


	10. Red Huntsman Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Red Huntsmen

Dieing and ending up in another world is one thing. That world being one infested with monsters is quite another. Add in stubborn parents and a grouchy mental roommate and you've got a recipe of a massive headache

 **And we're back with another RWBY Jaune replacement idea. This time however, Persona won't be getting anywhere near it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Well, I can safely say that someone is pissed at me. Why? Well, I'd just died from having a shelf of kitchen equipment fall on me at work and now I find myself waking up in the body of a baby with a giant in a surgical mask leaning over me. Needless to say, that scared the crap out of me.

After that pant wetting introduction to my new life, I quickly made a few interesting discoveries. First of, I had been reborn into the world of Remnant. You know, the world where everyone has colour's in their name, weapons can change shape and the entire world is infested with Monsters? Yeah, that one. In other news, I was apparently not my own person but rather a certain useless, shortsighted blond. Yep, apparently I'm now Jaune Arc.

Growing up was...interesting to say the least. Last time through, I had only had one younger brother, but now I found myself with seven older sisters, all of whom were extremely powerful Hunteresses and FUCKING TERRIFYING! Seriously, the one time I managed to piss off the youngest sister, she damn near killed me. I can't even remember what I did to piss her off so much, but I made damn sure I didn't do it again.

* * *

It was strange, growing up again while knowing just what was in store for this world, as well as a potential future for the body I wore had I not been the one born into it. When I was little, I had a lot of time to think since my body wouldn't move and I spent a long time brooding over what I could do. Sure, Jaune was a weakling, at least to begin with, but he did have interesting effects on a lot of people. I couldn't help but wonder what me being...me would do to the future. After all, I wasn't really Jaune, I had nothing to prove like he did. If I wanted, I could stay put and live a semi normal life, without the constant threat of being eaten that came with being a Huntsman. On the other hand, what would become of the future if I did that? After all, as weak as Jaune was, he still had a huge effect on a number of other people, Pyrrha being the most obvious. Eventually, when I was seven, I came to a decision. I'd become a Huntsman and change the future proactively.

Just one problem. My parents and sisters absolutely refused to hear about it. Even after I proved that I had a tremendous amount of talent with a sword (yay for old skills), they still wouldn't let me sign up for the local prep school for Beacon. Indeed, it was only my Grandfather who seemed to have any faith in me, especially after he asked me to spend a day training with his sword. I don't think I did anything particularly impressive. Still, it was enough to convince the old man to start training me in the use of the weapon and even gifted me it and the sheath for my 17 birthday, along with entrance papers for Beacon.

* * *

"Just don't tell your Mother," he said with a wink.

"Why?" I asked, a question I'd been wondering about the answer to for years, "I thought Mum and Dad forbade you from training me?"

Grandpa scoffed.

"Your Father forgets that I used to put him over my knee when he acted the fool," said the old man, "And if my bones didn't ache this much, I'd do it now for how stupid he's being. Anyone with eyes can see that you'll make an excellent Huntsman and the fact that Crocea Mors likes you makes it even better."

I blinked at the odd choice of words.

"The sword...likes me?" I asked.

Grandpa smiled knowingly.

"Let me tell you a secret," he said, "Crocea Mors is not a simple sword and shield. In truth, it holds power that goes well beyond virtually any modern weapon. In fact, there are only six other weapons in existence that can match it and one of them has been broken to the point that its power has long since been reduced to a shadow of its former self."

"This thing?" I asked, eyeing the inoculus sword.

Grandpa smiled and picked up the weapon, slowly drawing it from the sheath. I frowned slightly as I noticed a very faint glow emerging from the blade, but it vanished so quickly I must have imagined it.

"According to legend, this is the sword that the original owner, a great and noble Knight, used to slay a mighty Dragon," said Grandpa, "Supposedly, that act, along with his mighty faith, imbued the blade with the power to fight against Darkness and especially those foes with a Draconic nature. However, because of that great power, only certain people can wield it. Oh, anyone can swing it around and its still a sharp bit of metal, but its power can only be accessed by someone worthy."

"And I'm worthy?" I asked with a frown.

That story sounded oddly familiar, as did the weapons attributes.

"Apparently so," said Grandpa, "Truthfully, I have no idea what makes a person worthy to wield the swords true power. My Father was, I was and you are, but for some reason, your Father isn't. Strange, is it not?"

"I guess," I muttered.

Grandpa laughed.

"Well, whether you believe it or not, the fact remains that you are worthy and Crocea Mors is now yours. Take good care of it and it will never let you down."

"Hnn."

* * *

A few weeks after my birthday, the first day of Beacon rolled around. I was walking through Vale towards the Bullhead station to catch my ride to Beacon. As I did, I passed a certain Dust shop with a large hole that was being gone over by the police while the owner, an old man, stood in the background wringing his hands. I know its horrible, but I couldn't help but snort as the sight reminded me of the fact that I'd be meeting the girl responsible for said hole very soon.

The station was only a block or two away from the store and I made sure to arrive in plenty of time so I could grab a seat. I did just that, putting my rucksack between my feet and pulling out a book, a bottle of water and a packet of travel sickness tablets. What? Just because my Souls different to Jaune, doesn't mean my body is, travel sickness included. In fact, I think it might just be worse considering I had it last time through as well. True, I was more of a seasickness person, but I wasn't about to risk it.

* * *

As it turned out, I was right not to risk it as, three minutes into the flight, I was reduced to a groaning wreck in my seat. The tablets took the edge off somewhat, but only enough to keep me from puking up my breakfast. Fortunately, my suffering was interrupted by a news broadcast that someone had decided to turn on. Unfortunately, it was right next to my ear and the volume was cranked up so it could be heard over the engines, so I basically exchanged feeling like death warmed over to being completely deaf in one ear. I growled in annoyance as I worked a finger into my ear in an attempt to clear out the ringing as my Aura went to work fixing the damage. The report was the one about Torchwicks robberies and the rally that the White Fang had disrupted, before it was cut off so Goodwitch could do her welcome speech.

"This is really not my day," I grumbled, right before my travel sickness slammed back into me with more force than ever, forcing me to stumbled over to the nearest bin and puke my guts up.

* * *

"I HATE AIR TRAVEL!" I growled as I drained my water bottle, crushed it and tossed it over my shoulder into a bin.

The Bullhead had finally arrived, allowing me to stagger off and back onto solid ground, pointedly ignoring all the snickering going on behind me. Fortunately, now I was out of that infernal contraption (and I cannot believe I just said that), I quickly regained my equilibrium and my stomach finally stopped its rebellion. With that done, I straightened up from where I was leaning against a tree and turned to head into school. As I did, I caught the tail end of the argument between Ruby, Blake and Weiss and watched as the former flopped down onto her back.

"Eh, might as well follow the script," I muttered as I walked over.

Ruby opened her eyes as I walked up to her.

"Hey, need a hand?" I asked, offering said limb and a smile, "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby," said Ruby, accepting my hand and letting me pull her to her feet, "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

I rolled my eyes as we started walking towards the school.

"Travel sickness, the one issue no amount of Aura or training can fix," I said, "I got some tablets, but they only do so much. They also seem to be losing their effects…"

Ruby giggled.

"By the way, I caught the end of that argument," I said, "What was it all about?"

Ruby looked sheepish.

"Um, I kinda knocked over some girls luggage and she started yelling at me," she said, "Then some stuff happened and I sneezed and exploded then that nice girl came to help and told the crabby girl off and…"

"Yeahhh, I noticed that explosion," I said, cutting of Ruby's babbling, "To be fair, she was more at fault than you, waving that Dust Vile around so much."

"I know, right?" said Ruby, looking relieved.

We slipped into silence for a few seconds as we walked.

"Sooo, I got this thing," said Ruby, pulling out Crescent Rose and slamming it into the ground.

She also almost cut off my toes, but I didn't do more than flinch.

"Ohh, now thats cool," I said, "A mechashift scythe/sniper rifle. I bet this thing could do some serious damage to Grimm."

I looked up and nearly took a step back when I saw that Ruby was staring at me with massive, shining eyes.

"Y-you know what it is!" she said.

"Um, well, yeah, my sisters Durandal operates in a similar way," I said, "Its a Zweihander rather than a scythe, but the principles are the same."

"Um, so what have you got?" asked Ruby.

"Just these," I said, indicating to the sword and collapsible shield attached to my hip, "Their family heirlooms. Supposedly, the sword has powers, but I don't know how true that is."

"Really?" asked Ruby, leaning in to take a closer look at my sword, "Mind if I take a look?"

I shrugged and drew my sword.

"Knock yourself out," I said, handing the weapon to Ruby.

"OUCH!" yelped the red themed girl, snatching her hands away from the hilt, "It just shocked me."

I frowned.

"Static?"

"No, it felt more like a warning," said Ruby, "Does it have some kind of security system on it?"

"Not that I know of," I said.

"Weird," said Ruby, "So, um, where are we going?"

I paused.

"Apparently nowhere," I said, "The halls back that way."

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder.

"Er, oops?" said Ruby sheepishly.

* * *

It didn't take us long to get to the Hall where we were supposed to meet for the opening ceremony.

"Hey Ruby, over here!" called Yang from the crowd, "I saved you a spot!"

"Oh, come and meet my sister," said Ruby, grabbing my arm and dragging me over to where Yang was waiting.

"Hey Ruby, glad to see you're OK," said Yang, eyeing me cureously, "I see you made a new friend."

Ruby blinked and looked mildly surprised by that.

"Um, yeah, I guess I did," she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Is it really that surprising?" I asked.

"Don't mind here, shes not very good at making friends," said Yang, eyeing me up and down with a gleam of appreciation in her eye, "I'm Yang Xiao Long handsome."

I blinked. Well, that was a tad unexpected.

"Jaune Arc, nice to meet you," I said.

"You see Ruby, I told you you could make friends if you just put your mind to it," said Yang.

"Yeah, but only after you ditched me and I exploded!" snapped Ruby.

"Yeesh, meltdown already, huh?" asked Yang.

"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!" protested Ruby, "And there was some fire and I think some ice and…"

"Are you being sarcastic?" asked Yang, now looking totally confused as I stood back on my heels to watch the show.

It was even funnier in person.

"I wish! I tripped over some crabby girls luggage and she started yelling at me and then I sneezed and then I exploded and then she yelled at me again and I felt really bad and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

While this was going on, I was having real trouble keeping from laughing as I watched Weiss slowly approaching Ruby from behind. Apparently the white themed girl hadn't noticed her future leader yet, but that quickly changed as she noticed Ruby's red hood.

"YOU!" she shouted, making Ruby jump into Yangs arms.

"Oh no its happening again!" she howled.

"You were lucky we werent blown off the side of the cliff!" snapped Weiss.

"Oh my god, you really exploded," said Yang.

It was at that point that I lost all self control and burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the R,W and Y of RWBY. Yang looked like she was trying to keep from laughing as well, Ruby looked a little betrayed and Weiss...Weiss was trying to burn a hole in my skull.

"And just what is so funny?" she demanded.

"S-sorry, I just can't help it!" I said, "This argument sounds like something out of a cartoon!"

I burst out laughing again, this time with Yang joining me.

"Yang!" wined Ruby.

"S-sorry Rubes, but hes right," said Yang.

"D-don't mind us Ladies, you just keep on chatting," I said as I struggled to get my hysterics under control.

* * *

Fortunately, Ozpin chose that moment to step up on stage and give his speech, after which we were shepherded out to the Great Hall, after dropping off our gear in our lockers of course. I quickly changed into my sleepware in the gents, a pair of black pajama bottoms and a white vest, and headed back into the Hall where I headed over to where I'd claimed a spot in the corner and pulled out a book. I didn't start reading though, instead using it as a cover for watching my future classmates. I could already see several important people, such as Ren and Nora preparing for bed (Ren doing so calmly and quietly while Nora bobbled and bounced around with excess energy), Pyrrha sat quietly in another corner meditating and Cardin and his goons messing around and acting like pricks towards the Faunus in the room.

"Assholes," I muttered.

I turned away from the morons who would likely end up as my punching bags at some point in favor of a commotion going on on the other side of the room. I smirked slightly when I saw it was the fight between the future Team RWBY. Said smirk was interupted by a yawn and I decided to call it a night.

* * *

" _What the..?"_

I blinked as I looked around in confusion. I'm pretty sure that a moment ago I had been in bed, asleep, but now I found myself floating in a large, empty space with a massive, red wall in front of me.

" _Where am I? Is this a dream?"_

" **Of course its a dream you fool."**

I jumped at the unexpected voice and looked around wildly.

" _What the...who's there? Show yourself!"_

" **Show myself? I'm not hiding idiot. I'm right in front of you."**

I blinked, then paled rapidly as the wall shifted and a pair of massive, green eyes glared down at me.

* * *

"OHFUCKINGSHIT!"

I sat bolt upright, gasping for breath as sweat dripped from my forehead.

"What the fuck was that?!"

 **What the fuck indeed. For those interested, this Jaune is identical to canon Jaune in terms of appearance...for now. He'll change before long.**

 **So, whats with the mysterious powers contained within his sword? Where did they come from and why do they seem so familiar to Jaune? Could they be connected to his dream in some way? Hmm, I wonder if you can guess what it is by the title?**

 **And I'm gonna sign off here. Don't forget to review!**


	11. Red Huntsman Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Red Huntsmen

Dieing and ending up in another world is one thing. That world being one infested with monsters is quite another. Add in stubborn parents and a grouchy mental roommate and you've got a recipe of a massive headache

 **And we're back. Nothing to add, so lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

It was safe to say that that dream last night had shaken me far more than it had any right to, to the point that I didn't even notice that I already had my sword attached to my belt when I went looking for it. I was so out of it, it took walking straight into someone to snap me out of it. I blinked and looked down and was surprised to see that I had walked into Pyrrha.

"Sorry about that," I said, holding out my hand to help her up.

"Its fine," said Pyrrha, accepting my hand and letting me pull her to her feet.

"HEY, what do you think you're doing?!" yelled Weiss.

"Um, helping up someone I just knocked over," I said.

"I can see that you Dunce," snapped the white queen, "Do you even know who this is?!"

"I do," I said, "Pyrrha Nikos, correct?"

Pyrrha twitched slightly, but nodded.

"Again, its nice to meet you," I said, stepping around Weiss to offer Pyrrha my hand again, "I'm Jaune Arc, I hope we can get along."

Pyrrha looked surprised, but shook it anyway.

"Um, likewise Jaune," she said, blushing slightly.

Weiss looked between the two of us in utter confusion.

"Bu...wha...she…"

"Breath Princess, don't pass out before we even get to the initiation," I said with a smirk.

That seemed to snap Weiss out of it.

"HOW CAN YOU TREAT HER SO CASUALLY?!" she spluttered, "SHES A CELEBRITY!"

"So?" I said, "So's my sister. And besides, past achievements mean very little here."

Whatever Weiss was going to say was cut off by Goodwitch's voice over the PA requesting that we all meet at the cliff edge.

"Well, time to go," I said, attaching my sword to my belt, "Come on Pyrrha, Princess."

"Stop calling me that!" snapped Weiss.

"Then stop acting like it."

"GAH!"

She flounced off. I snickered as I followed her with a slightly smiling Pyrrha at my side.

* * *

We arrived at the cliffs and were directed to stand on the launch pads at the very edge.

"For years, you have been training to become warriors," began Ozpin, drawing all attention to him, "Today, the skills you have gained will be tested in the Emerald Forest."

"I'm sure that many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams," said Goodwitch, "Let me put your minds at ease. We will be assigning you into teams. Today."

"What?" whimpered Ruby.

"Your teammate will be with you for the duration of your time at Beacon," said Ozpin, "So its in your best interest to be paired with someone you work well with."

I noticed Ruby clenching her fists nervously.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with once you land will be your teammate for the next four years."

I could practically hear Ruby shattering at that.

"WHAT?!" she yelled.

"See, I told you…!" hissed Nora to Ren.

"Once you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," continued Ozpin, ignoring the whispering, "There you will find a ruin containing several relics. You will meet opposition along the way, so do not hesitate to kill anything in your path or you will die. Once you return with your relic, we will guard it and your standing and grade you appropriately. Our teachers will be watching your progress, but they will not intervene, so I suggest you be careful. Now, are there any questions?"

There was not.

"Good, take your positions," said Ozpin.

Thirty seconds later, the launch pad activated and I was catapulted into the air. I smirked as I quickly drew my sword and shield as I flew through the air and, taking a leaf out of Pyrrha's book, aimed myself at some thin trees to slow my fall, before I dug deep and activated my Semblance. My Grandpa had activated my Aura shortly after he had taken me under his wing and I'd discovered my Semblance shortly after. Basically, I had the ability to temporarily boost a single aspect of my abilities. In a moment of supreme geekiness, I had named my ability Promotion and the boosts granted after chess pieces. Yes, just like the Evil Pieces from DXD.

"Promotion to Knight," I muttered under my breath.

My aura flared in a red glow for a moment and my muscles tensed, my senses sharpened and everything around me seemed to slow down. With my newly enhanced reflexes, I easily rammed my sword into the trunk of a passing tree and used it to descend to the ground in seconds where I released the boost with a sigh of relief. Promotion was an incredibly adaptable ability, but it could be rough on my body.

I heard a rustling sound at the edge of the forest and turned, catching sight of a glimpse of white as I did. I smirked. Looks like Weiss decided that she really didn't want to work with me. I turned and started walking in the other direction, sheathing my sword as I did.

* * *

As I walked through the trees, I paused as I heard a twig snap behind me. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes as the source of said snapping stepped out, growling from between bared teeth, even as its packmates slipped out of the trees around me. It was a pack of Beowolves. This was my first time seeing the Creatures of Grimm in person and up close and I have to say that it was...disconcerting. The Grimm simply did not look natural and every part of me was screaming at me to destroy them.

I narrowed my eyes and lowered my stance, readying myself for battle. The first Beowolf pounced at me from behind, trying to catch me off guard. He lost his head for his trouble. That was the signal for the rest of the Pack as they charged, howling and snarling as they did. I smirked and turned on my heel, avoiding the first swipe as my sword flashed and the Grimms arm went flying, followed swiftly by its head. The next Monster charged, but its claws sparked off my shield, right before a flick of my wrist sliced of its hand, followed by a swipe that took its head off.

I turned on my heel, just in time to see the last Beowolfs claw flying towards my head to fast to respond with my shield.

"Promotion to Rook," I muttered and felt my Aura twist into a tight armour around me, strengthening my muscles in the process.

The claw hit and sent me sprawling, my sword spinning from my grip. The Beowolf stalked forwards, ready to finish me off, only to take a fist to the gut that bent it in half, crushed its ribcage and sent it flying.

"That hurt jackass," I growled.

I got to my feet and retrieved my sword, returning it and my shield to my belt.

"I wouldn't have turned down some help though."

"I wanted to see how skilled you were," said Pyrrha as she stepped out from behind a nearby tree, "That was very impressive Jaune."

I grinned.

"Thanks. So, I guess this means we're partners?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded.

"We are," she said.

"Great. Shall we?"

We headed off into the forest together, leaving the Beowolves decay on their own.

"So, do you have any idea where we are?" I asked after we had been walking for a few minutes.

"Ummm."

"I thought so," I said, "Hang on, I think I've got...aha!"

I pulled a compass out of my pocket.

"Why do you have a compass?" asked Pyrrha.

"Always be prepared as my Grandpa would say," I said, "Now lets go."

Now that we had a direction, we started heading north, keeping our eyes peeled for the Temple as we went. As we made our way through the trees, we passed a certain cave that, had I been less prepared, we might have stumbled into. Fortunately, we wouldn't have to deal with the Deathstalker.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Pyrrha paused.

"Hey Jaune, did you hear that?" she asked.

I stopped to and cocked my head on one side. For a moment, I didn't hear anything. Then…

"Sounds like something scuttling," I muttered, before my eyes widened, "Oh fu…"

CRASH!

Pyrrha and I spun around as the rock wall behind us erupted and the Deathstalker came surging out at us. As it did, it swung its claw and, as I wasn't prepared in the slightest, slammed it into my gut and sent me flying.

"..CK YOU MURPHY!" I roared.

CRASH!

My flight was abruptly cut off as I slammed into something small, soft and warm that was moving just as fast as me downwards, resulting in both of us being sent tumbling.

"Ow," I groaned as I reached for my sword to cut myself loose from the branches that had broken my fall, "Son of a bitch, that hurt! What the hell attracted that oversized bugs attention?"

I cut myself free and flipped over so I landed on my feet on the branch below me next to Ruby, who I had slammed into.

"Sorry about that Ruby," I said, "Blame the Deathstalker."

"No worries Jaune," she said.

"RUBY!" shouted Yang.

"JAUNE!" shouted Pyrrha as she came running into the area with the Deathstalker still chasing her.

"Pyrrha!" I called back.

"Yang!" shouted Ruby, jumping to greet her sister.

"NORA!"

"Did she just run all of the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" asked Blake.

"GAH, THATS IT, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE!" shouted Yang as her Aura exploded around her, "CAN WE JUST WAIT 2 SECONDS BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE CRAZY HAPPENS?!"

I could practically hear the timer ticking down as Ruby tugged on Yangs sleeve.

"Um, Yang..?"

The blond slumped down as she realized that, no, the world wasn't going to give her a break.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LEFT ME!" shouted Weiss from the back of the Nevermore.

"I said jump!" called back Ruby.

"Shes gonna fall," said Yang.

"She'll be fine."

"Shes falling."

I rolled my eyes and jumped off the branch, catching Weiss on the way down. I landed lightly and set the heiress on her feet.

"Um, thank you?" she said, looking a tad ruffled.

"Don't mention it," I said as Pyrrha was smacked by the Deathstalker and landed in front of us, "You OK Pyrrha?"

I bent down and helped my partner to her feet.

"Great, now everyones here!" said Yang with false cheer, "Now we can die together!"

"Not if I can help it!" said Ruby and ran off before I could stop her.

"Oh for…" I growled.

* * *

One touching scene between Weiss and Ruby later and we were running for our lives with our chosen chess pieces.

"What do we do?" shouted Pyrrha as we reached the ruins that spanned the canyon.

I glanced back at the Deathclaw that was still on our tail and then up at the Nevermore that was doing its damndest to skewer is with its feathers.

"We need to split them up, deal with them one at a time," I said, "Nora, distract the Nevermore so we can get through!"

"Got it!" said the energetic girl and started bombarding the flying Grimm with grenades.

"The rest of you, come on! We can split them up at the canyon!"

"Do we really have to fight them?" asked Ren as we ran for the crumbling bridge.

"They won't let us get away without a fight," I called, "Might as well chose our battlefield!"

I skidded to a stop as we reached the bridge.

"Pyrrha, Ren, you two are with me, Ruby, you take Weiss, Blake and Yang and deal with the Nevermore," I said as I drew my sword and shield.

The three of us charged, Pyrrha and I leading the way with our shields while Ren opened fire with his guns. Pyrrha and I skidded to a stop, deflecting the oversized bugs pincers with our shields as Ren vaulted over it, peppering it with more shots as Nora jumped over it from the other side and slammed her hammer down on its head. I spun, my sword flashing out and scoring a deep cut in the monsters black flesh. The reaction was immediate as the Deathstalker recoiled, screeching in pain as steam wafted up from the cut. I paused.

"Huh, looks like to old man wasn't just blowing smoke," I muttered, "Thats nice."

I shook myself off and dove back into the fray, joining my teammates in wearing the monster down. Our individual attacks didn't do much, but together we were wearing it down, bit by bit. Then, one of us made a mistake.

Ren was in the middle of vaulting over its claw, peppering its face with bullets as he did, when the Deathstalkers tail struck, slamming into the Martial Artest leg with incredible force. I heard the crack it made as it snapped, even with his Aura's protection, not to mention his cry of pain as the impact sent him spinning into a nearby wall, causing it to collapse.

"REN!" shouted Nora.

The orange haired girl growled and turned a frightening scowl on the Deathstalker.

"You'll pay for that!" she roared and charged it.

"No, Nora don't!" shouted Pyrrha, but it was too late.

Blinded by rage as she was, the Hammer wielder was blindsided by a claw that slammed into her chin, sending her spinning away to land near Ren, knocked unconscious by the impact. Aura can protect from a lot, but there will always be some force that gets through, especially as emotion can cause ones Aura to fluctuate. The Deathstalker chittered in triumph as it skittered towards my downed teammates, stinger ready to strike.

"NO!" shouted Pyrrha as she jumped in front of the attack, only to get sent flying back into a wall by the impact.

"Why do I get the feeling this is gonna end up being a typical Shonen power boost moment?" I muttered, "Knight."

I shot forwards and skidded to a stop in front of my team.

"Rook."

CRUNCH!

"MEEP!"

I swallowed as I stared at the tip of the Deathstalkers stinger smashed straight through my shield, the tip ending up inches from my eye. I had just enough time to register how close I had come to death (again), before the Deathstalker let out a screech of rage and shoved its tail forwards, shattering my shield and sending me flying back to join my team splayed out on the ground. The only reason I was unharmed was thanks to my defencive powers. I gritted my teeth as I got to my feet, stumbling slightly as the impact had winded me.

The Deathstalker made a chattering sound as it scuttled forwards, waving its claws and flexing its tail in a way that could only be called exited. The damn monster was looking forwards to killing us! I scowled. I did not come this far to be killed by an oversized bug damn it!

" **Well said Brat!"**

"Huh?"

I jerked in surprise at the unexpected voice and looked down at the source...my own left hand.

"What the...whats going on?"

" **You don't need me to tell you that, do you?"** asked the welsh accented voice, **"No matter, the explanations can wait. For now, you need to take my power and squash that trumped up insect. You are the representative of my power and I will NOT suffer the humiliation of having you get crushed by an overgrown scorpion!"**

"Wha...AH!"

My left hand throbbed as a green glow began to shine from the back of my hand.

 **DRAGON BOOSTER!**

My eyes widened at the announcement as the light cleared, revealing a red, scaled gauntlet with a green gem in the back of the hand, clawed fingers and yellow spikes emerging out the back. My eyes widened even further and my jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

"W-what the hell?!" I spluttered, "Is this...Boosted Gear?"

 **BOOST!**

I jerked as my power spiked.

"Yep, definitely Boosted Gear," I said, "But did you really have to wait until now to speak up Ddraig?"

 **BOOST!**

" **I've been asleep,"** grumbled the Welsh Dragon, **"Now quit stalling and squash that bug before it shakes off the fear and kills you!"**

I blinked and looked up. Sure enough, the Deathstalker had backed up and was now eyeing me warily, although it looked like it was still itching to attack. I smirked.

"Fine, lets do this," I said.

 **BOOST!**

"Promotion to Queen!"

I grinned as I felt my Aura surge, granting me the incredible power of the Queen, helped along by my rapidly increasing power. I pushed off and shot at the Grimm like a rocket, gripping my sword with both hands.

 **BOOST! EXPLOSION!**

"YAHHH!"

With one last Boost, my power spiked and I drove my sword into the Deathstalkers face, straight through its carapace and into its brain.

"And lets follow it up with this," I said, holding up the Boosted Gear as a small, red orb appeared over it, "Dragon Shot!"

KAZAP!

SPLAT!

BOOM!

"Oh…"

I blinked in surprise at the utter devastation that attack had caused. It had carved a massive swath of destruction through the trees leading all the way back to the cave where we'd first encountered the Grimm, even going so far as to disintegrate a good portion of the cliff face said cave had been located in.

 **RESET!**

"Hmm, I should probably hold back a tad next time I use that," I muttered.

* * *

Third Person POV, Ozpin

Ozpin sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers in thought as he watched the recording of the newly minted Team JNPR battling the Deathstalker. It had been a few hours since the test had ended and the team announcements were done, so now Ozpin had plenty of time to consider the ramifications of Mr Arcs power, combined with the hidden nature of his sword.

"So, a Silver Eyed Warrior, a candidate to become the Fall Maiden and the Red Dragon Emperor at my school," he muttered, "Sounds like the start of a bad joke... Still, I suppose I can't complain. At least now we actually have a chance at besting Salem without the Maidens or having to resort to...drastic measures. Still, I should probably keep it, just in case."

He ran his thumb over the head of his cane where a pattern was carved into the silver head. For a brief moment, the pattern glowed faintly with purple light, revealing a circle with two snakes twisted into an infinity symbol, biting one another's tail.

 **And done. A nice long chapter here with plenty going on. Like revealing that Jaune has the Boosted Gear for example!**

 **Yes, Jaune does indeed possess the power of the Red Dragon Emperor. Now, to be perfectly clear, while he won't be the only one to possess a Sacred Gear, this is set in a completely different world than DXD, so any characters that appear have no connection to their counterparts...with two exceptions, but I don't even know if Red will be appearing in this and Ophis is the Infinity Dragon.**

 **Speaking of Ophis, why is her symbol on Ozpins cane? What possible connection could the Headmaster have with the most powerful Dragon in existence? Just how does the old man know of the existence of the Boosted Gear? Am I gonna stop asking questions and end this AN?**

 **Yes, I am. Don't forget to review!**


	12. Mythology Science Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Mythology Science

Getting reborn as a Hero destined to save the world can put a real crimp in your existence. I expected to end up facing down Monsters and Gods before I was old enough to drink, but I wasn't expecting to meet a splatter-happy girl and her crazy, overeager commander. This is gonna be a weird summer...

 **So we're back. Frankly, it was only a matter of time before I did a story where the OC is Percy Jackson, but this will be a little...different. Because Buso Renkin is fucking awesome and I want to experiment with this idea. Oh, and thanks to Glassed Gamer for the death. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

My death involved a man in speedos, a beach, seagulls and about a truckload of various species from the far east. Draw your own conclusions. Now take any mental image of my 'death' out of your mind and focus only on the fact that I died. I'm doing you a favor, trust me. Anyway, getting of the subject of my rather scaring death, I'm sure your all wondering how I can be telling you this if I'm a doornail, right? Well, the answers relatively simple. I got reincarnated. Yep, I was reborn as a baby and let me tell you, there is a bloody good reason that you don't remember that!

I have to say though, when it comes to getting reincarnated, I can't decide if I'm incredibly lucky or if I'm being punished. What makes me say that? Well, the only memory I had of my Dad was when his face appeared over my crib. Literally. I mean, he appeared as a cloud with green eyes and a beard. That was fucking scary. What was scarier was when I realized that my Mum was named Sally and I'd apparently been reborn as a certain half-blood hero. Not getting it? Well then you're an idiot, but let me spell it out for you anyway. I had been reborn as Percy fucking Jackson!

* * *

Growing up was...odd to say the least. I don't know if it was because I already knew or something else, but the Mist didn't seem to affect me, allowing me to see everything exactly as it was. That included a Satyre bus driver, a baby hellhound rooting around in the rubbish (who was still the size of the dumpster it was sniffing at) more than one baby cyclops on the street and the Brooklyn House. You know, the 24th Nome? Yeah, that.

Oddly enough, despite the fact I was well aware of the supernatural, I didn't seem to be attracting Monsters. I never once received a second look from any of the nasties that stalked the streets, even when walking right past them. I don't know if it was because I was still young, but it didn't change as I got older. I'm pretty sure that Demi-gods, especially the offspring of the Big Three, attracted Monsters like bees to honey, so the fact I wasn't was confusing. There was no doubt I was the Son of Poseidon considering the big guy had appeared over my crib with the smell of brine, so why wasn't I attracting Monsters? To this day, I have no answer.

Still, its not all bad. As soon as Mum realized that I wasn't attracting Monsters, she gave Gabe (who she'd been dating for about three months at this point) the boot. That had been immensely fun and the celebratory meal she'd cooked afterwards was equally awesome.

* * *

Time continued to march along. Thanks to not having to pay for a thick headed moron's gambling and drinking habits, Mum had managed to save up enough to enter college and was now well on her way to getting her first book published (with a little help from me since I had been a published Author last time though, although I hid my good advice behind the image of a loving son helping his Mother) and I was about to enter 6th grade at the Fleming Private Academy, a private school that I'd managed to snag myself a scholarship to by acing the entrance test. It was a boarding school with dorms off campus far enough out of the city to be surrounded by nature while still being close enough that it was possible to get the bus in on weekends. Unfortunately, it also seemed to attract the biggest set of nutballs I'd ever met. Still, at least it was fun!

* * *

"GAH!"

I sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath as my hand grasped at my chest. That dream...flashes of movement and blinding pain, a massive shadow looming over a smaller figure...I sighed.

"Just a dream…" I muttered.

SLAM!

"GOD DAMN IT PERCY, SHUT THE HELL UP!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the door slammed open and Liam, one of my classmates and friends thundered into the room in his PJ's and sleeping hat perched on the tip of his physics defying pompadour.

"Are you OK Percy?" another friend, Darryl, a bespectacled boy with light brown hair and a set of extremely odd skills.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Just a nightmare."

"Are you sure?" asked Keith, my last male friend and a gentle giant, "You were making a lot of noise."

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine guys," I said with a smile, "Seriously. Go back to bed."

My friends did as they were told, leaving me to flop down on my bed and stare up at the ceiling as my fingers absently rubbed my chest. That dream...it felt so real. I could still feel the pain as my chest was pierced from behind. But it had to have been a dream, right? Even Demigods couldn't survive having their hearts destroyed. I sighed and turned on my side. I'd think about this more in the morning.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and way too early to be legal. I was nursing a headache as I walked to school from the Dorms, inwardly cursing the fact I'd probably get in trouble for having misplaced some of my textbooks. They had been in my school bag, but I hadn't been able to find it this morning. I really wasn't looking forwards to maths. One of the missing books was my maths book and the teacher, Mr Silverstone, was incredibly strict and really had it out for me, especially lately.

"PERRRCY!"

I stumbled as a body slammed into my back, sending me stumbling forwards a few steps as I instinctively hooked my hands under my 'attackers' thighs. I sighed.

"Hey Red," I said to the red-head currently hanging from my back.

Red, or Rachel Elizabeth Dare (yes, that one) was my best and oldest friend, going right back to when we were just kids. We'd met in Kindergarten and had immediately hit it off thanks to our shared sense of humour, love of pranks and similar tastes in...everything. While her parents were wealthy, they were also fairly grounded. Her father, unlike how he was depicted in the books, was a good man and very successful in his business. What was that business? Well, it was drills of all things. He was part owner of a large business that made and distributed drills and had offices and holdings all over the world. Her mother on the other hand was a doctor and very good at her job. She was a very kind woman, but took no shit from anyone.

So yes, very different, but if your suggesting that theres another girl called Rachel Elizabeth Dare with red hair, green eyes and paint smeared across her cheeks, I'd ask what your smoking. Plus, the fact she kept painting pictures that looked a heck of a lot like stuff that was coming in the future and could see through the Mist if her reaction to seeing Monsters out and about was anything to go by was also a pretty big indication that it was the right Rachel.

But I'm getting off track.

"So, rumour has it you had a pretty bad nightmare last night," said Rachel.

"Let me guess, Liam?" I asked.

"Yep."

I sighed.

"Yeah, I did," I said, "I woke up some of the guys too.

"So, what was it about?" she asked, "Surprised Maths test? Being on stage in your underwear? Doing a Maths test in your underwear?"

"Actually no, I got killed by a giant monster snake," I said.

"Really?"

I nodded. Rachel pouted.

"Aww, I was hoping it had something to do with you in your underwear. I know I dream that."

I nearly tripped.

"Rachel, we're 12! Why the hell are you dreaming about me in my undies?"

"What? You should take it as a complement Mr," said Rachel, jabbing me in the sides with her knees.

"I repeat, WE'RE 12 GOD DAMN IT!" I shouted.

"Your point?" asked Rachel.

I opened my mouth, but then closed it again as I realized that I genuinely had nothing to say to that. Rachel snickered and patted me on the head.

"Good boy," she said and slipped off my back.

I grumbled and crossed my arms. No, I was not pouting, no matter what Rachel said!

* * *

"So, you claim to have lost your books?" hissed Mr Silverstone as he glared down at me.

"Umm, yes sir," I said as I squirmed under his glare, "They were in my bag and I couldn't find it this morning."

I'm pretty sure the guys Human, but his glare is fierce enough that I'd believe that theres Gorgon in his heritage somewhere.

"Is that so?" said Silverstone, "Where did you go after school yesterday?"

"Hmm, I think I went…" I started, but trailed off when I suddenly realized I had no idea what I'd done the night before.

"I see," said Silverstone, "In that case, its detention for you tonight. I want you to pull the weeds in the courtyards after school."

"Huh? But…"

Silverstones glare upped in intensity and I quickly backpedaled.

"G-got it sir!" I said.

"Sit down," he said, "Share with Keith for today."

I scuttled back to my desk before he decided to pile on more punishment.

* * *

"Hey, anyone else think Silverstones been acting strange lately?" asked Liam later as we ate our lunch on the roof.

"I guess so, but hes always been a hard ass," said Darryl.

"I thought that was just a Maths teachers default setting," said Rachel, "Miserable and evil."

"Ouch, burn," I said with a smirk as everyone else cracked up.

"In all seriousness though, are you sure you don't want us to help you?" asked Rachel as the bell rang.

"Nah, I don't want to get you lot in trouble," I said, "I can manage just fine."

"Fair enough."

We started to head back inside to go to class, but as we did I paused as my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw I had a new message from an unknown number.

 **Take Care of your new life.**

I froze, a horrible weight settling in my gut. That message...I spun around and looked up at the water tower on the roof, expecting to see a long haired silhouette stood there. However, no one was up there. I shook my head and breathed a sigh of relief. Percy Jackson was one thing, but that? Nah, we weren't even in the right country for it. Even so, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling for the rest of the day.

* * *

Two hours after school saw me collapsing on my ass as I finally tied up the last of the bin bags that held the fruits of my labour. I was exhausted, not to mention starving.

"Finally done," I groaned, "Time to go home."

I got to my feet, grabbing my bag from where it was leaning against the wall and heading for the gates.

"The school sure is creepy at night," I muttered.

I paused as I made my way through the courtyard by the gym and caught sight of an ominous shadow on the hill behind the school. It was an abandoned factory that was supposedly haunted. No one ever really went there because of those rumours and I certainly wasn't about to test if there was any truth to them. I may not attract Monsters, but I was willing to bet that that wouldn't stop one from eating me if I stumbled into its lair. I shuddered and turned to leave.

"Where do you think your going?"

I twitched at Silverstones voice. I turned to see the teacher heading towards me with something in his hands.

"Are you done with the weeds?" he asked.

"Yeah, the bags are with the rest of the rubbish," I said.

"Is that so?" asked the teacher, "Well, it doesn't matter. What I'm more interested in is this."

He tossed the item in his hands at my feet and I was surprised to see that it was my schoolbag, books included.

"Hey, thats my bag," I said, "Where'd you find it?"

"In the abandoned factory," hissed Silverstone, making me freeze in horror, "The same place where you interrupted my meal last night."

I swallowed. No way, this couldn't be happening! I slowly looked up at the teacher, my eyes widening even further as I saw that his skin was turning white and his body seemed to be coming apart.

"I don't know how you're alive," growled Silverstone, his voice rapidly distorting, "I was sure I pierced your heart."

My gaze was drawn the the mark on his forehead, although it was quickly drawn elsewhere as his body seemed to explode and transform into a gigantic, biomechanical snake.

" **No matter, I'll just have to kill you again!"** he roared.

I didn't respond, instead I turned on my heel and ran.

" _Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck!"_ I thought as I sprinted around the school with the snake Homunculus on my tail, _"I'm so fucking screwed! How the fuck is this even possible?! We're not in Japan and I thought this was the Percy Jackson world! Am I dreaming?"_

CRASH!

I yelped as I jumped over Silverstones lunge.

"Not dreaming!" I yelped as I turned around and ran back the other way, leaving the snake to twist itself in knots, "Definitely not dreaming!"

My phone chose that moment to ring and I hastened to answer it.

"I'll be there in three minutes," said a female voice down the line.

"HURRY THE FUCK UP!" I screamed back, "I CAN'T KEEP RUNNING FOREVER!"

"Calm down," said the voice, "Anger will just wear you out faster.

"I'M NOT ANGRY YOU IDIOT, I'M SCARED WITLESS!"

"At least your honest," said the voice, "Would knowing what your up against help?"

"OH FU…"

I was cut off as I was forced to jump over Silverstones head as he burst from the ground under my feet.

"Alright, I'll give you the cliffnotes version," said the voice, "That thing is a Homunculus, a monster created by Alchemy that hides in Humans and eats Humans. I was sent here to kill monsters like that, but I accidentally got you involved last night. In order to hide themselves among Humans, they always kill any witnesses. It will never stop chasing you until your dead."

"So that means I need to kill it first?" I asked.

"You won't be able to," said the voice, "The only thing that can hurt that thing is the power of Alchemy. Just keep running, I'm nearly there."

There was a click on the other end of the line and I suppressed the urge to swear violently.

"Gods damn it, I need to figure out how to use this damned Kakugane quick or I'm gonna…" I muttered as I skidded around the corner, only to stop as I nearly slammed into Rachel who was coming the other way.

"Whoa Percy, wheres the fire?" asked my friend, "And whats that look for?"

I stared at her uncomprehending for a moment, before the blood drained from my face. Judging from how this night was going, Rachel would be taking Mahiro's place. That meant… My head snapped down as the ground under Rachel cracked and a pair of massive jaws slammed shut on her. I went completely still, my eyes widening as the world seemed to fade until the only thing I could see was Silverstone swallowing in slow motion.

" **Ahhh, thats much better,"** said the monster as its Human head emerged from the depths of the snakes mouth, **"Its hard to move around on an empty stomach. Now then, lets continue."**

I didn't really hear what he was saying however, his words drowned out by the thumping of blood in my ears as my fear rapidly changed to rage. I could feel my heart beating a tattoo against my ribs as my rage spiked even more. No, thats not right. Not my heart, my Kakugane. The Alchemical alloy that now served as my heart seemed to heat up at that thought as my hand slowly moved up to my chest.

"You...monster," I hissed.

" **Hmm? What was that?"** growled Silverstone.

"You have no idea what you just did, do you?" I continued, "Now...I'm pissed. And rage makes a great fuel for ones fighting instinct. Lets see what form mine takes."

I fixed the snake with a glare so intense that it actually recoiled slightly as my fingers clenched over my heart. As I did, my mind decided to throw out a suppressed memory I somehow had of the night before when the girl on the other end of the phone (who looked a heck of a lot like Tokiko) implanted the Kakugane in my chest to save my life. I bet my Uncle is pissed. Still, now really wasn't the time to be thinking about that. I had a monster to kill and a friend to save.

" **ENOUGH STALLING, I'M STILL HUNGRY!"** roared Silverstone.

CRASH!

The snake-like monster swallowed me whole, but that was its worst idea of the evening. It barely had time to regret it however before my hand closed around the hilt of my weapon and the blade carved the monster into scrap.

" **GAHHH, WHERE THE FUCK DID A BRAT LIKE YOU GET A BUSO RENKIN?!"** roared Silverstone as his head clattered to the ground.

"Tch, none of your business," I said as I landed lightly, an unconscious Rachel under one arm and my Buso Renkin in the other.

The weapon was a sword with a long, curved white blade with a hexagon shape where the blade met the guard with a bronze trident in the centre and a green wrapped hilt.

"A sword type Buso Renkin huh?" said a voice as its owner stepped in front of me with a Kakugane in her hand, "Thats oddly fitting for you. **Buso Renkin, Valkyrie Skirt!"**

With a flurry of movement, Silverstones head was pierced by three blades.

" **The Death Scythe Buso Renkin!"** he howled, **"Then your an Alchemist Warrior!"**

With one last scream, the Homunculus' head was ripped to pieces and began to dissolve with the rest of its body. I stared in no small amount of awe as the Alchemist Warrior turned to face me, the four scythes of her weapon framing her perfectly. She was a Japanese girl, shorter than me, with orange eyes, blue shoulder-length hair and the horizontal scar running across the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks. She was even wearing the exact same uniform she did in the series. Yep, no doubt about it, that was Tokiko Tsumura. My shock and awe quickly changed to horror however as I suddenly realized that, if Tokiko was here and Buso Renkin was a thing, I'd have to deal with Papillon in the not too distant future. I think I was looking forwards to that even less than fighting the Titan of Time!

 **And done. A long chapter and a bit of a flat ending, but it is appropriate. Papillon is a cool character, but I don't think I'd be willing to deal with the crazy bastard.**

 **So, how will the addition of Alchemy affect the future of the Percy Jackson story? Probably quite drastically, especially considering some of the things I have planned for the characters.**

 **Speaking of the characters, Percy's friends are obviously based on Kazuki's and have the same first names as their english voice actors. Since I couldn't be arsed to come up with them myself, I decided that was a better option. Silverstone got the same treatment, as will the rest of the westernized characters that will be appearing.**

 **The changes I made to Rachel's backstory were not random, but rather a nod to something that I MIGHT include in the future. If I decide not to, they'll be a clever little nod. I wonder if you can decode them? Heres another clue. In this universe, Sally works at a bakery that was opened in 1927. I'd give you the founder's name, but that would be to much of a clue.**

 **Speaking of Rachel, she seems to be getting away from me slightly. I have no idea why she randomly turned into such a pervert, but its fun to write her nonetheless. Oh, and no, thats not an indication of a future paring! And neither is the canon Buso Renkin one!**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	13. Mythology Science Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Mythology Science

Getting reborn as a Hero destined to save the world can put a real crimp in your existence. I expected to end up facing down Monsters and Gods before I was old enough to drink, but I wasn't expecting to meet a splatter-happy girl and her crazy, overeager commander. This is gonna be a weird summer...

 **So we're back. Nothing to say other than, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

A short while after Tokiko had destroyed Silverstone and we had moved the still unconscious Rachel to the infirmary where I checked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt and Tokiko began her explanation with the help of a dictionary.

"Alchemy, the medieval forerunner of chemistry, concerned with the transmutation of matter, in particular with attempts to convert base metals into gold or find a universal elixir."

"Yes, I know," I said, "I read the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Fullmetal Alchemist and my history course has a module on it. But I was under the impression it was a myth."

"Well, that will make the explanations easier," said Tokiko, "While most people believe that Alchemy was a complete failure, that is only what is known to the general public. However, in reality there were two successes. The Homunculi, created from research into artificial life, and the Kakugane, created from munitions research. However, both were deemed to be too dangerous for the general public and so sealed away from the general public and left in the hands of those who truly understand the power of Alchemy."

She stepped up to the window and opened the curtains.

"However, there are still those that would abuse that power who dwell in the shadows, feeding off Humans," she said.

"So then the Haunted factory is…?"

"Their hideout," confirmed the Warrior as she pulled out her Kakugane, "I must destroy them all. **Buso Renkin, Valkyrie Skirt!"**

I hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

"I'll come with you," I said, getting to my feet, "You'll need...OW!"

I stumbled back as Tokiko poked me with the sharp ends of her scythes.

"No, this is not your fight," she said, "I didn't give you the Kakugane or tell you the truth so you could fight, but rather to prepare you, just in case they come after you in the future, and because I believed your life was worth saving."

She smiled at me.

"Don't worry, its just a small nest. It won't take me long and then you can go back to your normal life."

"But…"

I shut up when she threatened me with her blades again.

"Think about your friend," said Tokiko, "When she wakes up from her nightmare alone in the nurse's office at night, how is she going to feel?"

I hesitated. As tough as she acted half the time, Rachel was still a normal 12 year old girl. Waking up like that would be horrible for her.

"Tonight you will have to make a choice," said Tokiko, "You can remain here and return to your old life, or you can come after me and enter a world of battle. I don't think I have to tell you which you belong in, do I?"

She glared at me for a moment, before turning and opening the window.

"I have no intention of dragging you further into my world," she said, "Go home with your friends."

She jumped out of the window.

"Which world I belong in eh?" I muttered as I leant back against the desk, "Sorry Tokiko, but I'm gonna end up fighting monsters one way or another."

The only question was, do I want to go tonight? I had basically resigned myself to being the Fates bitch when it comes to being a Demigod, but here I had a choice. If I wanted, I could just walk away...oh, who am I kidding? Whether it was my nature as a Demigod or just a decent Human being, I couldn't just leave Tokiko to face Papillon and his minions alone. If I did, she would probably die tonight. I sighed and pushed off the desk. There was really nothing wrong with Rachel's, other than shock and a banged head, so I'd be fine carrying her home. I was just about to pick her up, when she stirred and her eyes flickered open. For a moment, we stared at each other, before…

THWACK!

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" I yelled as I pinched my newly bleeding nose shut.

"Not sure, I just feel like something happened to me that was your fault," she said, "Where am I?"

She looked around and raised an eyebrow.

"Why am I in the nurse's office?"

"You tripped and hit your head," I said.

"Oh, OK," she said, "So, shall we go home?"

She walked past me, leaving me blinking.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"What? I'm fine and I wanna go home," said Rachel.

I found I honestly couldn't argue with that. Well, except for one slight issue.

"Actually, I need to do one more thing," I said, "I'll catch up."

Rachel gave me a flat look.

"You're going to do something dangerous, aren't you?"

"Yep, I'm going to go fight a monster in the haunted factory with a weapon formed from the mystical object currently replacing my heart," I said.

"Fine, don't tell me," said Rachel, "But Percy...be careful, OK? Its been really dangerous around here lately."

I smiled.

"Don't worry Red, I'll be fine," I said, "Let the guys know I'll be back soon."

"Will do!"

We headed out of the school and immediately separated, Rachel heading back to the dorms and me heading in the direction of the Haunted Factory. I was in pretty good shape and I'm pretty sure that my Godly blood gave me some sort of enhanced stamina, although it could have been the Kakugane, so it didn't take me long to reach the Factory. I paused outside the doors to catch my breath. I could hear a lot of crashes and shouting coming from inside, so Tokiko was probably still kicking. I took a deep breath and placed a hand over my chest, feeling the metal underneath the surface head up as my heart rate spiked.

"Right, lets go," I muttered, **"Buso Renkin!"**

My sword appeared in a flash of light as I kicked the door in and charged into the abandoned building. Thanks to my last life, I had never really had that much of a problem with the ADHD all Demigods had and my Dyslexia was taken care of by the fact I actually had it in my last life and knew exactly how to deal with it. However, in that moment, I realized that Chiron hadn't been kidding when he said that they were battlefield reflexes. It took me all of an instant to take in the situation, with Tokiko being held down by the enemy's she'd already taken down and the massive Ape Homunculus that was bearing down on her, and before I knew it, I was charging in, the tip of my sword leading the way.

" **What? Another bug to annoy me?"** growled the Homunculus, **"Just try it, you'll never beat my strength!"**

He caught the tip of my sword in his fist and stopped my charge cold. I gritted my teeth and pushed forwards, inwardly cursing that I didn't have the Sunlight Heart. At least I'd know what that thing could do! I didn't even know where to begin with this thing. I needed that special property if I was gonna win this damn it!

At that thought, I felt my Buso Renkin shudder as the hexagon that acted as the guard clicked open and released a cloud of steam. An instant later, the Homunculus let out a roar of pain and released the blade.

" **What the fuck?"** he said, holding up his hand as his fingers began to blacken and frost over, **"What the fuck have you done to me?!"**

"Ice?" I muttered, "The Special Property of my Buso Renkin is ice?"

I narrowed my eyes.

"No, thats not it," I muttered, "Its something else…"

I shrugged.

"Whatever, not important right now. Time for you to die monkeyboy!"

" **FUCK YOU!"** roared the Homunculus, spit flying everywhere as he drew back his fist to crush me.

I took a quick step to the side, evading the fist by inches, and rammed the blade of my sword into the fist. The Homunculus roared in pain as ice and frostbite began to spread over its fist. A solid punch shattered the frozen limb into a thousand pieces. The Homunculus fell to his knees, clutching at the stump of his wrist, panting for breath. He looked up as I stepped up in front of him and aimed my sword at the Emblem mark on his head.

" **N-no, d-don't…!"**

"Freeze and die Monster," I said and swung my sword.

I turned away as the newly frozen corpse as it began to dissolve to face a gobsmacked Tokiko.

"Well, that was fun," I said.

SMACK!

"OW! What is it with girls hitting me today?" I said, rubbing my newly reddened cheek.

"You idiot, I told you not to come!" snapped Tokiko, "What about your friend?"

"Who, Red?" I asked, "Don't worry about her, shes fine."

Tokiko sighed.

"Take a look at your feet," she said.

I looked down and, sure enough, the floor was covered in Human skeletons.

"I told you that Homunculi feed on Humans," said the Warrior, "I thought this was their main hideout, but I was wrong. There are more hidden somewhere in the City and I need to find them. You on the other hand need to stay out of the way."

I let out a huff.

"Sorry Reaper Girl, but you're not scaring me off that easily," I said.

Tokiko looked surprised

"Knowing that there are more man eating monsters in the area is just going to make me even more eager to fight," I said, "Don't forget that with them here, my friends are in danger."

"But…"

Tokiko cut herself off as the tip of my sword appeared between her eyes.

"Trust me, I can handle myself," I said, "I have an...instinct for combat."

I smiled and dismissed my sword.

"Trust me. I can help."

Tokiko stared at me for a moment, before she let out a groan and palmed her face.

"Damn it, I'm not going to get you to stop, am I?" she groaned.

I grinned.

"Not a chance," I said.

I flinched as Tokiko fixed me with a glare that would make Medusa jealous.

"Fine, but you had better follow my orders," she said, "You've already died once due to being reckless, I don't need your death on my conscious a second time."

"Got it boss!" I yelped, "Oh, but you still havnt told me your name."

Tokiko blinked and her cheeks pinked slightly.

"Oh, how rude of me," she said, "My name is Tokiko. Tokiko Tsumura."

I blinked.

"Your Japanese?"

Her eyes gleamed and the blades of the Valkyrie Skirt twitched towards me.

"Is that a problem?"

"N-no, not at all!" I yelped, "A-anyway, I'm Percy Jackson. Its nice to meet you."

 **And done. So, Rachel's punched Percy, Tokiko smacked him and he's destroyed his first Homunculus. Plus, we get a glimpse of just what his Buso Renkin can do. Can you lot guess what its Special Property is? Its not as simple as it first appears.**

 **I actually have nothing else to say, so I'm gonna sign off. Until next time!**


	14. Strike Sorcerer Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Strike Sorcerer

Getting reborn into a world of magic can be cool, so long as you actually have power. Normally, I wouldn't have any power, but the discovery of a helmet containing the spirit of an ancient and powerful sorcerer changed that. I wonder what the addition of the Sorcerer Supreme of this Earth will do to the war with the Nuroi?

 **Soooo, yeah, I really shouldnt be starting anything new, but honestly, I can't resist. Ever since I slammed face first into a brick wall with my other SW story, I've been meaning to try something else. This idea came to me while I was half asleep, so it might be a bit odd, but the alternative was to have him as a Kryptonian or a Green Lantern. The Sorcerer Supreme works better. Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I bloody hate my life sometimes! The reason I say that is fairly simple, I was dead. Yep, I died getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. I won't go into too much detail, but lets just say that I was walking home from the Theater one night after having maybe a tad to much to drink and ended up getting run down by some moron who had had way too much to drink. Lets just say it hurt and leave it at that. However, the reason I'm currently cursing out the fact that I hate my life wasn't because I was dead, no, it was because I had been reborn. Why is that a bad thing? Well, its not so much because I have been reborn, but rather where I had been reborn. No it's not somewhere in the middle east or something, but rather a whole other world. How do I know its another world? Well just bare with me and I'll tell you.

See, while it appeared for all intents and purposes, I had been reborn in my old hometown in rural Derbyshire, there was a few things that set my warning buzzers off. First of, I had yet to hear anyone call Britain Britain, instead referring it to as Britannia. A few other countries had also received the same treatment, such as referring to Spain as Hispania and a few others. However, the actual thing that had made me realize exactly where in the Multiverse I was was the fact that none of the women I had seen were wearing pants. Or skirts. Plus talk of Nuroi and Witches and I quickly figured out that I was somehow now living in an Anime. Aww well, I guess it could be worse.

* * *

Growing up was as normal as could be, for a reincarnated Soul in a world that used to be an Anime at least. I attended school, payed attention to the news and was even able to put my past skills as a writer to use. My family wasn't exactly poor, but we weren't wealthy either, so I decided to see if I could help out, despite my young age of seven. That desire had resulted in me writing a series of books based on the history of my old world, netting me a rather impressive paycheck. I think my parents only went through with my idea to humor me, but they certainly weren't about to complain if it took some of the burden of our struggling finances.

This world is...odd. Perhaps its because of all the times we've nearly been wiped out by the Nuroi throughout history or maybe its just one of those things, but in this world, it didn't matter how old you were, so long as you could do the job. Hense why I was able to get into engineering school when I was just 14 and pass in one year, mostly thanks to the fact I'd already passed the exact same course in my last life. See, while I had technically been an author, I never did well enough to live off it, so I also had a day job as an engineer. Of course, despite that, I was still just a kid, so I didn't get dragged headfirst into anything too dangerous. No, that came later.

* * *

Specifically, it came a year later while my Parents and I were in London. See, my Dad was a historian, not necessarily the most vital profession when the fate of our species was on the line, but there was still a lot we could learn about fighting the Nuroi from the past. We were visiting an old friend of my Fathers at the British Museum about a particularly interesting artifact that had been unearthed. Exactly how and where they had managed to do an archeological dig of any size was beyond me, but hey.

"This is cool," I said, examining the many artifacts we walked past on the way to the new exhibit.

"That it is," said my Dad, "Its a shame that so few people are interested in history these days."

"Indeed," said an elderly man as he came up to us, "Welcome Dr Strange, its good to see you again."

"Dr Nelson, hello," said Dad, shaking the old mans hand, "Its been far too long old man."

Said old man smiled as he greeted my Mother.

"Hello to you as well Christina," he said, "And you as well Kent. You've certainly grown."

"Hello sir," I said.

"So, wheres this artifact?" asked Dad.

"Right this way," said Dr Nelson, leading the way through the museum, providing some interesting tidbits about the artifacts we past as we went.

Eventually, we reached a room with an exhibit that looked fairly new. It was designed like a temple of some description, with a few glass cases containing old looking relics dotted around. However, the centerpiece was a golden helmet in the center of the room that looked like it had been made yesterday as it gleamed under the lights.

"Oh, now that is impressive," said Dad, leaning in to take a closer look, "Where did you find it?"

"We found them in a vault hidden under the Museum," said Dr Nelson, "A workman was doing some maintenance on the wiring and fell in when the floor collapsed. We found those down there as well."

He indicated to a broken stone mural that had been pieced back together in a glass case by the back wall. Curious, I headed over for a closer look. The mural was similar to a number of others in the museum, depicting Witches fighting Nuroi in various forms. However, this one seemed a little different. For one thing, the focus was on a figure wearing the helmet, along with a long cloak and an eye shaped amulet around its neck. He was in the center of the carving, his arms stretched out as what appeared to be beams of light shone out around him, forcing back whatever he was fighting.

" **They come."**

I flinched as a quiet voice seemed to come from nowhere.

"What? Who said that?" I asked.

"Who said what?" asked Mum.

"Someone just said that something was coming," I said.

Mum gave me an odd look.

"No one said anything," she said, "Are you feeling OK?"

I frowned and opened my mouth to respond, but before I could a loud alarm echoed from outside the museum.

"NEUROI ATTACK!" shouted someone from outside.

"What…? How did they..?" gasped Mum, "How did they get past the detection grid?!"

"No idea, but we should get to the shelters!" said Dad, "Come on!"

He grabbed Mum's hand and my shoulder and moved to steer us out of the museum. However, before he could, I felt something scream in my head, forcing me to clap my hands over my ears in an attempt to blot out the sound. It didn't work. Instead, the world seemed to explode into a blaze of red. A few moments later, after realizing I wasn't dead, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Everything around me was frozen and looked like the colours had been washed out, leaving everything as various shades of gray. I could see the looks of fear on the faces of the people around me, frozen in time, along with the massive beam of energy that had blasted a hole in the ceiling.

"What the hell?" I said, my voice echoing strangely, "What happened?"

" **I happened."**

I jumped at the unexpected voice and spun around. The source of the voice was the only other patch of colour in this gray world. It was the helmet, which was now floating outside of its case and glowing like a miniature sun.

"I repeat, WHAT THE HELL!?" I spluttered.

" **My name is Shaher,"** said the voice, issuing from the glowing helmet, **"Am am a Lord of Order who dwells in this helmet. Once I served as the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, but I have long abdicated that title in favor of serving as an adviser."**

My jaw dropped open. Well, that was unexpected. I knew that Helmet looked familiar and now I knew why. It was an exact copy of the Helmet of Fate that held Nabu. Wait…

"Let me guess, you want me to put you on?" I asked.

" **I do,"** said Shaher, **"I have been sealed away for far too long. This world is in dire need of a new Sorcerer Supreme to protect it. The seals that protect it from outside invasions are beginning to weaken, allowing those monsters clawing at the walls to get in."**

"Wait, do you mean the Nuroi?" I asked.

The helmet bobbed slightly.

" **Indeed."**

I swallowed. Talk about a rock and a hard place. It was abundantly clear that I was only alive right now thanks to Shaher stopping time. If I put on the helmet, I could save myself and everyone in the museum from a painful death and gain the power to fight the Neuroi in the process. However, in the process, I'd be thrown head first into a role I wasn't sure I wanted at best or, if Shaher was anything like the Nabu I remembered, I could lose my body and become nothing more than a meatsuit for her to use.

" **Fear not young Outsider,"** said the Lord of Order, **"I am not like my counterpart. I will not possess your body, rather, I will serve as your teacher and adviser so long as you bare my mantle."**

I swallowed again. Well, that was one issue out of the way, now there was just the problem of having to fight extra-dimensional monsters for the rest of my life...aw, who am I kidding, that actually sounded like fun!

"You swear you won't possess me?" I asked as I stepped up to the helmet.

" **Upon my name as a Lord of Order,"** said Shaher.

I nodded and grabbed the helmet.

"Well, here goes nothing," I muttered and put it on.

It felt like I'd just plugged myself directly into the mains as a surge of pure power blazed through me, making my entire body light up and lift a few inches of the floor. My eyes and mouth opened wide as I was pulled into a spread egaled position as the magic wrapped around me, transforming my clothing into the same outfit the figure on the mural and was worn by the DC version of the Sorcerer Supreme. The uniform consisted of a long, high collared golden cape around my shoulders, a blue full body suit with a golden breastplate over the top with a large circle containing an eye-shaped amulet, a large golden belt with a circle in the center and golden boots. My hands and forearms were covered in golden, elbow length gloves. Beyond just the power contained within the helmet, I could also feel the magic latch onto my own innate magic I'd inherited from my Mother, who was a Witch, that I'd normally never be able to access and drag it to the fore, further amplifying the already formidable power I could feel flowing through me.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the rush stopped and I relaxed, although I didn't land, remaining floating where I was.

"Whoa, what a rush!" I exclaimed, staring down at my gloved hands, "Is it going to be like that every time I put the helmet on?"

" **No, your body will get used to the increase in power very quickly,"** said Shaher, **"I must say, you have a lot of magic. Its a shame the Males of this dimension have no way of accessing their power. You would make a formidable Sorcerer."**

I smirked.

"Would make?" I asked, "I think that ship has sailed."

" **True. Now, let us begin."**

I nodded and raised my hands as the world restarted. An instant later, the beam was deflected off a golden Ankh shaped shield, causing it to split and make a mess of the room. However, no one was hurt by the attack, so I think the Museum staff would forgive me.

"Is everyone alright? **"** I asked, noting that the helmet distorted my voice as I spoke.

"I-I think so," said Mum as everyone stared at me in awe, "But...who are you?"

"You can call me...Fate," I said, "Dr Fate. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Nuroi to destroy."

I flew up through the hole in the roof, leaving the people I'd saved staring after me in shock.

" **Dr Fate?"** asked Shaher, amusement clear in her tone.

"What? It works," I said, "And I pretty much look like him like this."

" **True, I suppose it will do,"** said Shaher, **"Now, focus. I would rather not have you die on me in our first battle."**

"Yeah yeah,"I said as I reached the same altitude as the Neuroi was cruising at.

The alien being resembled a WW2 era bomber with red patches over its wings and hull. Red patches that lit up and fired a wave of red lasers at me as it seemed to notice me. I held up a hand and the attack splashed against the golden ankh that appeared as a shield.

"Now then, lets see," I muttered, "I need to locate the Core to destroy it. Do we have anything that can do that?"

" **The amulet in your chestpiece will do what you need,"** said Shaher, **"It is the Eye of Horus, a magical artifact that can pierce any lie or illusion."**

"Huh, sounds like what the Eye of Agamoto can do," I muttered, "Alright, like this?"

I placed my hands in a seal that Shaher showed me in my mind and the eye shaped part of my armour opened, revealing a bright green light inside. At the same moment, it was like the world opened up around me. I could see everything, from the people running to cover, to the insects that were scurrying around in the shadows. The Nuroi core shone like a crimson star, giving me a perfect target to aim at. I smirked as I lifted my arms and a magic circle appeared in front of me. I moved my fingers as more lines and runes started appearing in the formally empty circle. Once it was done, I drew back my hand and grinned behind my helmet.

"You like lasers so much, then try this!" I said, **"BUSTER ORDER!"**

I slammed my palm into the circle and a beam of golden energy erupted, not unlike that of a Neuroi, and sliced right through the craft. An instant later, it exploded as the Core was vaporized by the beam.

" **Impressive,"** said Shaher, **"Considering you've never used magic before, you controlled it extremely well."**

"Thanks," I said, "That was fun. Is a shame I won't be able to do this again…"

" **Why not?"** asked Sharen.

"Well, the Helmet is the property of the Museum, it can't just disappear or people will start asking questions."

" **I wouldn't worry,"** said Sharen, **"When you put me on, I used the burst of power to weave a spell that made everyone who knew about me. You don't need to worry about anyone coming after you to reclaim it."**

"Really? That sounds like it'd need a lot of power."

" **Oh, it did,"** said Sharen, **"But simple for the Sorcerer Supreme."**

She cleared her non-existent throat.

" **Kent Strange, I, Sharen, Lord of Order and former Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, hereby grant you the title of Sorcerer Supreme of Earth,"** said Sharen, **"Although, thats only because your the only Sorcerer on Earth at the moment."**

My eye twitched.

"So, basically, I've only got the title because theres no one else?"

" **Exactly. This world is usually pretty peaceful from an extradimensional perspective, so you probably won't need to do much for a while. At least not until I can train you to be a proper Sorcerer."**

"WHATS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" I shouted, "I thought you said I did well?!"

" **For your first battle, you did,"** said Shaher, **"But for a Sorcerer, that was sloppy. There were a hundred better options that would use far less power, not to mention the fact that you don't know the basics when it comes to magical control, or the more esoteric skills you need to learn before you can even be called a proper Sorcerer, let alone the Sorcerer Supreme."**

"Alright fine, you've made your point," I grumbled.

I glanced up as I sensed something coming towards me.

" **Well, better late than never I suppose,"** said Sharen, **"Its the Witches."**

"Blimey, they're slower than I thought," I said, turning to face the direction the Witches were coming from, "Seriously, if we hadn't been here, things could have got...HOLY…!"

I barely managed to throw up a barrier as high caliber rounds nearly blew me out of the sky.

"OI, I'M ON YOUR SIDE JACKASSES!" I roared as the Witches came to a stop a few meters away.

It took me all of three seconds to recognize them as the three Karlsland Witches from the 501st, Wing Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, Flight Lieutenant Gertrud Barkhorn and Flying Officer Erica Hartmann. Needless to say, Minna was staring at me with a carefully neutral look, Erica looked either tired or bored and Barkhorn was glaring at me while keeping her two massive guns aimed squarely at my head.

"Who are you?" demanded Barkhorn.

"The guy who just did your job," I said, "Now could you point those somewhere else? Or better yet…"

I flicked my fingers and the guns turned into brightly coloured water pistols.

"Hehe, I love these powers," I snickered as the three Witches stared at the transfigured guns in shock.

"How'd you do that?" gasped Erica.

I smirked and waved my hands, making a sparkling rainbow and the word MAGIC! Appear above me.

"Oh, OK!"

"No, not OK!" protested Barkhorn, "I've never even heard of a Witch who can do anything even close to this!"

She shook her water pistols.

"Oi, who are you callin a Witch?!" I protested, "I'll have you know I'm a Sorcerer!"

That earned me a raised eyebrow, a yawn and a scowl. I don't think Erica was paying attention.

"A Sorcerer?" asked Minna.

"You see a Striker here?" I asked, waving my hands at my legs, "Actually, you know what? Screw it. I've done your job, the Nuroi's gone and I'm done."

I snapped my fingers and my cloak folded around me and vanished as Barkhorns guns turned back to normal.

* * *

After that, my life mostly went back to normal. Or at least, as normal as it could be when I was taking magic lessons from a talking helmet every evening. Then, a couple of weeks after my debut as Dr Fate, a man in a suit showed up at our front door asking for me.

"Hello Mr Strange," said the man as I sat down across from him, "Or should I call you, Dr Fate?"

I stiffened, my fingers twitching to summon a spell, infinitely glad that the man had asked to talk to me alone.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Oh, calm down Mr Strange," said the man, "My name is Agent Coulson and I simply wish to offer you a job."

He pulled out a file and placed it on the table between us. At the sight of the logo on the front, my eyes widened.

"I'm listening."

 **And thats where I'm gonna end it. I'm also going to be keeping the mans identity and the identity of the organization that recruited Kent to myself for now. Thats a reveal for another time. Still, you might be able to guess who they are if you consider his family name. And the guy who recruited him.**

 **So, Kent Strange is the new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth with a Lord of Order as a teacher. Note, shes actually based on the God of Guidance from Shakugan no Shana. However, that won't be a part of the world, I just needed a good name for her and that works fine.**

 **Maybe its a bit unbelievable that he could get a degree in engineering at 14, but this is a world where they recruit eleven year old girls into the air force, so there.**

 **And with that I'm done. Please leave a review!**


	15. Coloured Souls Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Coloured Souls

Getting reborn into a world of monsters, Witches and Demon Weapons is a tad annoying. Discovering that I am a Demon Weapon doesn't help, although teaming up with the coolest girl ever to wear pigtails makes up for it. Now if only I could figure out why Stine seems so interested in the fact I have silver eyes...

 **So we're back with a Soul Eater idea that could be very entertaining. I wonder if you can guess what it is? Whether or not you can guess what I have in mind for the future, make sure you enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of paint cans falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about. I knew I hated art for a reason. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby.

Growing up was simultaneously easy and incredibly frustrating. What? I'd like to see any of you sit through pre-school again without tearing your hair out. Still, I've learnt from my mistakes, so I got through school with no problems and high grades. Or at least, that was the plan. See, the world I had been reborn into wasn't exactly normal, not when the Sun and Moon both spent the day and night laughing at what goes on below, murderers literally eat souls and the Grim Reaper himself is a Headmaster. In case you haven't figured it out, I had been reborn into the world of Soul Eater.

Now, despite that, I had planned to keep my distance and just leave dealing with the crazy shit to the heros, but I just had to turn my arm into a scythe blade after my Uncle made me jump on my birthday, hence why I was currently staring out the window of the classroom at the DWMA at the city and desert stretched out in the distance. Frankly, despite the fact that the school was meant to train warriors, for those of us in the NOT class, it was actually a pretty normal school life. Yes, I was still in the NOT class and hadn't even found a Meister yet.

* * *

I sighed and glanced around the room in an attempt to relieve my boredom. Hey, I'd already been through school once, so I was really bored. I actually recognized some of my classmates as people from Maka's class in the Anime, including Kilik Rung and his partners, BlackStar and Tsubaki, Kim Diehl (who was a recent addition to the class) and Jackie and so on. Hell, Maka herself sat a few seats in front of me, dutifully taking notes as Sid spoke. I sighed again and let my head fall to the desk in front of me with a thump. A moment later, a piece of chalk bounced off my head.

"Pay attention Branwen!" shouted Sid.

I huffed as my classmates snickered at me and brushed the chalk dust out of my black and red hair.

* * *

Once class was over, I headed out, intending to find some lunch. I was just about to start down the stairs when a voice stopped me.

"Hey, wait!"

I paused and tilted my head back to see Maka jogging towards me.

"Need something Pigtails?" I asked.

"Pigtails?" mouthed Maka, a mildly annoyed look on her face.

She shook her head and fixed me with a glare.

"You know its against the rules to leave campus during the day, right?" she asked.

I shrugged.

"Its lunchtime and I want something other than crap or overpriced cafeteria food," I said.

"Thats not an excuse!" snapped Maka.

I snorted.

"Geeze, I'm not going far," I said, "Theres a noodle bar I like two streets away. I'll easily make it back before afternoon classes start. Your welcome to tag along to make sure I do if you like."

I suppressed a wince as I heard Maka's teeth grinding together. Maybe I'm being a tad to flippant about this…

"Alternatively, you can fork out way too much for overly expensive food in the cafeteria," I said, attempting to divert her anger before she tried to brain me.

To be fair to the DWMA, the cafeteria food wasn't bad, but it was rather expensive. The allowance NOT students received was decent and you could easily live on it, but I honestly didn't really like spending that much on my lunches when there were cheaper, tastier options close by.

Apparently Maka agreed (or she just wanted to make sure I'd be back in time for class) since she followed me.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," she grumbled.

I chuckled.

"Oh, lighten up Pigtails," I said.

"Would you stop calling me that!" she said, "My name is Maka!"

"Jasper, nice to meet you," I said.

Maka's eye twitched.

"I know who you are," she said, "You're the Weapon who can't find a Meister, Jasper Branwin.

I sighed.

"Yeah well, there are surprisingly few people willing to put the effort in required to become a Scythe Meister," I said.

Maka tripped over her own feet.

"Wait, you're a Scythe?!" she spluttered.

I nodded and morphed my arm into a black and red scythe blade. Out of all the weapon types out there, Scythes were the rarest, typically the most powerful and the hardest weapons for a Meister to Resonate with, which is why only one of the Death Scythes was actually a Scythe and the most powerful of them. My own form would be even harder for a Meister to master because I wasn't exactly what you'd call a normal weapon. Because of that, finding a Meister was a right pain in the arse.

I switched my arm back as we reached the restaurant, although that's a bit of an exaggeration considering it was just a little stand called A Simple Wok.

"Two of the usual please," I said as Maka and I sat down.

The old man behind the counter nodded and two seconds later, two large bowls of noodles clattered onto the counter in front of us.

"Wha...how did…?" asked Maka.

"Don't ask, I have no idea," I said as I picked up some chopsticks and dug in.

Maka looked between me and the old man for a moment, then shrugged and followed my lead.

"So, if you're a Scythe, how come you don't have a Meister yet?" asked Maka after a few moments of eating in silence, "I mean, surely there would be loads of people who'd want to use you."

"Most people aren't as driven as you," I said, "Plus, those who are are put right off when they see my form. I'm not exactly a typical Scythe."

"What do you mean?" asked Maka.

"Probably better if I just show you," I said, putting my chopsticks down and standing up.

I focused for a moment and transformed. Describing what its like is rather difficult but I will say that it feels really weird. Then again, what do you expect? My body is broken down and reformed into the shape of a weapon for Deaths sake! Hell, I could still feel things in my Scythe form!

Anyway, I transformed and my Weapon from clattered to the ground. My form was a red and black scythe with a distinctly mechanical look to it, a sharp spike at the end and a scope and trigger about half way down. Basically, my weapon form was Crescent Rose. Yeah, when I found that out, I had spent a good while swearing to myself in the bathroom. It really didn't help that I looked a lot like a male version of Ruby, with silver eyes and black and red hair. Hell, I even had a similar dress sense, although I did exchange the cloak for a hoodie.

"What the...are you part gun?" asked Maka.

" **Yep,"** I said and switched back, "Jasper Branwen, the Demon Sniper-scythe at your service."

I sat back down and picked up my chopsticks again.

"Can you see why its hard to find someone willing to partner with me now?" I grumbled, "Sure, I can be used as a standard Scythe, but the fact I'm also part gun means that I'm twice as hard to master."

Maka was silent for a moment.

"Jasper, what do you want to do?" she asked at length.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, do you want to get into the EAT class?" said Maka, "While all Weapons are required to attend the DWMA to learn how to control their powers, once they graduate, they can do whatever they wish. Is that what you want?"

I hummed in thought as I continued eating. That was actually an interesting question. Sure, I had been annoyed when I found out I was a weapon, but that was more from exasperation than anything else. Plus, although I had originally planned to keep my distance, that was before I had come to the school. I think I had always brushed off the Weapons and Meisters as the same fictional characters they had been in my last life. Oh, I knew consciously that they were now real, but until I had actually met them, talked to them and did class projects with them, that never sank into my unconscious. I knew what was coming, I knew that it would be bad and a real pain to deal with, but I realized I couldn't just sit back and watch from the sidelines. Not anymore.

"When I first came here, it was because I had to," I said slowly, "I intended to just get through school and live a normal life. But now...after seeing the EAT students and how hard they work to keep the world safe from the Keshin and Witches, I guess I've changed my mind. I wanna help people too. I want to get as strong as I can and help make the world a better place."

I paused and chuckled slightly.

"God, that was corny," I muttered.

"Yeah, it was," said Maka, "Still, I'm impressed. I didn't know you had that much passion in you after seeing you in class."

I just shrugged as I drank the last of the broth.

"Do you want to partner with me?"

"GAK!"

The question was so unexpected, I choked on my food.

"What?!" I spluttered.

"I said, do you want to partner with me?" said Maka, "I want to be a Scythe Meister, like my Mother, but there aren't any other Scythes in our year."

I was about to make a comment about Soul, but shut my mouth again when I suddenly realized I hadn't seen Soul around the school. At all. Maybe my presence had changed more than I thought…

"You sure?" I asked, "I mean, I'm not exactly a normal weapon."

"Positive," said Maka, "Besides, I love a challenge."

I snorted. Well, that was one way of putting it. Still…

"Sure, why not?" I said, "Could be fun."

Maka smiled and got to her feet.

"In that case, let's make it official," she said, "I promise that I'll turn you into the most powerful Death Scythe ever, even more powerful than my Father."

I smirked and stood, grasping Maka's hand.

"And I promise that I'll always be there when you need me," I said, "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

Maka and I burst out laughing.

* * *

The Death Room

"Hmm, interesting," said the Grim Reaper as he watched the two new friends make their pact.

"Is something wrong sir?" asked Sid.

"Not at all," said Death, "In fact, I think young Maka and Jasper will make the finest team the DWMA has ever seen."

"What makes you say that?" asked Sid.

"Oh, call it...a hunch," said Death, "Maka has even more potential than her Mother did and Jasper...if I'm right, he has just as much hidden potential hidden behind those silver eyes of his."

Death tilted his head back.

"Just like she did…"

"Sir?"

"Nothing. So, you had something to report Sid?"

Sid nodded and flicked open the file in his hand.

"Yes sir, we managed to locate one of the people you sent us to find," he said, "Kim Diehl, a runaway from the Witches Realm."

Sid hesitated and looked up at his boss.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, "I mean, she is a…"

"No, she is not," said Death, "While she may appear to be, young Kim is no Witch. The powers she possesses may appear to be Magic, but they hold no connection to the Madness of Destruction."

Sid didn't look convinced.

"Well, alright," he said, "I'll put my faith in you Lord Death. But I will be keeping an eye on her."

"Perfectly understandable," said Death, "Do you have any other information?"

"Well, yes," said Sid, "One of our agents sent us an update on Summer Albarn. He thinks that someone may be targeting her."

"Hmm, is that so?" mused Death.

"Sir, perhaps we should call her back," said Sid.

Death shook his head.

"She wouldn't come if we did," said Death, "Summer was always hot headed and did as she wished. At the moment, she wants to be as far away from Spirit as she can be. Hmm...inform our agent to keep his eyes open and send a warning to Summer. For now, thats all we can do."

"Very well," said Sid and left the Death Room.

Now alone, Death turned back to his Mirror, which now showed a woman in a hooded, purple cloak walking down a mountain path.

"Be careful Summer," he said, "I would hate to see history repeat itself."

* * *

Unknown location

A shadowy figure made its way through the corridors, a smaller shadow skipping at its side. The two shadows reached a large door, studied with faintly glowing orange crystals and pushed it open, stepping into the room on the other side. It was a relatively large room, full of items that any Meister would immediately recognize as being Magical in nature. Sat on a cushion in the middle of the room was a figure, lit by another glowing crystal. It was impossible to make out any details, but it was clear that the figure was a woman.

"Please tell me you have news," said the woman in a smooth, sensual voice.

"Of course, what do you take us for?" said the lead figure as he lit a cigar, "Those two idiot kids?"

"Those two 'idiot kids' have been showing far more competency than you two of late," said the figure, "Now tell me what you have to report."

The man breathed out a cloud of smoke.

"We found her," he said.

The woman's head turned, revealing a glowing, orange eye.

"Where?"

 **And done. I wonder if you can figure out where I'm going with this? Probably considering its a tad on the nose. I bet you can guess who our villains for the evening are though!**

 **Incidentally, Summer is Maka's mothers name in this. I know shes usually called Kami, but that isn't actually her name, so I get free reign in naming her! Yay!**

 **Hmm, I wonder what could be so important about Kim and Summer? I bet you lot can guess if you figure out what I have planned.**

 **In this world, Soul isn't a Weapon, so he won't be appearing. Sorry Soul fans, but I didn't really just want to regulate him to a supporting role, so he won't have one at all. Well, he might get mentioned, but he won't actually be appearing.**

 **And done. Don't forget to review! Later!**


	16. Coloured Souls Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Coloured Souls

Getting reborn into a world of monsters, Witches and Demon Weapons is a tad annoying. Discovering that I am a Demon Weapon doesn't help, although teaming up with the coolest girl ever to wear pigtails makes up for it. Now if only I could figure out why Stine seems so interested in the fact I have silver eyes...

 **And we're back. Nothing to say except enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The grinning moon rose over the streets of London as the twisted and monstrous form of the murderer known as Jack the Ripper stalked the streets searching for new prey. He had just the person in mind, a young girl in a red hood, walking alone through the streets. He slowly advanced on her, following her from the rooftops until he was directly above her and then...he pounced.

CRUNCH!

Jack let out a howl of pain as the girl spun around and slammed something into his stomach, sending him flying down the street. He stumbled to his feet, just in time to see the girl spin something and rest it across her shoulders as it unfolded out into a large scythe.

"Serial killer Jack the Ripper, you have strayed from the path of Humanity," said the girl, pushing her hood down to reveal ash blond hair tied into pigtails, "By order of Lord Death, I will collect your Soul."

She spun her scythe and slammed the blade into the road. Jack snarled and charged, his massive claws ready to carve the girl up like luncheon meat. She spun on her heel, using the handle of the scythe as a pivot point to kick the murderer in the head, sending him stumbling back. The girl continued her spin, landed and yanked her blade free, turning on her heel to try and cut Jack in half. Fortunately for the Murderer, he was able to get his claw up in time to block. Jack leered at the girl as he lifted his other hand, ready to gut her. The girl didn't look scared though, in fact, she just smiled and pulled a trigger on the shaft of the scythe.

BANG!

SNAP!

Jack howled in pain as the sudden force from the gun-scythes discharge forced the weapon down, freeing it from his grip and breaking his arm in the process.

"Its ours now!" yelled the girl as she turned on her heel and pulled the trigger again, adding yet more force behind her attack, "The 99th SOUL!"

The razor sharp blade easily sliced through the 'mans' flesh and bone and he barely had time to scream before his body dissolved, leaving nothing but a glowing red orb.

" **Well, that was fun."**

The scythe red and dissolved into what looked like flower petals that quickly reformed into the shape of a 13 year old boy with red and black hair, silver eyes and wearing a black t-shirt and jeans and a red hoodie.

* * *

Jasper POV

I walked over to where the Soul was floating and grabbed it.

"And with this, we only have one left," I said, _"Lets just hope I don't end up eating a cat…"_

I tilted my head back and swallowed the Soul. Like with transforming, describing what absorbing a Soul is like is rather difficult. You can't really chew them, but they easily change shape so you can swallow them straight down. Personally, I found the sensation a little weird, but I was used to it.

"Come on Jasper, lets go make our report," said Maka, heading over to a nearby window, "42-42-564, whenever you want to knock on Deaths door."

I joined my Meister by the window as the glass began to glow and project the image of Death and his chamber. To be honest, the towering being had always set me a little on edge and not because he was the Grim Reaper. It was actually something else, something I had never really been able to put my finger on, a feeling that he was hiding something or knew more than he let on. It could just be the Kishen, but I don't think that was it. No, it actually stemmed back to something he said to me when we first met.

' _You...have silver eyes…"_

That line and the way he said it...it set off every one of my alarm bells. I swear he was smiling under his mask as well. So yes, I'm pretty sure Death was hiding something that went well beyond Asura.

Still, despite that, I still respected him, and not just because he was basically a God. Despite the fact he was hiding things, he also had an aura that just made you want to place your trust in him. Ironic for the Grim Reaper.

"Scythe Meister Maka reporting in," said Maka as the glass cleared.

"Well, hello Maka, its great to see you again!" said Death.

"We managed to collect the last Kishin Soul we needed," said Maka, "Now we just need the Witches Soul and we'll be done."

"Excellent work Maka!" said Death, "Your turning out to be just a skilled Meister as your Mother was!"

Maka rubbed the back of her head, blushing lightly at the complement.

"Hey, Branwen," said a rather unwelcome voice, wiping the pleased look of Maka's face in favor of annoyance, "If you even think of touching my Daughter, as a Death Scythe...no, as her Father, I will freaking kill you, ya got that you little octopus head?!"

"Frankly, I'm more scared of Maka and her book than I am of you," I said.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" roared Spirit, "WHY HAVEN'T YOU MADE A MOVE YET, YOUR A MAN AREN'T YOU?!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" I growled, "Oh, and did you know that your rather annoying?"

Spirit ignored me in favor of turning to Maka.

"Maka, Papa loves you," he said.

"Pff, yeah right, like I'd ever consider you my Father," muttered Maka.

"Alright, alright, leave the family feud for later please," said Death as Spirit started sobbing in a corner, "Now then, as you know, your next target is a Witch, so be very careful. You have done very well in your battles up till now, but more than one promising Meister has lost their lives when they challenged a Witch. Oh, and remember, if you mess up on this Soul, all of the others you have collected will be confiscated. See ya!"

The window stopped glowing and Maka's phone beeped. She pulled it out and glanced at the details of our Witch Hunt.

"Right, lets go," she said.

"Right behind you," I said.

* * *

"So, we got any details about this Witch?" I asked as we walked through the forest that surrounded the Witches home.

One of the side affects of Magic was that it had a tendency of altering the environment around it. As a result, the land around Witches lares tends to start to change the longer they remain. In this case, the Witch had somehow changed a good chunk of the forest to look like it was the middle of autumn, not summer.

"Well, according to this, she uses Shadow magic," said Maka, "She also prefers to fight with a weapon rather than Magic and uses a style similar to BlackStar."

"So, shes a Ninja?" I asked, glancing around.

I couldn't help but feel that we were being watched and the revelation she was a ninja certainly didn't help that paranoia.

"Apparently," said Maka, "There are also rumors that she has a skilled partner…"

"Sounds like the DWMA has some good intelligence agents."

Maka and I jumped out of our skins at the unexpected voice and spun around. Maka tensed at the sight of her, but I was too busy gaping to get ready for combat. Why? Well, the owner of the voice was leaning against a tree and was a young girl with black hair and yellow eyes with dark purple eye shadow. She was wearing a black buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front over a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts. Her feet and legs were covered in black low-heeled boots over black stockings and she had black ribbons wrapped around her forearms, matching the one in her hair that resembled cat ears. Strapped to her back was a large cleaver with a black ribbon attached to the handle.

A sharp elbow in the ribs from Maka snapped me out of my shock, but that didn't stop my mind, which was busy trying to figure out how in the hell we could be fighting Blake as a damned Witch.

"So, I take it your here for my Soul?" asked the Blake look-alike.

Maka narrowed her eyes.  
"You're the Witch?" she asked.

The girl tilted her head on one side slightly.

"Thats me," she said.

"Well, that saves us the trouble of finding you," said Maka with a smirk, "Jasper, lets go!"

I sighed.

"This is gonna end badly," I muttered, but dutifully transformed, my body dissolving into red petals and reforming into a scythe in Maka's hands.

"YOUR SOUL IS MINE!" yelled Maka, charging the Witch.

Before she could get close enough to attack however, a black and red shape came shooting out of the trees and blocked us, my blade sparking of a red bladed sword.

"Lady Blake, what have I told you about going off on your own?" said the newcomer, "If anything happened to you, your Father would kill me."

I facepalmed, glad no one could see into my space within my Weapon form. The facepalm was twofold. First off, it had basically confirmed the fact that the Witch was somehow Blake, but also the newcomer, who I was willing to bet good money was at least as good as Mifune, was Adam Taurus, mask included.

"Calm down Adam," said Blake, "I was never in any danger here. Those two wouldn't even be able to touch me."

Maka recovered from her surprise at the unexpected interruption and broke the lock, jumping back to get some distance. Adam sheathed his sword and turned to face us, his stance screaming readiness to fight.

"Who are you?" asked Maka.

Adam huffed.

"My name is Adam Taurus," he said, "I was assigned to keep Lady Blake safe in the event that the DWMA sent someone after her."

Maka narrowed her eyes.

"Assigned? By who?" she asked.

"Thats none of your business, Meister," snapped Adam, "All you need to know is that I won't allow you to pass me. Leave now, or else."

I gulped, my mind flashing back to RWBY and exactly what Adam was capable of. If he was anything like his counterpart, we were in deep dodo. I think I'd rather fight Mifune right now. At least he would pull his punches against kids. Adam on the other hand...well, he'd probably disarm Maka.

" **Maka, maybe we should withdraw,"** I said, **"We shouldn't try to fight both of them."**

Maka glanced down at me in surprise, before looking back at the Witch and her Guardian. She shook her head.

"No, we've come this far," she said, "We can take them!"

She spun me and pulled the trigger, using the recoil to fly towards Adam and Blake.

"Tch, fine," said Adam, grabbing the hilt of his sword and drawing it just enough to catch my blade, "In that case, I guess we'll fight. Don't disappoint me kid. **Soul Protect, release."**

" **Aw shit,"** I said as a massive pulse of power shot out of Adam, forcing Maka back from the force, **"He would be a Sorcerer, wouldn't he? Now do you think we should run?!"**

Maka gulped as Adam slowly stood, his sword gleaming like freshly spilt blood.

"Maybe you're right," she said.

"To late," said Adam, **"Scatter and Wilt, Taurus Charge!"**

He glowed red and shot forwards, the red energy forming into a spectral bull as he bore down on us. Maka quickly pulled my trigger again, darting out of the way of the charge. While in the air, she spun me and aimed at the Sorcerer, firing a few rounds at him and using the recoil to make some distance. Adam skidded to a halt and immediately started after us, using his sword to deflect my rounds.

" **Alright, there is no way that thing is normal,"** I said.

"Not now Jasper!" said Maka as she blocked Adam's rapid fire attacks, "Watch my back and make sure the other one doesn't sneak up on us!"

" **Got it,"** I said.

Unfortunately, the longer the fight continued, it became more and more obvious that Blake didn't need to get involved. Not when Adam was basically playing with Maka.

"Any ideas Jasper?" gasped Maka as she flipped out of the way of another swing from Adam's sword.

" **Well, we could try running, but I don't think he'll let us,"** I said.

"Nows not the time to be a smart ass!" snapped Maka, "Do you think we should try THAT?"

I shrugged.

" **Worth a try,"** I said, **"Ready when you are!"**

"Right then," said Maka, jumping back out of range of Adam's sword.

As if sensing that Maka was going to try something, Adam paused. Maka spun me around and took a stance.

"Lets go Jasper!" she yelled.

" **Yeah, lets do it,"** I said with a grin.

" **LETS GO, SOUL RESONANCE!"**

The Resonance of the Soul is yet another thing I cannot explain. When we used it, Maka and I stopped being two people and essentially became one. Oh, we were still ourselves, but we lost all need to communicate and could simply act as one being. Oh, and the power it provided was a massive rush.

I felt our Souls become one and begin to expand, the force generated from the outpouring of power throwing up leaves as Maka drew me back, energy gathering in my blade and making it glow red. Then, it expanded into the shape of a brilliantly silver crescent blade.

" **LEGENDARY SUPER SKILL OF THE SCYTHE MEISTER!"** shouted Maka as she charged.

"Tch, your wasting your time," growled Adam, bringing up his sword.

" **WITCH HUNTER!"**

My blade slammed into Adams sword...and was stopped cold. A moment later, Witch Hunter shattered, sending Maka and I flying backwards.

"W-what the hell was that…" gasped Maka, struggling to her knees.

" **Nothing good,"** I said as I watched the remains of the attack get absorbed into Adam's sword.

"Time to end this," said Adam as the markings on his clothes, mask and hair began to glow, **"Scatter and Wilt…MOONSLICE!"**

And everything went white.

 **And there you have it, the first mission of the new team, Maka and Jasper. And it was to hunt someone rather unexpected.**

 **So Blake's a Witch and Adam is apparently still partnered with her. Oh, and is a Sorcerer. Could this mean something important? What do you think?!**

 **Yes, I switched Maka's coat with Rubys hood. Suck it up.**

 **Well, our heroes are off to a flying start. Just two chapters in and they're already in a situation that could well see Maka becoming 'armless'. Sorry, bad pun. Is it still to soon to joke about that…?**

 **Eh, don't care, direct all hate for that joke towards this fire to keep my toes nice and toasty. Of course, reviews make better fuel, so make sure you leave me one!**


	17. Shadow and Vampire Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Shadow and Vampire

When I died, the very last thing I was expecting was to wake up again. Well, actually, I wasn't expecting to wake up as a whimpy Harem protagonist either. Still, I guess it could be worse...at least I can actually defend myself. Unfortunately, there may well be something worse than Alucard on the horizon and theres fuck all I can do about it.

 **And here we go again! This idea came to me while I was thinking about a story where our Outsider Tsukune was a Fallen Angel, similar to Anna Milton. I've basically scrapped that idea, although I am having fun writing out various scenes where a re-Graced Tsukune kills Kuyo in various painful ways. This idea has nothing to do with that however. Instead, it has more to do with a series of books I adored but never got around to finishing. What are they? Well, you'll have to wait and see! For now, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, I always knew Religion was bad for your health. Why do I say that? Well, the last time I went into a Church, I was killed by a massive crucifix falling on my head. Oh yes, I'm dead as a doornail. How can I be telling this story if I'm dead? Well, I have been reincarnated. Yep, reborn as a baby for a new life with my old one intact. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that I wasn't quite as lucky as I thought. Why? Well, I had apparently been reborn as everyone's favourite wuss who is somehow irresistible to monsters, Tsukune Aono. Well, this is going to be a fun existence…

* * *

Growing up was...oddly normal. I mean, what else can I say when I just went to school and acted like a normal kid? Sure, I had an extra life knocking about in my skull, but all that really did was make me very annoyed at my time as a baby and gave me a leg up at school. Still, thanks to that, I'd probably end up not having to go to Yokai…

* * *

Alright, someones fucking with me! There is no way I could have flunked all my high school entrance exams like that, not after all the preparation I did! And yet, here I was, on the bus to Yokai, plotting a painful death on whoever it was who screwed me over. Sure, I knew there was little chance of me getting killed if things went as I expected, but that didn't mean I liked the idea of basically being helpless! The only good thing about all this is that I made sure I wouldn't be completely helpless by learning as many martial arts as I could. Unfortunately, I was willing to bet good money they wouldn't do me much good unless I could find a way to enhance my strength.

" **Hey kid, your going to Yokai, right?"** said the Driver suddenly, breaking me out of my musing.

"That obvious huh?" I asked sarcastically.

" **I hope your ready for this, Youkai Academy can be a reeeealy scary place,"** he cackled, ignoring my sarcasm.

At that moment, we entered the tunnel and everything went black. A few moments later, we emerged on the other side into the creepy world that was the inside of the Barrier around the school. I sighed and stood, grabbing my bags.

" **Oh, before I forget, I have something for you,"** said the Driver, pulling something out of his glove box, **"Here."**

I caught the box he tossed to me and looked at in confusion.

"Why would you have something for me?" I asked.

" **Hehehe, just a little something a relative of yours asked me to hold onto,"** he said.

I blinked.

"What relative?"

My only response was a creepy laugh as the Driver shut the door and drove away. I frowned and looked down at the box. As far as I knew, both my Parents were only children and I didn't have any Great relatives. After a moment, I shrugged and put the box in my bag to be looked at later. For now, I had a Vampire to meet.

* * *

I made my way through the trees, keeping an ear open for Moka's bike. It didn't take long for the sound of a bike reached my ears, followed by a cry of alarm. I took a neat step to the side...only to get beaned in the side of the head as the bike came flying out of the woods and slammed into me, knocking me flying.

"Ow, that hurt," I groaned as I opened my eyes, only to see a pair of emerald eyes staring back.

I blinked, before letting out a low groan as I realized that I'd stepped in front of Moka instead of avoiding her.

"Oh my gosh, are you OK?" gasped Moka as she pushed herself up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"I'm sorry, I just came over faint because of my anemia," said Moka.

"Again, not a problem," I said, probing my throbbing nose where shed kneed me.

When I pulled my fingers away they came away bloody.

"Aw crap," I muttered.

"O-oh, your bleeding!" gasped Moka, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket.

She leaned forwards, only for her eyes to glaze slightly as she did.

"Oh, that smell…" she breathed as she leaned in closer, "I can't resist it…you see...I'm a Vampire!"

" _Oh crap!"_

CHOMP!

"OW!" I yelped as Moka bit down on my neck.

My yelp snapped Moka out of of her blood drunk state, making her snap back.

"O-oh, I'm sorry!" she gasped.

I gently probed the bite mark, only to find that it was barely a bruise.

"No harm done," I said, "So, Vampire?"

"A-ah, yes," she said, blushing, "Um…"

She looked down, eyeing me from between her bangs.

"Y-you don't hate Vampires, do you?" she asked.

" _Cute!"_ I thought.

"N-not at all!" I said, rubbing the back of my head as I blushed, "I don't have any problem with Vampires."

Moka's nercus look immediately changed to a blinding smile.

"Thats great!" she squealed, "In that case, would you mind being my friend?"

I smiled.

"Sure, no problem," I said, "I don't know anyone here anyway."

I got to my feet and held out my hand.

"My names Tsukune Aono," I said.

Moka accepted my hand with a smile and let me pull her to her feet.

"Moka Akashiya," she said happily.

And with that, we headed into school.

* * *

The next few hours were pretty normal for the first day of school, with orientation, meeting new classmates and so on. Then, I found myself in my new classroom listening to Nekonome explain about Yokai Acadamy being a School for Monsters and the rules about never revealing your Monster identity to anyone, any Humans found being slaughtered and so on. Oh, and Saizou's announcement of how he thought Monsters should just eat or rape any Human they found. I made a mental note to kick him in the nuts later. I was broken from my distraction when the door opened and a familiar voice reached my ears.

"S-sorry I'm late Miss!" said Moka, "I-I got lost."

"Oh, its no problem," said Nekonome, "Take a seat."

Moka nodded and turned to the class, prompting the expected barrage of yelling from lustful Monsters. She was apparently oblivious to it however as she scanned the room for a seat. Then, she spotted me and her face lit up with a vibrant smile.

"Aw shit," I thought.

"TSUKUNE!" she squealed, leaping across the classroom (literally) and grabbing me in a tight hug, much to the ire of everyone else.

* * *

"Urrrg, someone shoot me," I thought as I was dragged through the halls by an excited Moka.

Now, being dragged by a pretty girl wasn't the problem, oh no, that would be the glares and Killing Intent being leveled at me by the male population of the school. It was getting rather uncomfortable.

"Hmm, such a pretty one."

We stopped as the owner of the voice stepped out in front of us. I scowled when I saw that it was the bastard known as Saizou Komiya.

"Your Moka Akashiya, correct?" he asked, "I'm your classmate, Saizou Komiya. By the way…"

He suddenly grabbed me by the collar and lifted me bodily off the ground.

"Whats a beauty like you doing hanging out with scum like this?"

I scowled and grabbed his wrist, digging my fingers into his tendons. While he may be much stronger than I am, his body was still Humanoid, so he probably shared the same weak points as Humans. I was proven correct when the pressure forced his fist to open.

"Huh, maybe you're not as weak as you look," growled the Monstrel as he let us go, "Even so Moka, you should be with a real Monster, like me."

He gave what he probably thought was a charming smile, but was actually a leer and swaggered off.

"Prick," I muttered.

"Are you alright?" asked Moka, "That big lug didn't hurt you did he?"

"Nope, I think he was going for scare rather than hurt," I said.

"I'm glad," said Moka, "I'd hate for you to get hurt because of me."

I shrugged.

"He seems like the type who'd target those weaker than him, so I'd probably end up in his sights anyway," I said, "But thanks, its nice to know you care."

"Of course I care!" said Moka, "We're friends! Besides…"

She blushed cutely.

"We're on bloodsucking terms!" she said happily, "And you should be proud. Your blood is sooo delicious, much better than any I've had from transfusion packs!"

"Glad to hear it?" I said hesitantly, unsure as to if I should take that as a complement.

"Also…" she blushed again and looked at me shyly, "You were my first… and a girl never forgets her first time."

I blinked and blushed brightly.

"A-ah, Moka, I really think you should have worded that differently," I said.

Moka blinked at me innocently.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I blushed brighter and looked away.

"W-well, it sounds like we did...that," I said.

Moka looked confused for a moment, before realization crossed her face and it lit up like a christmas tree.

"O-oh, I-I'm s-sorry!" she stuttered, "I-I-I…"

I chuckled at her embarrassment as my own faded.

"Its OK, I know you didn't mean it like that," I said.

Moka's blush increased and she looked away. I chuckled again and took her hand.

"Come on, lets go explore some more," I said.

Moka looked up at me and nodded, her blush now reduced to a slight reddening on her cheeks that only made her look cuter.

* * *

Our next stop was the dorms that, although they looked horrible on the outside, were actually rather comfortable on the inside.

"By the way, what kind of monsters are you?" asked Moka suddenly.

I jumped at the unexpected question.

"O-oh, well I'm…" I started, not sure what to say.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot we're not supposed to tell other people that," said Moka.

" _OH THANK GOD!"_ I thought.

"You know, you don't seem much like a Vampire," I said, more to get the conversation away from me than anything, "Other than the bloodsucking thing that is."

"Well, I may look Human now, but if I were to take of my Rosary, I'd transform," said Moka, indicating to her cross, "Its a seal meant to keep my powers suppressed."

She shuffled closer.

"But, it does not seal my weaknesses," she said.

I sighed and tilted my head on one side.

"Go ahead, just don't take to much," I said.

Moka looked surprised before she smiled and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you Tsukune!" she squealed, before biting into my neck.

* * *

"Well, that was an interesting experience," I said a little later on, "Now, lets see what this is."

I was in my room, having come here after feeding Moka to get my stuff unpacked. I was just finishing up and had found the box the Driver had given me. I had forgotten about it with everything that had happened during the day, but now I had it in my lap and was ready to see what was inside. It was a simple, wooden box with what looked like a family crest on the lid, consisting of a red shield with a rampant, black dragon in the middle, a skull on top and a pair of skeletal hands emerging from the sides, one holding a sword and the other a ball of fire.

"Thats interesting," I muttered, running my hand over the polished wood.

As my fingers touched the crest, I felt a slight prick and pulled my hand away. A quick check revealed that my finger was unmarked, but the latch on the box clicked open.

"Very interesting," I said.

I opened the lid to reveal that the box contained a book bound in black leather and a ring made of black metal with a green gem set into it. I raised an eyebrow and reached out to pick up the ring.

"OUCH!"

The metal was ice cold, cold enough to burn my fingers. The ring clattered onto the floor and the shadows around it immediately began to twitch and shift.

"What the hell," I muttered, "Whats…"

I pushed the ring out of the way, wincing as the metal burnt me again, and pulled out the book, opening it to the first page to find a letter inside:

 _To my descendants,_

 _This book contains the sum total of knowledge I have gathered over the years about Magic, Monsters and our amazing world. May it serve you well and aid you in your endeavors._

 _Zobek Crafty._

I raised an eyebrow and started flicking through the pages. My raised eyebrow was quickly exchanged with a look of absolute shock as I skimmed the pages. This book was a combination of Grimoire and Bestiary of monsters and magic from all over the world, from Vampires to Werewolves to Kitsune. And the Magic...now that made me stop and stare. Elemental, Wall-Walking, Runes, Energy Throwing, Necromancy and to cap it all, information on True Names. The Magic listed in those pages was not the stuff Yukari used, oh no, not when I found an entry on the Faceless Ones and another on a war between Sorcerers. Somehow...I was related to someone from the Magical World of Skulduggery Pleasant!

I sat back and stared up at the ceiling. I wasn't sure what all this meant for the future of the world, but theres one thing I knew. I was no longer going to be the damsel in distress. Not when I could learn Magic and fight for myself. I looked back down at the book, which was open on the page on Necromancy, and smirked. Well, no time like the present!

 **And done. So, Tsukune won't be quite as squishy as he is in canon, not with the help of a bit of Magic!**

 **For now, the Skulduggery Pleasant side of things will be limited to Magic and a few comments from the characters. Whether that will change in the future, I don't know yet.**

 **Just who is Zobek Crafty? And why did he leave the box with the Driver? So many questions, so few answers. For now however, they'll have to wait as I am signing off. Until next time!**


	18. Shadow and Vampire Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Shadow and Vampire

When I died, the very last thing I was expecting was to wake up again. Well, actually, I wasn't expecting to wake up as a whimpy Harem protagonist either. Still, I guess it could be worse...at least I can actually defend myself. Unfortunately, there may well be something worse than Alucard on the horizon and theres fuck all I can do about it.

 **So we're back. Nothing to say other than, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"Urrg, I stayed up to late," I groaned as I walked to school the next day.

Considering what I knew was coming, I had spent most of the night trying to learn some form of Magic so I could protect myself. Ironically enough, I had found that my talent lay firmly in Necromancy, although I had managed to master the basics of Elemental. Hey, I may have to chose one when my Surge comes, but thats not for a few more years, so I might as well take advantage of it. Its not like I wouldn't have plenty of time to dedicate to mastering my chosen path.

I yawned widely, only to walk smack into something large and soiled as my eyes were closed.

"Well, looky here, just the guy I was looking for," said a familiar voice.

I looked up and was utterly unsurprised to see that it was Saizou.

"What do you want?" I asked.

Instead of an answer, Saizou grabbed me by the tie and yanked me to my feet, pulling me up so we were nose to nose, which left me with my feet dangling in the air since he was a good foot taller than me.

"I wanted to give you a warning Aono, stay away from Moka Akashiya," he growled, "Shes mine and I won't tolerate a weakling like you hanging around her."

He sneered.

"Just what are you anyway?" he growled, "You smell really weak."

I smirked.

"Want to find out?" I asked, flexing my fingers.

"Huh...GAH!"

The Ork let out a yelp as I slammed my palm into the air and the resulting blast of wind sent him flying back.

"Don't underestimate me Komiya," I said as I landed lightly.

"Why you…" growled Sazou, struggling to his feet, "How did you do that?!"

"Ahahah, telling other people our true forms is against the rules," I said with a silky sweet smile as the shadows around me started to writhe.

Saizou paled and gulped.

"THIS ISN'T OVER AONO!" he roared as he ran away.

I let out a huff as I released my grip on the shadows.

"Well, that was fun," I said.

"TSUKUNE!"

"Huh?"

I turned, just in time to catch Moka as she jumped at me.

"Morning Moka," I said.

Moka smiled up at me.

"Come on Tsukune, we need to go or we'll be late!" she said.

"Right, lets go," I said, ignoring the Death Glares I was getting.

* * *

Later, Moka and I were sitting outside enjoying a nice lunch and conversation.

"So, where did you go before coming here?" asked Moka.

"Oh, I went to a school in the Human world," I said, "Truth be told, I only came here because I bombed all the other entrance exams I took."

Moka looked surprised.

"Why would you want to go to Human school?" she asked.

"Why not?" I asked, "I grew up in the Human world and I technically am a Human, so…"

A sharp intake of breath cut me off and I turned to see Moka staring at me, wide eyed.

"Y-you're a Human?" she asked.

"Technically, yes," I said, "But…"

"N-no, I don't believe it!" said Moka, "A Human wouldn't be able to get through the barrier!"

"Hoo boy," I muttered, "Maybe I shouldn't have been so flippant about that…"

I cleared my throat.

"Calm down Moka, its not what you think," I said, "I'm not…"

"NO, STAY AWAY!" yelled Moka, backing away, "I HATE HUMANS!"

She ran into the trees and I could clearly see she was crying.

"Hoo boy, really should have let that out gently," I said, "MOKA, WAIT!"

I sprinted after her, pausing only to put on the ring that now served as my Necromancer focus. Something told me I'd be needing it. As it turned out, the ring had been the focus of Zobek and still contained a few embers of his power, which is why it was cold to the touch and attracted the darkness. However, after I had poured my own power into the ring, I could now handle it with no problem and those last few embers of power had added to my reserves.

Frankly, my talent for Necromancy was insane. According to the book, it normally took a few weeks to learn how to pour ones magic into an object, let alone learn how to use said magic, but I'd managed in a few hours. Not only that, but I also managed to learn the basics of Elemental Magic, specifically causing gusts of wind, like I'd used on Saizou. I didn't have anywhere near enough control to do anything fancy yet, but I could create blasts of shadow and very basic shapes like blades or spears. I really needed to do some training, but that could wait until after I find Moka. Preferably before she ran into Saizou.

"TSUKUNE!"

Moka's scream quickly put paid to that idea though and I sped up, sprinting in the direction of the scream. I skidded to a stop as a reached a relatively open area where a slimy looking Moka was scrambling away from an advancing Saizou, who was already in his True Form.

"MOKA!" I shouted.

The two Monsters stopped and turned, Moka in surprise and Saizou in annoyance.

"T-Tsukune, you came?" said Moka, "Why?"

"Why not?" I said, "We're friends, right?"

" **What are you doing here?"** snarled Saizou, **"I thought I told you to stay away from Moka!"**

"And I told you not to underestimate me," I said, gathering the shadows around me, "Now beat it, asshole!"

I thrust my hand out and a massive blast of shadow shot out and nailed Saizou in the face, sending him flying into the treeline.

"Well, that felt good," I said as the darkness dissipated and I walked over to where Moka was staring at me in awe, "Are you OK Moka?"

Moka slowly nodded as she accepted my hand and let me pull her to her feet.

"Y-yes, but how did you do that?" she asked, "I-I thought you were Human?"

"Thats easy, I'm a Sorcerer," I said, "Hmm, lets see if we can't…"

I closed my eyes and focused, before lifting my hand. In response, the saliva that was still covering Moka lifted away and formed into a ball over my hand.

"Well, nice to know I can do that," I said with a grimace, "Still, this is disgusting."

I sent the ball of spit flying into the trees. Moka giggled slightly, although she still looked shaken.

"S-so is the reason you're a Sorcerer why you could enter the School?" she asked.

I shrugged.

"Probably not seeing as I started learning magic yesterday," I said, "Then again, I guess I've always had the ability to use it, I was just lacking the training…"

I glanced at Moka.

"So, do you still hate me?" I asked.

Moka looked stricken.

"A-ah, I-I'm so sorry about that!" she said, "I-I didn't mean it like that! I-I just…"

She looked away sadly.

"I have bad experience with Humans," she said, "Before I came here, I went to Human school. I always felt so lonely there, like I shouldn't even exist…"

"So basically, you're basing your entire opinion on Humans on a bunch of hormonal kids?" I asked, "No wonder you don't like Humans."

"Huh?" said Moka, "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean that Humans and Monsters aren't that different," I said, "Seriously, being here isn't all that different from being at a normal school. Well, other than the constant risk of being eaten that is."

Moka giggled slightly and smiled at me.

"Thanks Tsukune," she said.

I smiled back.

"Come on, lets go," I said.

Moka nodded and we turned to head back to school. Before we could however, the treeline exploded and a rather peeved looking Saizou erupted from the woods.

" **YOU BASTARD!"** he roared, **"I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!"**

I spun around, intending to blast him again, but as I did, my hand caught Moka's rosary...and it immediately came off.

"Wha…" she started, but was cut off by a frankly massive explosion of power.

"HOLY SHIT!" I yelled as I stumbled back, grabbing my hand as the temperature of my ring dropped like a stone.

Not only was the power Moka was pumping out utterly insane, but its nature was close enough to Death for my ring to absorb. I watched in awe as a cloud of bats flew down and vanished into Moka, covering her in a black shell as her power continued to spike.

" **W-what the hell is going on?!"** gasped Saizou, **"What happened to her?"**

The bats suddenly flew away, revealing Inner Moka in all her glory. She opened her eyes and blinked lazily as she looked around. She glanced down at me and raised an eyebrow at the way I was holding my freezing cold hand.

" **W-what the… Silver hair, red eyes, this incredible aura of power...Is she…?"** stuttered Souzou, staring at her in awe.

"Whats wrong big guy?" said Moka with a grin, "I thought you were going to make me yours? Come and get me if you think you're man enough!"

Souzou's look of shock morphed into on of rage.

 **"Why you...Don't you mock me!"** he roared, leaping at Moka ready to squash her flat.

In response, she yawned and blocked the attack with one hand and no apparent effort. From the look on Saizous face, he'd already figured out how much trouble he was in, but I decided to point it out anyway.

"You done goofed," I said.

"Heh, pathetic," said Moka, "You're all bark and no bite. I suggest that you learn your place!"

She kicked him in the chin, sending him flying across the clearing and into the treeline in a shower of blood from his no doubt broken jaw.

"Weakling, not even good enough for a warm up," muttered the Vampire as she turned to face me.

"Well, that was interesting," I said.

Moka raised an eyebrow at my comment.

"You're not scared of me?" she asked.

I shrugged.

"Not really," I said, "You're still Moka."

Moka scoffed.

"Don't mistake me for being the same as Outer," she said, "Still, I'm still tired from being asleep for so long, so I won't hurt you. Besides…"

She leaned forwards.

"Your blood is delicious, enough that I don't want to be without it."

I gulped. That voice and her scent was not good for my blood flow at all. Moka chuckled and took her Rosary from my loose fingers.

"Until next time, little Necromancer," she said as she reattached the cross.

I caught Moka as she transformed back and collapsed into my arms. I sighed. Well, better get back I guess.

"Hup we go," I said as I hoisted Moka onto my back and started heading back to school, ignoring the still senseless Saizou.

We were about half way there when I felt Moka start to stir.

"Hmmm, Tsukune…?" she mumbled as her eyes blinked open.

"Hey, welcome back to the waking world," I said, glancing back at her.

Moka blinked a few times, before she realized where she was and started blushing.

"A-ah, Tsukune, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Well, I doubt you wanted to wake up on the floor," I said, "So, are you OK?"

Moka nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "Just a little tired…"

She dropped her head onto my shoulder and nuzzled me.

"Mmmm, you smell…"

"Aww crap," I muttered.

"So good," said Moka and sank her fangs into my neck.

"GAHHHH!"

 **And done. So, Tsukune is already showing signs of becoming a very powerful Sorcerer. However, despite the fact he's learning Elemental Magic and Necromancy, he'll still have to chose just one when his Surge hits.**

 **In this world, Sorcerers are considered to be Boundary Beings by Monsters, similar to Witches, but their power can range from barely there to strong enough to make the Dark Lords wary. However, Sorcerers with that kind of power are very rare, mostly the likes of Mevolent, Lord Vile and others on that level. Oh, and Tsukune is no where near that strong and won't be any time soon.**

 **I don't know if Vampires are considered undead in the R+V world, but for the purpose of this story, their Monster Energy can serve as a power boost for Necromancers, as can being around Undead Monsters like Zombies.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	19. Hero of Steel Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Hero of Steel

Getting reborn into a world of superheros is annoying. Getting reborn as a powerless protagonist is even worse. Well, I thought I was powerless at least. This could be either really good or really, really bad.

 **Other than A Great Magician, this was the other idea I was batting around in my head. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, it doesn't really work since it completely breaks the world of MHA. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I found out I had been reincarnated, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I wasn't dead, so that was nice, but one the other hand, I was a baby again and there's a bloody good reason that you don't remember that! I'm just glad I didn't become conscious until I was 18 months old Still, there was one good thing that came of my new life. The world I had been reborn into is FUCKING AMAZING, if a little dangerous. After all, with people with powers running around, its only natural to be worried. So, which fucked up world full of Supers have I been reincarnated into you ask? Marval? DC? Nope, try My Hero Academia. This is gonna be so fun!

* * *

Or maybe not. As it turns out, I'm apparently rather unlucky. Why? Well, I've been reborn as Izuku Midoriya, the Quirkless protagonist of the story. Now, I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Why? Well, I'm not anything like Midoriya, so the chances of me impressing Almight was much lower. Besides, I don't have anywhere near as hero crazy as my canon counterpart. On the other hand, without me, Almight would have to look elsewhere for a successor and countless other events would go down differently.

The problem is, while I might be lacking a Quirk, I wasn't lacking a moral compass and my future knowledge certainly didn't help. I spent a good deal of my childhood thinking about whether or not I could reasonably just turn my back on the world and live a normal life knowing what I did. Unfortunately for me, the conclusion I came to was a big fat no. Thats why, in the doctor's office, when told I'd never get a Quirk, I didn't just sit there frozen.

"So what?" I said.

"Hmm? What do you mean kid?" asked the Doctor, an elderly man with slicked back hair, scarred hands and a goatee.

"I mean that I won't let the fact I don't have a Quirk stop me," I said, "There are plenty of Pros who's Quirks aren't that useful in battle yet they manage just fine. With enough training and innovation, anyone can be a hero! I won't let the fact I don't have a power stop me, not now, not ever!"

By this point I was on my feet and both Mum and the Doctor were staring at me in surprise. Mum looked like she couldn't quite believe what I was saying, but the Doctor had a slight gleam in his eyes.

* * *

After that day, I started working towards achieving my goals. Oh don't get me wrong, I was under no delusions that I would be able to face off against any of the really powerful Villains or become like Saitama, but I could at least become strong enough to do something and learn enough skills to be able to do more than simply kick arse and take names. I learnt all I could about...well, everything, from fighting to medical to technology and even hacking, although I kept that particular part of my skillset on the downlow.

* * *

However, despite the insistence that I was a normal Human, things seemed...odd. The first indication that I might not be as powerless as everyone thought came when I was six and I realized I could hear the lesson going on on the other side of school. Don't ask me how I missed it, but over time, my senses had increased until they left the realm of superhuman and entered flat out insane. Shortly afterwards, I was treated the the unenviable sight of seeing through my teacher and classmates clothing and bodies, not helped in the least by a sudden spike in my senses that ended up putting me in the hospital for a few days until I could get used to it. Oh, and I also bent the metal legs of my desk into a pretzel in the process. So yeah, definitely NOT normal.

Despite that, no one seemed to be able to figure out what was going on with me. I SHOULDN'T have a Quirk according to all the physical signs and even if I did, all these abilities could not be traced back to a single ability from either parent. That led to a rather interesting revelation.

* * *

"So, I'm adopted?" I asked.

Mum and Dad (yes, hes around) glanced at one another and Dad nodded.

"Yes, you are," he said, "I honestly hoped we wouldn't need to have this conversation for a few more years, but it can't wait."

"What conversation?" I asked.

Instead of answering, Dad stood.

"Theres something you need to see," he said.

"Honey, is that really…" said Mum.

"He needs to know Inko," said Dad.

Mum swallowed and nodded slowly.

"I-I guess you're right," she said.

"Izuku, come on," said Dad.

I hesitantly followed my Father out of the house and down the street to the garage he owned and managed. He led me out to the back lot of the garage and into a storage shed where he picked up a crowbar and slipped it into a small crack, shoving down and revealing a hidden trapdoor.

"The truth is, your Mother and I can't have children of our own," said Dad as he led the way down into the hidden space, "The news...hurt a great deal, especially your mother. She was so distraught from the news, we took a trip out to the country in an attempt to cheer her up. We were on our way back when we found this."

He pulled a leaver on the wall, causing a number of lights to snap on and reveal...a large pod that was most definitely NOT Human in origin. It was about three meters long and made of black metal shaped almost organically. At one end, clearly the nose, was a few faint lines that indicated it could open and a symbol embossed on the metal. An S inside a diamond shape.

"Well, maybe found is the wrong word," said Dad, "Actually, it nearly hit out car."

"And you...found me in that?" I asked faintly.

Well, this certainly explained where my powers were coming from. Now all I needed was to properly absorb the fact I was apparently an Alien in more ways than one.

Dad nodded.

"Yep, gave us quite the shock I can tell you," he said, "I admit, I was a little...weary of taking you in, but your Mother insisted and, frankly, I have no regrets."

He ruffled my hair, making me smile faintly.

"Thanks Dad," I said.

"We found this inside with you," said Dad, handing me a futuristic looking USB stick, "I did some research and I couldn't find anything like it anywhere. The metal its made of isn't even on the periodic table. In other words, its not from this world."

I sighed.

"Well, this is going to make being a hero much easier," I said.

Dad just laughed.

* * *

Following the reveal that I was apparently Superman, I cut back on training. Oh, I didn't stop training, I wasn't about to risk being outmatched if someone like Zod ever shows up, but with the amount of power that Superman has, I'd be alright for the average villain just relying on my powers.

Six years past quickly, mostly taken up by trying to master controlling my powers. It...wasn't easy. Oh, the super strength and senses were relatively easy to get used to, but that didn't mean I didn't do some serious damage before I did. Its a good thing that the first thing I mastered was my speed and jumping, although I couldn't fly at the time. Now however, I could and fully intended to make use of that power to see if I could find the Fortress of Solitude.

Considering that pretty much everyone in my class had seen me destroy my desk when my powers had really started coming through, I didn't have to deal with quite as much abuse as the original Izuku did. Oh, Bakugou was still an unpleasant so and so, but he was like that to everyone. Plus, even he couldn't argue that, out of the entire class, I was the one most likely to get into UA, despite his grumblings. As such, our last day of middle school went by without issue and I didn't even have to deal with the Sludge Villain since I ran home.

* * *

"Izuku, are you sure about this?" asked Mum.

"Yes, I am," I said as I stuffed the last of my stuff into a bag, "Somethings calling to me from the north and I have to find out what it is. It might give me some idea of where I came from."

I glanced up and saw Mum was trying to hold back tears.

"Mum, I love you and Dad, but I have to know," I said, "Please, I need to do this."

"I know," said Mum, "But I wish you'd wait. You're only 14 and you have no idea where you could end up…"

"I can also fly faster than sound and can bench press a train," I said, "I'll be fine Mum."

Mum chuckled weakly and hugged me.

"Just make sure you say goodbye to your Father before you go," she whispered.

I nodded and pulled away.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I was standing in front of a gravestone. Apparently, even in this alternate world, Superman's Father is destined to die. In my Dads case, he was caught up in a villain attack two years ago and was killed by falling rubble while trying to save a family who had been trapped. Even in this world of Superheroes, there are still those who earn the title of Hero in the public eye and Dad was one of them.

"Hey Dad," I whispered as I knelt down in front of his grave stone, "This'll be my last visit for a while. I'm going North. I need to find something, anything that could tell me who I really am. I intended to take the entrance exams for UA this year, but before that, I want to find out who I am. I will make you proud Dad, I promise."

I placed the bunch of flowers at the foot of the grave and stood.

"See you," I muttered and walked away.

Once outside of the graveyard, I quickly glanced around, before crouching and leaping into the air, shooting away fast enough to leave a sonic boom, completely oblivious to the wide eyes that saw me leaving.

* * *

Considering how fast I could fly, it didn't take long for the air temperature to begin to drop as I flew out over the open water. Icebergs began to appear and, before long, I was flying over the Arctic. As I did, the alien USB in my pocket suddenly started vibrating. I slowed to a stop and pulled out the USB, only to immediately drop it as it burnt my fingers.

"SHIT!" I yelped, diving to catch it.

Before I could however, it hit the ice and immediately dissolved. A second later, the ice started rumbling and I was forced to bank before I was stabbed through the stomach by a massive pillar of crystal that erupted from the ocean. I quickly flew up to my previous height and watched in awe as more crystals began to erupt out of the ice, quickly forming into a vast fortress of glittering crystals. Well, looks like I get my Fortress of Solitude after all.

Once I was sure the crystals had finished, I slowly descended towards the entrance and stepped inside. Considering it was basically made of ice, the inside was surprisingly warm. The cold didn't really bother me, but it was still nice to be in the warmth again. The walls and floor were white, as was the shaped furniture that had grown from the ground, things like chairs and tables, and everything had a distinct, crystalline feel to it, with hard edges and smooth lines. It didn't take long to reach the center of the Fortress, where I found what looked like a control room and a large pod.

"Hello Kal."

I nearly jumped out of my skin and spun around to find...a Russell Crowe look alike. O...K, so Man of Steel or a combination of things?

"Who are you?" I asked.

The man smiled.

"I am your Father Kal," he said, "Well, a shadow of him. His consciousness uploaded into a digital form. I am Jor El."

"And Kal...thats me?" I asked.

Jor nodded.

"Kal El, the last son of Krypton," said Jor.

"Krypton?"

"Our homeworld," said Jor, waving a hand and forming a screen to provide helpful visuals for the explanation.

The story he told me was pretty much what I expected. Obscenely advanced civilization, artificial population control, the leaders ignoring his warnings about the planet exploding, Zod's Coup d'etat, Jor and Lana sending me to Earth to save me, etc.

"You represent everything that your Mother and I dreamed of for our people Kal," said Jor, "Kryptons first natural birth in centuries, someone who could chose their own fate."

"Thats all very well and good, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm alone," I said.

"Are you?" asked Jor, "This is a world of Superhumans Kal. When we sent you to Earth, we never dreamed that you'd find yourself in such a place. You may be the last Kryptonian, but you are still a part of Earth. You can embody the best of both worlds. The dream your mother and I dedicated our lives to preserve."

He indicated to the pod, which opened to reveal a very familiar blue and red suit, thankfully without the outside underwear. Much to my surprise, it actually looked like it would fit me.

"This was created for you when you activated the Crystal," said Jor, "I know your plans Kal, I know you will be a Hero. Take this, the only gift I can give you. Become a great hero and become a bringer of hope. That's what this symbol means. The symbol of the House of El means hope. Embodied within that hope is the fundamental belief the potential of every person to be a force for good. That's what you can bring them."

"Well, that was cheesy," I said with a smirk, "But I can't really argue."

I turned back to Jor.

"I've already made this promise to the man who raised me," I said, "But I'll make it again to you Father. I WILL become a Hero, I will make you proud."

Jor smiled and stepped forwards, wrapping me in his arms. Much to my surprise, he actually felt like he was alive.

"You already have Kal," he said.

 **Dawww, what a sweet ending. I may vomit. In all seriousness though, I probably won't continue this, but if your reading it outside the Vault then I obviously figured out a way to make it so Izuku doesn't completely break the MHA world.**

 **The design for Izuku's Fortress was taken from the Superman Movie from 1978, although the interior is my own design. Jor El and the backstory of Krypton however is from the Man of Steel movie, so if you want to know the details, go watch that. Oh, and his suit will be from MoS as well.**

 **To be fair, I do actually have a couple of ideas for the future, ranging from having Zod and his goons show up to having All for One make Doomsday out of a Nomu. Now that would be an interesting fight…**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!**


	20. Black Cat of Gotham Chapter 1

**This technically isnt an Outsider Chronicles idea, but I wanna see what you lot make of it. Plus, this is my Vault, so I can do whatever the hell I want with it! Without further ado, I present:**

Black Cat of Gotham

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world where alien invasions are treated as a mild inconvenience. Still, it could be worse. At least I'm not completely powerless. Unfortunately, I hate cheese.

 **So, I've been binging Miraculous: Ladybug and, frankly, its awesome. Since I like the idea, but don't really have a solid plot for a full Outsider story, lets try this. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Time for a quick lesson in Caveman 101. Fire hot, ow! And now for another obvious statement. Dieing sucks. Trust me, I know both of them first hand since I was burnt to death, flash fried in a fireball that quite literally came from nowhere. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the fire to kill me since, for the few seconds I was burning alive, it REALLY FUCKING HURT!

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it.

"Hmm, lets see, Blake Hunter, age 16, species human, scheduled to come up here never. Huh, interesting."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on there?"

"Their are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"Because you died before your allotted time," said Dis, "It happens occasionally and always makes a total mess of things."

"Why?"

"Because the Souls can only go to heaven or hell after their allotted time has past," said Dis, "You were supposed to live for another 90 years and die of a heart attack during the discovery of Aliens."

"Wait, aliens are real?"

"Yep, Kryptonians if I'm reading this right. Apparently the Krypton in your universe isn't scheduled to explode any time soon."

"Huh," I said, not sure what to make of that little tidbit, "So what now? Are you going to send me back?"

"Your body in your old dimension was nearly completely destroyed," said Dis, "Besides, time passes differently here and you've already been buried. You can't move on and you can't go back to your old dimension, the only thing I can do is shift you sideways."

"Sideways?"

"Into a different dimension," explained Dis, "It'll be one you recognize and I expect you won't end up being entirely normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When people get shifted sideways, they tend to change," said Dis, "I still have no idea why. Just be thankful you won't be an Outsider. They always get screwed over by Fate."

I gulped.

"Soo, where am I going?"

"Pick a door," said Dis, indicating to a pair of identical doors that hadn't been there before.

"Where do they lead?" I asked.

"Your new home," said the Overseer, "Not even I know where they lead. Don't worry, though, I've already taken steps to make sure you don't get consumed by whatever power you gain. You'll start again with a clean slate, new memories and a new life."

I paused, my hand inches from one of the door handles.

"I won't remember my past?"

Dis shook his head.

"You will," he said, But those memories will be overtaken by new ones and suppressed. They'll be there, but they won't be important. Its how we prevent those we have to shift from getting homesick."

I swallowed and turned back to the door.

"Alright, you can do this," I muttered and opened the door.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I had tripped over a crate and landed in a muddy puddle with a splash. I sat up spluttering and looked around. I was in a back alley somewhere, behind a bar or something if the empty barrels were anything to go by.

"Greaaat, where the hell am I?" I muttered.

I got to my feet and headed to the end of the alley, only to freeze as I stepped out, my eyes wide.

"Er, OK, that was not what I was expecting," I said as I stared out over the road at the building that was clearly labelled as 'Gotham Police Station'.

I quickly shook off my shock and glanced around. I was drawing some attention, likely because of my soaked and muddy shirt, but most people were ignoring me. Deciding that just standing there wasn't doing anything, I started down the street in a random direction.

"OK, so I am apparently in the Batman cartoon by the looks of it," I muttered as I stuck my hands in my pocket, "Now what should I…"

I trailed off as my fingers brushed against something in my pocket that hadn't been there before. I pulled it out and found that it was a letter addressed to me. I quickly tore it open and found a letter and a key inside.

 _Dear Blake,_

 _This key is for your new place. I hope you like it cus its the best you're getting. Now, before I leave you to make your own way in the world, their are a few things you should know. As you've probably guessed, I took the liberty of creating you an identity in this world so you're not just floundering. All the details are in the file on your bedside table, so make sure you read up on it._

 _There aren't really any limitations on what you can do with yourself now you're there, with only two exceptions. One, you cannot tell anyone you're from another world and two, you can't tell anyone what you know about the future. Both are sealed away behind barriers to keep you from accidentally telling or a telepath from pulling the information from your mind._

 _I think thats everything, have a good life!_

 _From,_

 _Dis._

 _PS, before I forget, I left you a little gift at your new place. Have fun with it, it'll be purrfect for your new world._

I blinked at the cat pun. It was so out of place compared with the rest of the letter and Dis didn't seem like the type to make bad puns. True, I'd known him for less than an hour, but still.

"What the...what's that supposed to mean?" I muttered, "Eh, guess I'll find out…"

* * *

It didn't take me long to find it. It was a flat located in one of the average areas of the city, not poor but not overly wealthy either. It was a nice enough place and it looked like Dis had been nice enough to bring over all my stuff from my last life. There was also a file on the table that contained all the information I needed in case the police came a-calling about a 15 year old living on his own and a small parcel on top of the file.

I sat down on the couch and opened the parcel, only to nearly gag as a horrible cheesy smell hit me full in the face.

"What the fuck?!" I spluttered.

"Oh good, you're finally here!"

I blinked at the unexpected voice as a little black creature holding a slice of cheese bigger than itself flew out of the parcel. I blinked a few times, rubbed my eyes, then stared again.

"What? Is there something on my face?" asked the creature.

I quickly upended the box and a bulky silver ring fell out.

"Awww shit, don't tell me," I groaned, "Your Plagg, aren't you?"

"Yep, Dis said you'd know me," said the little critter as he took a massive chunk out of the cheese.

"Am I going to meet someone wearing spots in the not too distant future?" I growled.

"Nope, just me," said Plagg, "Well, until Dis gets bored, then its anyone's guess what he'll do. Still, its not like this city is lacking on the need heroes."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better!" I snapped, "Seriously though, Cat Noir? When Dis said powers, I thought he meant new powers for me, not a magical item and a damn rodent!"

"OI, I'M A CAT!" snapped Plagg, "And I don't exactly make the rules. Besides, Dis may claim that the powers given are random, but he really does have more control than he lets on. Believe me, if he wants, he can act very much like a ROB."

"So what your saying is, I'm at the mercy of a less than Random Omnipotent Bastard?" I asked.

"Yep," said Plagg, "The only difference between him and any other overpowered arsehole is that he actually has enough decency to give you a place to live. If he gets bored, he will screw you over."

"Greatttt," I muttered, "So, exactly authentic are you? Since I can't do anything about this, I guess I should just accept it and move on. I'd like to know what I have to work with before I make a fool of myself."

"Oh, you know, the usual," said Plagg, "Enhanced physical abilities, Cataclysm, magic staff and a set of inbuilt instincts that'll allow you to fight without needing training. Although, I do recommend you do some because your physical abilities do have an affect on your attributes in costume."

"Fair enough," I said as I put on the ring, "Now, whats say we take my new suit for a spin?"

"What?"

"Plagg, claws out!" I said.

"WAIIIIIIIIII…..!" yelped Plagg as he was sucked into my ring.

There was a flash of light and I found myself stood in my outfit.

"Hmm, not bad," I said as I examined my new look in the mirror.

I looked pretty much exactly as I was expecting, a black, leather outfit with clawed gloves, a belt that extended out into a tail with my staff strapped to the back, a pair of ears sticking out of my black hair and a black mask over my eyes, which looked a lot like a cats and had lightened from honey brown to amber.

"Now then, how about a night on the town?" I said, turning to the window, "Who knows, maybe this cat'll meet a bat."

I grinned and jumped out the window, easily soaring across to the roof across the street.

* * *

Traversing the city heights was a lot easier than I was expecting, thanks to the enhancements of the Miraculous and my staff. I also got to see just what Plagg meant by built in skills since I had never done gymnastics before in my life yet somehow managed to pull of some impressive moves. I have to wonder if any of these skills will bleed over into my Civilian identity…

I was in the middle of admiring the view from the top of Wayne Enterprises, when my staff beeped and nearly made me jump off the roof in surprise. After regaining my balance, I pulled out my staff and opened it, revealing the hidden screen inside that was currently showing a map of the area and an alarm symbol over a building marked as Gotham Museum.

"Well, no time like the present I guess," I muttered, "Lets go introduce myself."

I stood and hopped of the roof, using my staff to land safely on the next roof and took off in the direction of the museum.

I arrived to find a neat hole cut in the glass and another cat already in the building.

"Well, isn't that _purrr_ fect," I grumbled, "I just know Batman's gonna assume I'm working with her. Eh, could be fun."

I jumped through the hole as Catwoman headed down the halls.

"You know, I'm pretty sure the Museums closed at this time of night," I said as I landed.

Catwoman jumped and spun around, only to pause at the sight of me and raise an eyebrow behind her mask as she eyed me up and down. How I knew that, I have no idea, but whatever.

"And here I thought I was the only cat in Gotham," she said, "So who are you then, Catman?"

"Nah, I'm Cat Noir," I said, "And tonight, I'm your bad luck."

"Oh great, another goody goody," scoffed Catwoman, "And here I was thinking of adopting you."

"Hehehe, I have a _feline_ that wouldn't work to well," I said.

"With puns like that, I'd say not," deadpanned Catwoman, "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

She turned away and headed down the hall. I frowned and jumped over her.

"Nope, sorry, not happening," I said.

Catwoman scowled.

"Out of the way Kitten," she said, "I really don't want to hurt you."

"Just try it," I said, pulling out my staff and extending it.

"Tch, fine," said Catwoman and lashed out with her whip.

I spun my staff as I ducked under the tip of the whip and lunged forwards, my staff leading the way. Catwoman spun out of the way, kicking me in the rear as I shot past and sending me stumbling as she ran for her target. I skidded to a stop and jumped after her, extending my staff to trip my fellow feline. Catwoman turned her fall into a roll and flicked her whip at me again, forcing me to hop back out of range.

"Well well well, what have we here?" said a voice from a nearby grate, making us both jump, "What an interesting little cat fight."

The grate cover fell off and the owner of the voice came slithering out.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Catwoman.

"Ragdoll, nice to meet you," said Ragdoll, "And who are you two kitty cats?"

"Too much for you," I said, "Now scat before I claw you to confetti."

"Ohhh, this kitten has claws!" said Ragdoll, "Unfortunately, I ain't leaving without this."

He turned his head around to look at the animation slide both thieves were after.

"Hey, thats my score!" said Catwoman, charging Ragdoll.

He flipped over her strike and ducked under my staff swing in a rather impressive display of agility and flexibility. Its one thing to see it in a cartoon, its quite another to see it in real life. Catwoman stumbled as Ragdoll kicked her in the behind and, in a rather impressive display of skill, managed to trap her in a display case. With one cat down, he turned to me.

"Your turn kitten," he said.

I narrowed my eyes and split my staff into two baton. Ragdoll's grin just widened and he charged, easily spinning around my swings and pulled my 'tail'.

"OW!"

That actually hurt. Magic is weird. I spun, only to take an elbow to the gut that sent me stumbling back into a large, cage-like art piece that Ragdoll wasted no time in kicking over, trapping me under it.

"Just wait there Pussycat," he said with a mocking wave, before sauntering over to the painting he was after, "Hmmm, meow, this little beauty might make a cat person out of me yet."

"By the time this nights over, I guarantee you won't be a bat person."

I paused in trying to get the cage off me and glanced over to where Batman had just stepped out of the shadows. The Caped Crusader glanced at Catwoman and me, lingering on me for a brief moment before returning his attention to Ragdoll.

"Crap, I need to get out of here," I muttered.

I glance at my staff, but it was too far out of reach. I sighed.

"Guess I have no choice," I muttered, "Cataclysm!"

My ring released a large amount of black energy that gathered around my claws. I placed my hand against the metal, which immediately began to corrode. A few seconds later, the sculpture disintegrated and I snatched my staff as my ring beeped.

"Got five minutes to get out of here," I muttered and turned to leave…

Only to nearly walk into Batman.

"Aww crap, this isn't gonna end well, is it?" I said, taking a few steps back.

Batman just narrowed his eyes. My ring beeped again and I scowled.

"Sorry Bats, but I can't stop to chat," I said, spinning my staff.

"You don't honestly think I'm going to let you walk out of here, do you?" said Batman.

I smirked.

"Nope, but I'm still leaving," I said, "See ya!"

My staff instantly extended up through the glass ceiling, taking me with it. Batman quickly shook off his surprise and jumped forwards, only to miss my staff as it retracted.

"See ya next time Bats!" I called down and jumped off the Museum's roof.

I quickly made my way back to ground level and dispelled my transformation in an alleyway, walking out and down the street, just as Batman landed on a nearby fire escape. I smirked as he jumped away. Home free, that's nice. Heres hoping Bats doesn't pull a bullshit deduction based on the length of my bangs or something.

"Well, that was a fun night," I said.

"Speak for yourself," said Plagg, "I'm beat!"

I sighed.

"Alright, lets go get you some cheese," I said, stopping in front of a conveniently located Convenience Store.

I headed for the fridge and picked up a couple of boxes of Camembert cheese and a bag of maltesers. Fighting villains really works up an appetite.

"Whoa, thanks Blake!" said Plagg as I slipped the cheese into my hoodie pocket where the Kwami was hidden, "My favorite, yummy!"

"Yeah yeah, just don't spill it in my pocket," I said, "I don't want my jacket to smell like cheese."

"Yeah yeah," said Plagg around his cheese.

I sighed and began making my way home. Fortunately, it wasn't far and the Museum was located in the 'good' part of Gotham, so I wasn't that likely to get mugged...I hope. Then again, I did have a bit of self defence training to fall back on, so I should be OK…

A sudden scream from a nearby alleyway brought me up short. I stopped and glanced down the alley. It was dark enough that I couldn't see much, but the scream sounded close.

"What are you planning?" asked Plagg, sticking his head out of my pocket, "Do you need me?"

I hesitated. The food had probably recharged Plagg enough that I could transform again, but I didn't like the idea of opening myself up for a fight with Batman tonight. Besides, it was probably just some thugs and I could take dime a dozen idiots without powers.

"Nah, not right now," I said, starting down the alley, "But stay at the ready, just incase its more than I can handle."

"I don't know why you're getting involved," said Plagg, "Its none of your business."

"Neither was Catwomans robbery tonight," I said, "Besides, being a hero isn't limited to just when I've got the mask on."

"Oh, gag me," said Plagg.

I smirked and rounded the corner where I found a bunch of thuggish looking young men surrounding a girl who looked scared out of her wits.

"Still think you can take em?" muttered Plagg.

"Did Dis tell you anything about my past?" I muttered back.

"Nope."

I smirked as I flipped my hood up, making sure my face was properly obscured.

"In that case, get ready to be impressed."

I raised my voice.

"Hey, leave the poor kid alone!" I shouted.

The thugs paused and turned to me. I shifted into a ready but non threatening stance. No point in starting a fight if I can avoid it.

"Whats this boys?" sneered the leader, "We got ourselves a hero."

"I would highly suggest that you don't pick a fight with me," I said.

The thugs all burst out laughing.

"Looks like someone thinks hes tough shit!" said the leader, "Now run home to Mommy little boy before we make you cry."

I raised an eyebrow as the thugs started laughing.

"Wow, you lot really are as dumb as you look," I said.

The thugs immediately stopped laughing.

"What was that?" growled the leader, looming over me as he cracked his knuckles.

"Hard of hearing too apparently," I said, "Or maybe just to thick to tell when you're being insulted."

"THATS IT!" roared the thug leader, "YOUR DEAD TINY!"

He drew back his fist and swung at me, but I just ducked under his swing and slammed my fist into his stomach. The force of the blow lifted him a few inches off the ground, before he collapsed to his knees, coughing and gasping for air.

"B-boss!" said one of the thugs, apparently a tad shaken from the fact his boss had just been taken down by someone less than half his size.

"Anyone else want to try me?" I asked.

A second thug scowled and took a swing. I sidestepped the swing and flipped the thug onto his back. He gasped and closed his eyes as my fist shot at his face, only to stop an inch from breaking his nose.

"You done?" I asked.

The thug frantically nodded.

"Then take your friend and leave," I said.

The thugs quickly helped their friend to his feet and ran off down the alley, shouting obscenities and threats as they went.

"You know they're not gonna let that go," said Plagg.

"Why do you think I hid my face?" I asked, "Now stay put."

I walked over to the girl. She was a redhead with green eyes and looked about my age.

"Hey, you OK?" I asked, kneeling down next to her.

"I-I think so," she said, "Who are you?"

"Names Blake," I said, dropping my hood, "Blake Hunter."

The girls eyes widened slightly and her cheeks pinked.

"U-um, nice to meet you," she said, "Um, can you see my glasses?"

I glanced around and spotted said glasses a short distance away. Thankfully, they were unbroken, so I quickly returned them to her.

"Thanks," she said.

"So, can I know the name of my Damsel for the evening?" I asked with a slight smirk.

The girls cheeks darkened further.

"P-Pam Isley," she stuttered.

I blinked. Wow, small world. Hard to believe I just saved Poison Ivy and out of costume too. I hope that doesn't come to bite me in the arse later…

 **It will. Of course it will. Anyway, other than minor spoilers, I'm now done. So, what do you think if Blake and his little friend? Is Ladybug going to show up? Will I ever slip and end up typing Ladybird instead of Ladybug? Who knows.**

 **So, what do you think of Cat Noir's first bout with the resident nuts? And what a first fight! Cat vs cat and a scratching toy added to the mix. Of course, Bats probably thinks Cat Noir's working with Catwoman, but hey, you can't have everything.**

 **I'm not very good with puns, but that doesn't mean I won't be doing my best to use them! After all, Cat Noir wouldn't be Cat Noir without some bad puns.**

 **Don't forget to leave a review on the way out! See ya!**


	21. Black Cat of Gotham Chapter 2

Black Cat of Gotham

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world where alien invasions are treated as a mild inconvenience. Still, it could be worse. At least I'm not completely powerless. Unfortunately, I hate cheese.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say, other than, Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

After saving the future Poison Ivy and walking her home, I headed home myself, but not before getting Plagg to double check me for any tracking devices or bugs that Bats might of planted on me. Fortunately, there were none, although I wasn't expecting it seeing as I hadn't actually come into contact with him. Then again, considering how bullshit some of the Batmans achievements had been in the past, I wouldn't have put it past him to manage it somehow. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any, so I headed home without issue.

Once there, I flopped down on my bed with a sigh. I glanced at the file on my bedside table and reached out to grab it. Might as well get a bit of reading done before I turn in. That idea was quickly rendered as a big fat no as the file flashed the moment my fingers touched it and my head felt like it had been split open with an axe, knocking me out cold.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up with a pounding head and a whole new set of memories.

"Well, thats one way to make sure I don't forget," I growled, "I would have liked some warning though _Plagg._ "

"What?" said the Kwami, "Its not like warning you would have changed anything. Besides, you should be grateful that Dis even bothered to give you that background in the first place and didn't just leave you hanging."

I just growled as I rolled out of bed and stalked into the bathroom. The memories were mostly the same as my own, with a few slight differences. For starters, both my parents in this world were dead, my Dad in the line of duty (he was a soldier) and Mum from complications from a surgery. I'd lived with my grandparents until they kicked the bucket from old age, leaving me all on my lonesome as an emancipated minor due to some legal mumbo jumbo I couldn't make heads or tails of and probably Dis pulling some strings. Couldn't have his favorite puppet weighed down my curfew after all.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" asked Plagg as I exited the bathroom.

I grimaced and grabbed a rucksack from the wardrobe.

"School."

Yeah, apparently even being the entertainment of an immortal, omnipotent being isn't enough to get me out of having to go to school. Then again, maybe this was part of his entertainment. Still, at least I didn't have to deal with second hand memories of friends I've never actually met. No, I had to deal with being the new kid. Eh, could be worse I guess.

* * *

Thankfully, I only lived a couple of blocks from the school, so it didn't take long to arrive. I ignored the odd looks I was getting from the students as I entered and looked around. According to my letter of acceptance, I was supposed to meet with the Principle. Just one problem. I had no idea where his office was.

"Um, do you need help?" said a voice from behind me.

I turned to the voice and nearly snorted when I saw that it was Barbara Gordon. Because of course it was.

"Um, yeah," I said, "Todays my first day and I need to see the Principle. Can you point me in the direction of his office?"

"Sure thing," said Barbara brightly, "Right this way."

She led the way down the hall.

"I'm Barbara Gordon by the way," she said.

"Blake Hunter, nice to meet you," I said.

"Well, here we are," said Barbara as we reached a door with the Principal's name painted on the glass.

"Thanks," I said, "Guess I'll see you around?"

"Sure."

The future Batgirl vanished into the crowd, leaving me to head inside to talk to the Principle.

* * *

Fortunately, it didn't take long to get the paperwork done and the headmaster led me through the halls to a classroom and knocked on the door.

"Pardon me, but I have your new student," said the Headmaster, "Come in Mr Hunter."

I stepped into the classroom and immediately spotted Barbara sat at the back by the window. The teacher, a serious looking man with thinning hair and glasses, beckoned me to the front.

"Introduce yourself," he said.

"I'm Blake Hunter, its nice to meet you all," I said with a grin.

"Alright, take a seat over there," said the teacher, pointing at an empty desk in front of Barbara.

That would put me one row from the back, right next to the window, the same place most Anime protagonists found themselves for some odd reason. I grinned at Barbara and dropped into my seat as the lesson started.

* * *

An hour later I was about ready to fall asleep from boredom as I already knew everything we were covering and was just debating the merits of jumping out the window, just for something to do, when the bell rang and everyone began to file out of the room.

"Hey Blake, you wanna join us for lunch?" asked Barbara.

"Sure," I said, getting to my feet and slinging my bag over my shoulder.

I followed Barbara through the halls, outside and over to a tree where an older and very familiar red-head was sat.

"Hey Red," said Barbara as we approached.

"Hey Other Red," said Pamela, before looking at me .

Her eyes widened in recognition and her cheeks darkened.

"Hello again Pam," I said with a grin, "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

Barbara glanced between the two of us.

"Do you two know each other?" she asked.

"Not exactly," I said, "But I helped her out with some trouble last night."

"Y-yeah, t-thanks again for that," stuttered Pam.

Barbara raised an eyebrow at the stuttering.

"You OK Pam?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she said.

She quickly snatched up a magazine and hid behind it. I raised an eyebrow when I saw what was on the cover. It was a gardening magazine which apparently included an article on the benefits of Ladybirds in a garden. I really hope thats not a sign of things to come…

The rest of the day went by without incident, other than figuring out that the future Poison Ivy had developed a major crush on me. That would probably come back to bite me in the future…

* * *

Anyway, the next day was a Saturday, which honestly makes me wonder why I started yesterday and not on Monday, but whatever, so after a late start, I found myself watching the news while eating breakfast. Apparently Bruce Wayne was opening his clock tower for a few days and the newsreader was even kind enough to mention the Tigers Eyes jewels that had been hidden there.

"Hmm, looks like we've got a job to do tonight Plagg," I said.

"What? Why?" asked the Kwami.

"Simple, I want another shot at Ragdoll," I said, "Plus, it would be nice to clear up any lingering suspicions Batman might have about my relationship with Catwoman."

"By showing up in the same place as her?" asked Plagg.

"By helping take her down," I said, "Come on Plagg, lets go scope out the battle ground."

"Do we have to?" whined Plagg.

"Yes, now lets go," I said, grabbing the Kwami and dropping him in my bag, "And try not to spill that cheese."

"Fine, spoilsport," grumbled Plagg as I jogged out of my apartment.

* * *

One trip on the subway later and I was wondering around the clock tower, following behind a group who were being given the tour by Bruce while trying to keep tabs on Plagg. Thats a lot harder than it sounds because the little critter was acting very much like the cat he was and kept trying to head off to look at something shiny. Currently, I was trying to find him after he vanished into thin air.

"Plagg, where the hell are you?!" I hissed.

"Here."

I jumped as Plagg suddenly phased out of a cog right next to my ear.

"Don't. Do. That," I hissed.

"Sorry, but look what I found!" he said, holding up a large, gleaming emerald, "Its so shiny!"

My jaw dropped. Well, that'll make things easier.

"Is the other one back there?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Then grab it and we'll go," I said, taking the first emerald and tucking it into my bag.

* * *

"So, what are you planning to do with these?" asked Plagg once we had got back home.

"Prove I'm competent," I said, "We may have found them completely by accident, but they won't know that. Plus, I can use them to get in good with the Bat."

"So, you're just going to hand them over?" asked Plagg.

I gave him a flat look.

"I have in interest in attracting the Bats attention as anything other than a fellow hero," I said, "If I do, I'm liable to get punched in the face and tossed into Arkham."

"But…"

"I'll buy you some cat toys later," I said, "For now, I'm gonna go take a nap before tonight."

I stood and headed into my room to do just that.

* * *

Later, I was woken by the sound of my alarm going off. I yawned and rolled out of bed.

"Alright Plagg, time to go," I said.

"Five more minutes," mumbled the Kwami.

"Nope, you can sleep later," I said, "Plagg, claws out!"

"Here we go again," grumbled Plagg as he was sucked into my ring.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I reached the Clocktower and entered through a conveniently open window where I found the fight already going on. I landed on top of one of the metal joists that held up a catwalk and took in what was going on. Batman was struggling to get free from a pair of gears that were doing an excellent job of eating his cape while Ragdoll watched and Catwoman tried to untangle herself from Batmans rope.

I smirked and jumped off the catwalk.. I landed behind Ragdoll and punted him off the catwalk he was sat on before he could react, before hopping down and slicing Batmans cloak with my claws to free him. The Caped Crusader rolled free and stood, fixing me with a glare.

"Hello again Bats," I said.

"Oh goody, the Kittens here," said Catwoman.

"Friend of yours?" asked Batman.

"Actually, I thought he was with you," said Catwoman.

"Nah, this cats freelance," I said.

"If you're not here for the Emeralds, then what do you want?" asked Batman.

"I owe raggedy over there a scratching," I said, jerking a thumb at Ragdoll as he scrambled back up.

"Oh really?" said Ragdoll, "Then why do you have these?"

He held up the emeralds.

"Wha...HEY!"

I flinched as Batman fixed me with a glare.

"I was gonna hand them over to Wayne when I was done with Ragdoll!" I protested.

"Sure you were," said Catwoman, "Hmm, maybe we have more in common than I thought."

"Well, this has been fun, but I really must be going," said Ragdoll as he turned to leave, "Bet these puppys will fetch six figures!"

"I think not!" I said, leaping down to his level.

"If its money you want, rob a bank!" snarled Catwoman as she and Batman followed me, "Those emeralds are two of a kind Stitch Face!"

She took a swipe at Ragdoll, who dodged it, along with my jab with my staff, taking the fight into the gears.

"Speaking of, two of these, four of us," said Ragdoll as he clambered up a support strut, "Guess we'll split them...one way."

"Yeah, give em to a museum!" I said as I jumped up behind him and slammed my staff into the back of his head.

Ragdoll barely managed to dodge, but he fumbled the stones.

"Hey Batman, catch!" I shouted, smacking the stones with my staff towards the Caped Crusader.

Before Batman could catch them, Catwoman jumped up and snatched them out of the air.

"Thanks Kitten!" she called as she ducked under Batmans grab and punched him in the stomach.

"That wasn't nice!" said Ragdoll.

"Neither was trapping me!" I snapped, ducking under his punch and kicking him off the strut.

Ragdoll landed on a gear and took off in the direction of the other two as they continued their fight.

"Get back here Scratching Post!" I shouted, jumping after him.

Ragdoll hopped up onto the catwalk Catwoman and Batman were fighting on and slid between Catwomans legs, snatching the emeralds from her grip.

"Yoink!"

Only to immediately lose them again as I shot up on my staff and kicked them out of his grip.

"Hey!"

I caught the emeralds and landed on a gear further up, only to trip as the whip Catwoman had wrapped around my ankle yanked my feet out from under me. The emeralds clattered away and off the gear, falling towards the floor. Ragdoll took a flying leap off the catwalk and caught them. He landed on the catwalk across from Batman and Catwoman and gave a mocking wave.

"Toodles!" he said and turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't!" I shouted, jumping off the gear I was on, "Cataclysm!"

I slammed my energy covered hand into the catwalk, causing the entire thing to buck and twist as the metal rusted and started falling apart, dropping Ragdoll through the new hole in the metal. He fell into the grip of a pair of gears. Despite the fact that such a thing would kill most Humans, he just laughed as the cog carried him away...that is until Batman threw a Batarang and jammed them, trapping him in their grip.

"Err, I think I'm stuck," said Ragdoll as I landed beside him, "If you help me I'll split them with you?"

"Yeah, no," I said, taking the emeralds from him, "These are going to their real owner."

"If you don't want them, I'll take em," said Catwoman as she landed beside me and reached for the gems.

"Nope, sorry," I said, ducking under her hands.

"Aww, come on Kitten, help a fellow Cat out," she said.

"Take it up with him," I said, jerking my thumb at Batman as he dropped down behind me.

"Aw, don't be such a sourpuss," said Catwoman, although if she was talking to me or Batman I have no idea, "The Cats Eyes are a legend, right? No one will know they're gone because they're not supposed to be here."

"Not a chance," I said as Batman just glowered.

"Not even one?" said Catwoman.

"No."

"Tch, fine," grumbled Catwoman, "Guess you really are just another goody two shoes Kitten."

She pulled something out of a hidden pocket in her suit and I instinctively covered my eyes as she set it off, releasing an incredibly bright light. By the time I could see again, Catwoman was already climbing out the window. With Catwoman gone, Batman turned his gaze on me.

"Whoa, I don't intend to keep these!" I said, taking a step back, "Here, you take em."

I tossed them to Batman. The Caped Crusader narrowed his eyes at me as he caught the jewels.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Cat Noir, at your service," I said, "I'm the new hero in town."

My ring beeped, making me jump.

"And I need to leave," I said, "See ya round Bats!"

I turned to leave, but before I could, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

"We're not done yet," said Batman.

"Look Bats, I've got about three minutes before I power down," I said, "And, no offence, but I have no interest in my secret identity being revealed on my second night on the job! If you want to talk, find me tomorrow night. Until then, I'm gone!"

I whipped out my staff and used it to propel me out of Batmans grip and towards the nearest door.

"And keep your trackers to yourself!" I yelled as I tossed said tracker over my shoulder on my way out the door.

* * *

The next evening saw me lounging on the roof of a skyscraper like the cat I was. Surprisingly, there wasn't anything going on, although I guess even cities like Gotham can't have bank heists every night. Even bad guys need a night off once in awhile after all. I'd also found an excellent Chinese place run by an elderly gentleman with a frankly hideous shirt and a surprising lack of issues with serving a boy dressed as a cat.

I glanced up as a grappling hook slammed into the stonework next to me and an oversized rodent landed lightly on the roof.

"Hey Bats, fancy some chicken?" I said, holding up the container of chicken chow mein I was eating.

Batman narrowed his eyes at me.

"Eh, more for me."

"Who are you?" asked Batman.

"I told you last night," I said, "I'm Cat Noir."

"Thats not what I meant," said Batman.

I raised an eyebrow and tapped my mask.

"Would I wear a mask if I wanted people to know who I am?" I asked, "Look, I'm not a cat burgler waiting for a big score or a nutjob waiting to happen, I'm just a kid with a magic ring and a desire to help people."

"Magic ring?"

I gave Batman a flat look.

"I'm not about to explain my powers," I said, "All you need to know is, I'm, here to stay, help and this is how you can get in touch with me if you need help."

I pulled out my staff, flicked it open and waved it in the direction of Batmans belt. There was a beep and he pulled out a phone. He raised an eyebrow and shot a look in my direction. I just grinned and waved my hands.

"Magic!" I said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have school in the morning. Chao!"

I jumped off the roof and took off in the direction of home, pausing only to discard the tracker Bats had planted on me.

"Nice try Bats," I said as I tossed it with my dinner wrappers.

 **And done. Finally. Maybe giving him a second lot of memories is a cop out, but hey, it works fine.**

 **So, what do you think of his first day at school? Frankly, that'll probably just be a background thing for now, although I will use it to help build some relationships.**

 **Speaking of relationships, I wonder if Pam's crush on him will become important later? Corse it will! I wouldn't have done it otherwise. Don't worry though, I have no intention of making her Ladybug. Or do I? Nah, not at all.**

 **Frankly, having Plagg find the Cats Eyes was probably pointless considering they still ended up fighting for them, but whatever. Speaking of, I think that that particular fight is one of the coolest in the show, discounting the ones with Freeze of course.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	22. A Great Magician Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: A Great Magician

Getting reborn into a world of superheros is annoying. Getting reborn as a powerless protagonist is even worse. Well, I thought I was powerless at least. This could be either really good or really, really bad.

 **Yeah, shouldn't be starting this but I don't give a damn. My Hero Academia is awesome and I can't resist. Don't worry, this won't suddenly out that the Protagonist is Harry again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I found out I had been reincarnated, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I wasn't dead, so that was nice, but one the other hand, I was a baby again and there's a bloody good reason that you don't remember that! Still, there was one good thing that came of my new life. The world I had been reborn into is FUCKING AMAZING, if a little dangerous. After all, with people with powers running around, its only natural to be worried. So, which fucked up world full of Supers have I been reincarnated into you ask? Marval? DC? Nope, try My Hero Academia. This is gonna be so fun!

* * *

Or maybe not. As it turns out, I'm apparently rather unlucky. Why? Well, I've been reborn as Izuku Midoriya, the Quirkless protagonist of the story. Now, I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Why? Well, I'm not anything like Midoriya, so the chances of me impressing Almight was much lower. Besides, I don't have anywhere near as hero crazy as my canon counterpart. On the other hand, without me, Almight would have to look elsewhere for a successor and countless other events would go down differently.

The problem is, while I might be lacking a Quirk, I wasn't lacking a moral compass and my future knowledge certainly didn't help. I spent a good deal of my childhood thinking about whether or not I could reasonably just turn my back on the world and live a normal life knowing what I did. Unfortunately for me, the conclusion I came to was a big fat no. Thats why, in the doctor's office, when told I'd never get a Quirk, I didn't just sit there frozen.

"So what?" I said.

"Hmm? What do you mean kid?" asked the Doctor, an elderly man with slicked back hair, scarred hands and a goatee.

"I mean that I won't let the fact I don't have a Quirk stop me," I said, "There are plenty of Pros who's Quirks aren't that useful in battle yet they manage just fine. With enough training and innovation, anyone can be a hero! I won't let the fact I don't have a power stop me, not now, not ever!"

By this point I was on my feet and both Mum and the Doctor were staring at me in surprise. Mum looked like she couldn't quite believe what I was saying, but the Doctor had a slight gleam in his eyes.

* * *

After that day, I started working towards achieving my goals. Oh don't get me wrong, I was under no delusions that I would be able to face off against any of the really powerful Villains or become like Saitama, but I could at least become strong enough to do something and learn enough skills to be able to do more than simply kick arse and take names. I learnt all I could about...well, everything, from fighting to medical to technology and even hacking, although I kept that particular part of my skillset on the downlow.

I continued to work towards my objective, ignoring everyones depredation of my ideals and determination. I quickly proved that picking a fight with me was a supremely bad idea however after Bakugou tried it and I ended up tossing him into the canal.

* * *

Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Considering how much effort I was putting into my training, it was small wonder that I ended up in the hospital a couple of times, much to the concern and ire of my mother and Doctor.

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself Izuku?" asked said Doctor as he finished resetting my dislocated shoulder.

"Because I have to," I said.

"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor.

I hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Doctor, if you knew something terrible was coming, wouldn't you do everything in your power to stop it?" I asked.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, do you know something?" he asked.

"I...no, not really, just a feeling," I said.

"Hmm, so, you want to be a hero to stop this bad feeling?" asked the Doctor, "And thats why you're pushing yourself so hard?"

"Pretty much," I said.

"Hmm."

The Doctor leant on his desk and fixed me with a piercing look. After a moment, he leant back and sighed.

"Well, I suppose that there isn't anything I can do to convince you not to train, but do be careful," he said, "You are still young, you could do serious damage to yourself if you're not careful."

I nodded and stood.

"I know, I'll try to be more careful," I said, "Thanks again Doc."

I left the room. As I headed down the hall towards the exit, I nearly walked into a man in a tailcoat and top hat coming the other way.

"Oh, sorry," I said, stepping to the side.

"Not a problem my boy," he said in an italian accent, tipping his hat to me, "Have a good day."

"Err, sure," I said as the man swept past me.

* * *

A couple of days later, I was finishing my morning workout in my room when Mum knocked and opened the door slightly.

"Izuku? Theres someone here to see you," she said.

I blinked.

"Really? Who?" I asked.

I didn't really have any friends who'd drop by out of the blue.

"He just said there was something he needed to speak with you about," said Mum, "Apparently Doctor Kimyō asked him to come."

I frowned. Why would my Doctor send someone to see me? As far as I know, theres nothing wrong with me, other than a rather insane training regime.

"Alright, I'll be right there," I said.

Mum nodded and left. A few minutes later, I was dressed and walked into the living room to find Mum talking with our visitor. He was a middle aged gentleman with green eyes, thinning black hair with gray at the temples and a thin, black mustache. He was wearing a formal looking suit that made him look like a stage magician, completed by the top hat sitting on the coffee table and the silver headed cane leaning against the sofa beside him. He was also the same man I'd nearly walked into in the Hospital the other day.

"Ah, hello Izuku Midoriya, its nice to finally meet you," said the man upon seeing me, getting to his feet, "My name is Giovanni Zatara."

"Um, hi," I said, shaking the mans hand, "Mum said you wanted to talk with me?"

"Ah yes," said Zatara, picking up his hat, "But before that, would you mind taking this?"

He pulled a crystal out of his hat and held it out to me. I raised an eyebrow, but did as I was told.

"Rewop sih su wohs," said Zatara and tapped the crystal.

Instantly, the crystal lit up with a brilliant, golden light and a pure, bell like sound, before shattering into dust.

"Good lord!" gasped Zatara, "I've never seen a reaction like that before!"

"What was that?!" spluttered Mum, eyes wide in shock and awe.

"That was young Izuku's power," said Zatara, "When Stephen told me he'd found a potential student, I never believed that he'd have such power!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I dusted off my hands.

"Please, sit down and I shall explain," said Zatara.

I ignored the indignity of being told to sit down in my own home and sat next to Mum as Zatara retook his seat.

"Despite the commonly held belief, Humans with powers are not a new thing," said Zatara, "In truth, there have always been those with powers, going right back to the beginning. Some of these powers come from Mutations, others from breeding with extra-dimensional creatures and others come from creating deals with the same beings, usually with...unpleasant results. This power has been known by many names, but the most commonly used name is Magic. Anyone can use this power, with enough training or the right artifacts, but there are those who are naturally disposed to the Mystic Arts. These people are rare, nearly extinct, but occasionally, the ancient blood of the Homo Magi pops up again."

He paused and glanced at me.

"That crystal was a Magical artifact that reacts to the presence of Homo Magi," he said, "Stephan told me that you may have the ability, but I had to be sure."

"So basically, what you're telling us is that I'm not as powerless as we thought?" I asked as I tried to reduce the sudden pounding in my head.

My Hero Academia was one thing, but I had just realized why I recognized his name. Giovanni Zatara, the father of Zatanna Zatara, a member of the Justice League from DC comics. Plus, unless I was very much mistaken, the Stephan he was talking about was Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, who was probably my Doctor. Kimyō was Japanese for Strange after all.

"You will need training, but yes," said Zatara, "I don't entirely approve of using Magic to work as a Hero, but Stephan believes that you are worthy of teaching and, considering what he told me about you, I believe him. Not only that, but your potential is enormous. You may well be able to surpass even the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Is that good?" asked Mum, who looked a tad out of her depth.

Zatara smiled.

"Oh yes, very good," he said, "The Sorcerer Supreme is to us Magi what Almight is to Heros, the Greatest among us."

"Something tells me I've got a long way to go before I get that far," I muttered.

"Considering Magic is more knowledge than physical strength, thats a definate yes," said Zatara, "So, I assume that you wish to be taught?"

I nodded eagerly. As eager as I was to prove I could be a Hero without a Quirk, the idea of learning Magic was just too damned tempting to pass up. I turned to Mum.

"Can I learn?" I asked.

Mym glanced between me and Zatara and sighed.

"Would it matter if I said no?" she asked.

"Probably not," I said, "But I'd rather not go against you."

Mum sighed again and smiled.

"Of course you can Izuku," she said, "Anything so I don't have to keep taking you to the hospital because you've been training to hard."

I grinned brightly and hugged Mum.

"Thanks Mum," I said.

I released her and turned back to Zatara.

"When do we start?"

Zatara smiled and stood.

"Right now," he said.

And thus my training in the Mystic Arts began.

* * *

The first thing Zatara did was introduce me to his Daughter, Zatanna. She was my age and looked exactly as I was expecting, long, black hair, bright blue eyes and already showing signs of growing into a real bombshell, despite only being 10 years old. It didn't take long for us to become firm friends and sparring partners, both in Magic and hand-to-hand. Plus, she served as my teacher for the non-magical aspects of Magic. What are those? Well, that would be escape artistry, card, rope and ring tricks and just about everything that any normal stage Magician should know. Why? Well, Zatara, just like his DC counterpart, made his living as a stage Magician and he had decided that, if he was going to take me as an apprentice, he might as well do it right. As such, I ended up getting lassoed into being his stage hand alongside Zatanna on more than one occasion.

Other than mundane magic tricks, I also got to learn the backwards spellcasting both Zatara's used, along with access to a large library of books on Magic. Considering that, my work ethic and natural talent, I quickly caught up with Zatanna, who had been learning for a lot longer than I had, and became good enough to hold my own against Zatara...for about a minute before he broke through my guard and turned me into a rabbit. No joke, I once spent an entire evening serving as Zatara's rabbit in a show after I annoyed him one too many times. That had been humiliating.

* * *

Anyway, after nearly five years of learning magic and going to school, it was nearly time. Just ten months remained until the start of the new year at UA and when I'd be shooting for the top spot.

"Well, I'd ask you to hand in your career sheets, but theres really no point," said the Teacher, "You all want to be Heroes, don't you!"

The class cheered and started showing off their Quirks, ranging from stretchy fingers to being able to pull their own eyes out. I on the other hand simply continued to shuffle the deck of cards I was playing with with an impressive display of dexterity and sighed in boredom.

"Yes yes, very impressive, but using your Quirks during school time is against the rules," said the Teacher, "And put those cards away Midoriya, you can show off your card tricks later."

I harrumphed, but flicked the cards back into their pack and vanished them up my sleeve.

"HEY SENSEI, DON'T LUMP ME IN WITH THESE USELESS MORONS!" shouted Bakugou, getting growls and glares from the rest of the class, "You can't compare those weak ass Quirks with mine! I'm gonna get into UA and become the best damned Hero on the planet, beating that loser Almight, no problem!"

A low murmur of conversation started up at that, many believing that Bakugou could actually do it.

"Oh, thats right, Midoriya wants to go to UA too," said the Teacher.

The classroom froze and all eyes turned on me.

"What?" I asked.

I kicked my chair back as Bakugou suddenly spun around and slammed his fist into my desk with a massive explosion.

"EAT SHIT DEKU!" he roared, "THERES NO WAY A WEAK ASS QUIRKLESS LOSER LIKE YOU COULD GET INTO UA!"

"According to whom?" I asked from where I was balanced on the back of my chair with one hand, "I'm a better fighter than you are Kacchan, I'm faster, have better grades and don't have ten years worth of bullying on my permanent record. Oh, and I can do this."

I flicked my wrist and a card shot out, zipping past Bakugou's face and embedding itself in the blackboard. Bakugou's eyes widened in surprise as a few strands of hair floated to the ground and a thin cut opened in his cheek.

"H-how did you do that?!" he demanded, doing his best to hide the fact his voice was quivering slightly.

"Oh Kacchan, don't you know that a Magician never reveals his secrets?" I said with a grin.

"Alright you two, thats enough!" snapped the Teacher as he pulled my card out of the board, "And Midoriya, I'd like very much to know why you have brought deadly weapons into school?"

"What deadly weapons?" I asked innocently, "Its just a playing card."

The Teacher raised an eyebrow and tested the edge, only to find that the card was a perfectly normal playing card.

"How did…"

I grinned and gave a sweeping bow, sending playing cards scattering everywhere.

"Like I said, a good Magician never reveals his secrets," I said, straightening back up and putting on the top had that I'd summoned behind my back, "And I...am a great Magician!"

Unfortunately, my grandstanding was interrupted by a deluge of water from my hat, followed by a note.

 **Quit showing off, idiot!**

My eye twitched.

"I knew I shouldn't have left my hat where Zatanna could find it," I muttered as my classmates cracked up.

 **And done. So, already off to a flying start for this Midoriya. He may be Quirkless, but considering how powerful Zatanna can be, I highly doubt that'll be a problem.**

 **Just to be perfectly clear, the extent of the crossovers with DC and Marvel will be characters and maybe some plotlines. Oh, and some Villains from the Magic side. This is NOT set in either of their worlds, as should be obvious as Stephen Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme and friends with Zatara.**

 **Speaking of Zatara, what do you lot think I should do with Zatanna? Should she be Midoriya's friend on the side or should she get into UA too? Then again, having two Magicians at UA may be a recipe for disaster...**

 **This Midoriya is nothing like his canon self. For starters, hes confident, powerful and generally treats the job like a show. His tricks are a combination of slight of hand and actual magic.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	23. A Great Magician Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: A Great Magician

Getting reborn into a world of superheros is annoying. Getting reborn as a powerless protagonist is even worse. Well, I thought I was powerless at least. This could be either really good or really, really bad.

 **Nothing to say here other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Once school let out and I'd dried out, I started heading home. Thanks to my little show in the classroom, Bakugou declined to try a confrontation after school. Good thing too or I'd probably have given him bunny ears. I shook my head to get the thoughts of the idiot out of my head and went back to plotting revenge against Zatanna for her little prank. Maybe itching powder in her fishnets...nah, too mean. If I did that, she'd probably retaliate by turning my uniform into a Las Vegas dancer, you know, one of those with the massive feather coming out of the bum? Either that or put itching powder in my underwear again. I grimaced at the thought.

A bubbling sound from behind me broke me from my thoughts and I turned, just in time to get swept up by a wave of dark green sludge.

"Calm down kid, I just need to borrow your body for a bit," said the sludge villain, "Damn, I didn't know _he_ was in town!"

" _GET OFF!"_ I roared inside my head, "Ffo!"

There was a blast of force, shoving the sludge villain off my body, allowing me to fall to the floor with a gasp.

"What the hell was that?!" spluttered the Villain as he pulled himself back together, "No matter, I can't afford to waste any time!"

He surged towards me again. I threw up a hand.

"Ebuc fo ecaps!" I shouted.

The air around me took on a faint blue tint as the Villain slammed face first into the invisible wall I'd just created. I quickly found myself in a dark box as the villain slithered all over the barrier, trying to get at me.

"What the hell!?" he growled, "What kind of a Quirk is this?!"

He grinned darkly.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm looking forwards to having it for my own!"

He drew himself back and slammed into it. I gritted my teeth as I felt my shelter quiver. I hadn't exactly put much power into it, so it wouldn't last long under repeated assault.

"Sorry mate, but I'm no one's meat suit," I growled, "Lets see, you may be immune to physical attacks, but lets see how you like some ice! Dloc dniw wolb! Dloc dniw wolb! Dloc dniw wolb!"

Ice cold wind erupted, quickly filling the tunnel and freezing any moisture present. The Villain recoiled with a scream of pain as ice began to rapidly crawl up his body.

"No, no, nononoNNOOOOOO!" he screamed as he tried to get away from the ice.

I quickly reached into my bag and pulled out an empty water bottle. Judging from how he was screaming, chances are he would die if he was completely frozen. While he did just try and kill me, I wasn't about to just let him die.

"Pots eht dniw," I said and the wind immediately dropped, "And now, elttob mih."

I pointed at the villain and ribbons of light shot out, wrapping around his whimpering form and dragging him into the bottle. Two seconds later, the last of him was inside and I put the top on.

"OI, LET ME OUT!" shouted the villain in a muffled voice.

My response was to shake the bottle as hard as I could. When I stopped, the Villain had swirls in his eyes. Now confident that he wasn't about to try and escape, I turned to leave...and walked smack bang into my own barrier.

"Son of a bitch," I growled as I vanished the invisible wall with one hand and rubbed my nose with the other, "I need to remember where I leave those things."

I absently shook the bottle again to stop the Villains snickers at my misfortune.

CLANG!

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the manhole behind me suddenly went flying as a massive fist slammed into it from below.

"FEAR NOT, FOR I AM HERE!" said Almight as he hauled himself out of the sewers.

He paused at the sight of me stood there, a deadpan expression on my face and no villain in sight.

"You're late," I said.

"PARDON?" said Almight.

I held up the bottle containing the Villain.

"He attacked me, so I shoved him in here," I said.

"Yeah, after nearly killing me," grumbled the Villain.

My eye twitched and I shook the bottle again.

"W-w-w-w-whoaaaa, p-p-p-please s-s-s-s-s-stopppp!" yelled the Villain.

I snorted and tossed the bottle to Almight.

"Here, I did your job, so you get to clean up the mess," I said, picking up my hat from where it had fallen and brushing it off, "Later!"

"WAIT A MOMENT YOUNG MAN," said Almight.

"Hmm?"

"WHATS YOUR NAME?" he asked, "I WILL NEED IT FOR THE REPORT."

I smirked.

"My name is Izuku Midoriya," I said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, ekat em emoh!"

I snapped my fingers and vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," said Zatanna as she dropped a box full of chains and ropes on a trestle table, "You were attacked by a Sludge villain who tried to take over your body?"

"Yep," I said as I looked under a yellow and blue cabinet for the runaway Rabbit I was looking for.

"And then you managed to beat it and lock it in a water bottle?"

"Yep."

"And then you met Almight and DIDN'T GET AN AUTOGRAPH!"

I jumped at the sudden shout and banged my head on the bottom of the table, sending startled doves fluttering around their cages.

"Whats the big deal?" I asked as I spotted the rabbit and lunged at it, only to miss and crash face first into a mirror.

"Whats the big deal?!" spluttered Zatanna as she snagged the bunny as it hopped past and started scratching it behind the ears, "Thats like meeting Superman and not getting an autograph!"

Oh yeah, that was a thing. You know how I said this world wasn't DC or Marvel? Well, it turns out I wasn't quite right about that, other than the fact that Stephen Strange and Zatara were a thing. See, while in Japan, the Hero Agencies are mostly autonomous, in other parts of the world, the heroes are more centralized. Europe had the Avengers (Yes, those Avengers, as in, Iron Man, the Hulk and so on) and America had the Justice League, which included the likes of Superman, Batman and Martian Manhunter. Whether or not the 'alien' characters are actually aliens or just people with Quirks that happen to match the powers of said aliens I have no idea and, frankly, I don't want to know.

Incidentally, considering all that, Almight wasn't the top Hero on the planet, just in Japan. To be fair to the big guy though, he was at number 2, right under Superman and right above Captain America...who actually operated out of Europe as a member of the Avengers, but was originally an American hero before SHIELD unfroze him. Speaking of SHIELD, they served as the overviewing body for Heroes the world over, basically the ones responsible for making sure we didn't go to far and slip down that slippery slope.

"In my defence, I had just finished fighting a Villain that Almight SHOULD have already dealt with," I said.

"Yeah, whatever," said Zatanna sullenly.

At that moment, the door opened and Zatara marched in.

"Have you two finished packing in here yet?" he asked, "Do hurry up, we still need to set up for tonights show."

"Where even is tonights show?" I asked.

Due to the Magic of...magic, Zatara was able to have shows all over the world and I was able to help and be back in time for dinner, even if the show was in America. Speaking of which…

"Gotham City tonight," said Zatara, "Mr Wayne has asked me to perform at his fundraising gala tonight."

My eye twitched. Well, this was probably going to be a right pain in the rear. Knowing Batman cliches like I do, I was willing to bet my wand that before the night was out, Batman and one of his rogues would be duking it out after they attack the gala. My money was on either Penguin or the Joker and knowing my luck, it'd probably be the latter. Still, at least I'd get to see Bats in action, so that was something at least.

"Kcap," I said, sweeping my arms over a part of the room as Zatanna did the same across the room.

The spell went to work and the scattered brikabrak and magical junk immediately lifted off and started packing itself neatly into various trunks and boxes. As each was filled, they closed themselves and vanished with a pop until the storage space was empty. Once done, Zatanna and I turned to Zatara, who was watching the entire thing with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm, impressive," he said, "You two have improved."

Zatanna looked ecstatic at her Fathers praise.

"But you're still not going to Young Justice," said Zatara and Zatanna slumped.

Young Justice Academy was the American version of UA Academy, serving as the country's foremost Hero Training Facility. It, along with Xavier's School for the Gifted in France, served as the main competition for UA around the world.

"Aww, but why not?" she pouted, "Izuku gets to go to UA!"

"Ah, but he isn't my child," said Zatara, "I will not have my Daughter putting herself in harms way."

Zatanna let out a huff.

"Fine," she muttered sullenly.

Zatara clapped his hands.

"Now now Zatanna, you can pout later," he said, "For now, let us join our supplies and get set up for this evening. After the two of you change that is."

Zatanna and I glanced at one another and smirked.

"Emit ot tius pu!" we said together and our clothes glowed and morphed. Zatanna was wearing the exact same outfit she wore in the Young Justice cartoon, while I was wearing a white shirt under a red velvet waistcoat, a black tailcoat, black trousers, white gloves and shiny black shoes. I snapped my fingers, summoning my now dry hat and put it on with a flourish.

"Very nice," said Zatara dryly.

"Hey, I learnt from the best," I said.

Zatara rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Space seemed to bend around us and we vanished with a pop. We reappeared in a backstage area that was nearly identical to the one we had just left, despite being on the other side of the world. Hey, its not like there can be that much difference between backstages around the world. As soon as we appeared, Zatanna and I got to work, setting up the tricks and props Zatara planned to use in his show with the ease of long practice.

* * *

We were just finishing setting up Zatara's guillotine (and isn't that a strange thing to say) when the door opened and a man came in. At the sight of the newcomer, Zatara smiled and head over.

"Good evening Mr Wayne," he said, "Its good to see you again."

"Please Giovanni , call me Bruce," said Bruce Wayne with a smile.

He was a young man, likely only in his early 20's, and was tall and broad shouldered. He was wearing an expensive looking suit and had short, black hair, brown eyes and strong features.

"Hey Bruce, long time no see," said Zatanna, letting go of the rope she was holding to run over and join her father.

"ZATANNA, DON'T LET GO!" I yelped as the rope I was holding suddenly snapped taut and dragged me off my feet as the counterweight dropped.

I hastily let go before I could slam into the rafters, although that didn't stop me from flying across the room to land in a box of costumes for a soft landing.

"Oops, sorry," said Zatanna, looking sheepish as I pulled myself out of the box and glared at her.

Zatara sighed and fixed his Daughter with a stern look. She quickly scurried back to the ropes and started winding the now loose rope back as I rejoined her, muttering about handsome strangers and airheaded girls.

"Em, did I come at a bad time?" asked Bruce, who looked like he was hiding a grin at our antics.

"No, not at all," said Zatara, "Its just my Daughter seems to need a lesson on prioritizing."

"I said I was sorry!" protested Zatanna.

I quickly tied off the rope before she could let go again.

"There, now you can run off and greet the rich boy," I grumbled.

"Aww, is little Deku jealous?" asked Zatanna with a grin.

"No, I am simply annoyed that I nearly got my head taken off," I growled right back.

"Alright then you two, thats enough," said Zatara as he came over, "Bruce, this is my stagehand/apprentice, Izuku Midoriya. Izuku, this is Bruce Wayne, although I suspect you already knew that."

"Nice to meet you Izuku," said Bruce in perfect Japanese.

"Likewise," I said, shaking his hand while trying to resist the urge to fanboy out.

I mean, come on, I was shaking _Bruce Wayne's_ hand! Add on the fact that Batman was one of the most famous heroes in both this world and my last one, I really was having to resist it.

With the introductions done, Bruce and Zatara headed off to discuss something, leaving Zatanna and I to finish setting up. I have to admit, inevitable attack or not, I was actually looking forwards to this show. It'd be fun!

 **And done. Just to be clear, this IS still the MHA world, I just added DC and Marvel to add a bit more meat to it. I find it incredibly hard to believe that the top Heroes in the world are all Japanese, so I added some that would trump them. Will other Comic Heroes be showing up? Probably.**

 **I'll leave you lot to decide if Martian Manhunter, Superman and Hawkman and Hawkgirl are aliens in this world or not. The same goes for Thor in the Avengers.**

 **So, what did you think of the fight between Izuku and the Sludge Villain? We got to have a glimpse of his power. I was actually tempted to include the inevitable fight with the Joker or whoever I decide to have attack the charity event, but I eventually decided not to.**

 **Why is Xavier's School for the Gifted in France? No clue, I just picked a country out of the blue.**

 **And with that, I am done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	24. Swirling Dragon Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Swirling Dragon

Dieing and ending up in another world is one thing. That world being one of murder and war is quite another. Add in two grouchy mental room mates, a howler monkey and an avenger as teammates and you have a recipe for headaches galore.

 **And we are back with a new idea! This one is Naruto and, in the barrage of Replacement Souls that have been coming lately, our hero is replacing Naruto himself. You can probably guess from the title what I have in mind, can't you? If not, well, I can't help you. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"What the..?"

I blinked my eyes, but was unable to see anything in the darkness around me.

"Where am I?"

I could feel something surrounding me, pressing in from all sides. Normally such a situation would send me into a panic attack, but for some reason I felt safe and content, as if I was in the embrace of my mother.

"What happened?"

The last thing I remembered I was leaving the Sports Center in the break between rounds to get a drink and then...nothing. At that moment, I was broken from my confusion as my surroundings suddenly compressed, pushing me in the direction my sense of balance told me was down, head first.

"Whats going on?"

The compression hit me again and I caught a glimpse of a flash of light and was suddenly filled with a desire to get out, as well as the familiar indications of a panic attack brought on by claustrophobia, making me even more desperate to get out. It took a while, but a combination of squirming and whatever was pushing me allowed me to finally get out and into the light. At first my vision was a little hazy and I could only make out blurred blobs and my hearing wasn't much better, only able to pick up garbled sounds. My nose was working a little better allowed me to smell that I was in some kind of hospital, although the scent was a little different from what I was used to in medical facilities. Nothing overt, just a very slight difference that indicated that they used something slightly different to sterilize the place.

Then, something impacted my behind, making me cough up liquid I didn't know I had in my lungs.

"Hey, whats the big idea!" I shouted.

Or rather, tried to. Instead the shout came out as a babys wail.

"Oh shit."

I felt someone pick me up, wrap me in something and pass me to another person. I blinked a few times, clearing my vision as best I was able to and looked up at the two gigantic faces looming over me. Well, gigantic for me anyway as I had apparently just be reborn. Well, this is going to take some getting used to.

* * *

I...have no idea what to make of this. It had been about an hour since I had been reborn and I found myself in my father's arms...on top of a gigantic toad facing down an equally massive nine tailed fox. Aww shit, this is gonna blow…

Sooo yeah, to summarize, I got reborn into the world of Naruto...as Naruto! How...how am I even supposed to react to that? I guess I can only hope this is a world where the idiot Civies only ignore me or things could get very messy.

* * *

OH THANK GOD! It seems that I got my wish. True, being shunned by the entire population of a village is pretty harsh and the price hikes the shopkeepers pulled off when I entered was downright murder on my wallet (when they even agreed to serve me that is), I managed just fine. I managed to get Sarutobi to teach me how to fend for myself in the wild and made use of the massive forests that surrounded the village to get the proper nutrition I needed to keep from stunting my growth. Add to it training in the arts of stealth and sneaking into the library at night, I was able to learn what I was supposed to and not the watered down or out right wrong information Mizuki tried to feed me at the Academy. Oh, yes, I had decided to become a Ninja. Not really anything else I could do as a Jinchuriki.

Speaking of my training, the issue of Mizuki being a horrible teacher vanished when I was seven and I met my mental roommates. Yes, roommates. As in, more than one.

* * *

The moment I closed my eyes, I found myself opening them again to find that my bedroom was replaced with what looked like a sewer with ankle high water, glowing blue pipes running above my head and a red glow coming from one direction.

"Well, looks like the fox wants a word," I muttered, "Alright, lets go see what sort of person it is."

I started walking in the direction of the glow and before long I found myself stood before the cage that held the Fox.

"Alright fuzzball, I'm here!" I shouted, "What do you want?"

My response was a very loud snort and the sound of something large turning over, before a pair of sleepy looking red eyes appeared in the darkness.

" **Wha...what do you want brat?"** rumbled the Fox, **"I'm trying to sleep here."**

I blinked.

"Er, your not the one who asked me here?" I asked.

" **The Fox didn't,"** said a new voice, this one deep, rumbling and very welsh, **"I did."**

The fox immediately shot upright, looking around wildly.

" **What the...whoes there?!"** it demanded.

" **Tch, you've got lazy Kyuubi,"** said the voice as a massive footstep shook the chamber, **"I'm surprised you haven't sensed my presence yet."**

" **Who are you?"** growled Kyuubi.

" **You mean you've forgotten my voice? Has it really been that long? I'm hurt."**

The sarcasm in the voice was palpable, although I was much more worried about the world shaking footsteps that seemed to be getting closer. Then, from a rather large tunnel that led off from the chamber, a pair of green eyes appeared, followed by a massive, red foot with golden yellow talons. Both Kyuubi and I watched, wide eyed, as the owner of said foot began to emerge from the shadows. It was a massive red Dragon with green eyes, even bigger than the Fox, with razor sharp teeth, massive horns on its head and nose and a pair of truly massive wings that were folded tightly to its back.

At the sight of it, my jaw dropped in utter disbelief. Being reborn was one thing, but THIS?! I'd be less surprised if I found myself containing a walking virus or a bunch of schoolgirls and their teacher! How in the hell did I end up with the god damn WELSH DRAGON!?

" **Wha...DDRAIG?!"** spluttered the Fox, **"What are you doing here!?"**

" **I would have thought that would be obvious,"** said Ddraig, **"The brat here is my current host, just like he is yours."**

"I...who...wha...WHAT?!" I spluttered, "You mean I'm the RED DRAGON EMPEROR on top of being a Jinchuriki!?"

" **Yep,"** said Ddraig with a toothy grin.

I let out a whimper and collapsed onto my bum.

" **Wait, how do you know about Ddraig?"** asked the Fox.

" **Watch the kids memories Kyuubi,"** said the Dragon, **"They make for some...interesting viewing."**

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow and closed his eyes.

"Um, at the risk of busing the timeline, are you the same Ddraig who lived in Issei?" I asked.

The Dragons eye twitched.

"I'll take that as a yes," I deadpanned, "Next question, how the FUCK are you in me?!"

" **Oh, that brat was my host over 10000 years ago,"** said Ddraig, **"Little perv ended up dieing in his sleep after a 72 hour long sex marathon with his harem."**

I blinked a few times, then clapped a hand over my nose to stop the inevitable nosebleed at the idea of doing even half the girls from DXD.

"Well...at least he died doing what he loved?" I said weakly.

" **I suppose,"** said Ddraig, **"I have to say, I've had over a thousand other hosts since then and not one has held a candle to him in terms of power, tenacity and sheer perverseness."**

"Yeah, Issei certainly is...was an interesting one," I muttered, "So, what are the chances of me meeting anyone from DXD, other than you?"

" **Basically nil,"** said Ddraig, **"I suppose you might meet people with Sacred Gear and I know for a fact that Albion is still around, but unless Ophis has got over Issei's death and crawled out of whatever hole she crawled into or Red decides to drop by, everyone else is long dead. The loss of belief from Mortals basically sapped the Gods of power and the Devils and Angels eventually bread themselves to extinction with Mortals, as did the other Yokai and other monsters. All that remains now is the so-called Bloodline abilities."**

"Like what?" I asked.

" **The Yuki Hyoton comes from Sitri blood, the Senju have Nature Spirit blood, the Kurama clan ironically have Kitsune blood and the Uzumaki Clan are descended from the Gremory family,"** said Ddraig, **"And no, that does not mean you'll have access to the Power of Destruction. Just their incredibly Magical potential and control, although Kyuubi's presence will throw that off somewhat."**

"So who did get the PoD?" I asked.

" **Not a clue,"** said Ddraig.

" **WHAT THE FUCK!?"** spluttered Kyuubi, finally coming out of its trance.

" **Told you it was interesting,"** said Ddraig.

" **I...how...you…"** spluttered Kyuubi as it tried to string together a coherent sentence while pointing at me.

I have to say, seeing a massive fox looking so flabbergasted was utterly hilarious and I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the look on its face. Kyuubi shook itself out of its shock and glared at me.

" **Its not funny!"** it protested.

"Yes it is!" I laughed.

Kyuubi growled and turned away from the cage. It almost looked like it was pouting, which certainly didn't help me stop laughing.

Eventually I managed to calm down enough to stop laughing and sat up, wiping away the tears of laughter.

"Alright, all joking aside, what now?" I asked.

" **Well, after viewing your memories, I can safely say that I have no intention of letting all your potential go down the drain into an orange wearing moron,"** said Kyuubi.

" **Indeed,"** said Ddraig, **"Not to mention the fact that you'll need to fight the White One in the future. You will need preparing."**

"So then, does that mean you two are going to train me?" I asked with a smirk.

" **That we will,"** said Ddraig, **"I hope your ready kid cus we're going to turn you into a worthy host for both our powers!"**

"Bring it on!" I said, "I can take it!"

* * *

Next time I decide to challenge a pair of immortal, insanely powerful beings living inside my gut to give me everything they've got, someone smack me. I really should have seen it coming, but the two of them were absolute demons!

Still, I can't exactly complain. Through the use of mental projections,, Ddraig was able to teach me numerous fighting styles used by his past hosts and Kyuubi's Chakra allowed said training to be transferred from my mental body to my physical one. From Kyuubi, I learnt Ninjutsu, mainly focused on my Affinities of Wind and Fire, and Fuinjutsu, most of which was either Uzumaki secret Seals or from the lost art of Onmyodo, although that was an extremely difficult art, so I hadn't made much progress.

"So, its like this?" I asked, sketching out a symbol on the paper tag I was making.

" **No, and don't activate that!"** said Kyuubi, **"You'll blow up if you do...Arrg, I can't teach you like this!"**

It shook its head.

" **Oh, screw it!"**

There was a puff of smoke and the Kyuubi vanished.

"What the...?!" I spluttered as I tried to wave away the smoke cloud that seeped out of the cage, "What was that?!"

"What? After all those fics you read last time through, you didn't think I only had one form, did you?" said a light and VERY feminine voice from the smoke cloud as it slowly cleared.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" I said as the smoke cleared to reveal the Kyuubi's Human form.

She (suprise suprise) was a beautiful young woman with fair skin and pale pink hair tied up in ponytails, yellow eyes and an amazing figure. She was wearing a dark blue kimono that left her shoulders and tops of her breasts visible and had light orange fox ears and tail.

"Ahhh, is that chosen or fixed?" I asked.

"Fixed, why?" said Kyuubi.

"Mmmhmm, and your real name is Tamamo, right?"

Ky...Tamamo stared at me in surprise.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"This is how," I said, creating a screen with Caster on it.

"Ohhh, right," said Tamamo, "I'm not a Servant or a Goddess though. Although...I suppose I was technically born from one, so…."

"You know what, I don't care," I said with a sigh.

Then I smirked.

"Besides, why should I complain about sharing headspace with such an adorable little fox?"

Tamamo blinked, before her cheeks pinked.

"I-idiot, don't say things like that!" she said, turning away to hide her blush.

" **BWAHAHAHA, nice one whelp!"** said Ddraig, **"Its been awhile since I've seen Tamamo blush like that!"**

Tamamo's cheeks immediately burned red and she threw a conjured paperweight at the Dragon. He just laughed harder when it bounced of his nose.

"S-shut up, Ero-ryu!" she yelled.

Ddraig and I just laughed harder.

 **And done. So, what do you think? Frankly, I've got about three other ideas for characters with Boosted Gear, but this is the only one that got any traction.**

 **Just to be clear, while Ddraig will not be the only DXD character to appear, any that do will either be Dragons or sealed inside Sacred Gears. Yep, there will be others. See if you can guess who has Divine Dividing.**

 **Tamamo is not the Tamamo from Fate, although she will have some similarities.**

 **And with that, I am done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	25. Swirling Dragon Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Swirling Dragon

Dieing and ending up in another world is one thing. That world being one of murder and war is quite another. Add in two grouchy mental room mates, a howler monkey and an avenger as teammates and you have a recipe for headaches galore.

 **And we are back for more! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Outside of my training in my head, I decided to take a leaf out of many of my alternates books by hiding my true skill and power behind a mask of idiocy. While the Villages only ignored and overcharged me, I didn't want to risk enticing them to violence by showing off my strength. I didn't chase after Sakura though. I'm not that masochistic.

On the other hand, I had made a friend in Hinata. And made a very interesting discovery about what she could do. And I don't just mean the fact that her skills had been blunted by her family's horrible treatment of her.

* * *

It was during the break time of the first day when I met the shy Hyuuga heiress, I was looking for somewhere out of the way to eat my lunch in peace, away from the loud brats that made up most of the school, when I stumbled on Hinata being surrounded by a bunch of Civie students who looked like they had more brawn than brain cells and would likely be drummed out of the Academy before the year was over, at least if they didn't get murdered by Hiashi first for picking on his daughter.

Apparently, rumors of Hinatas kind nature were already abundant and this bunch of morons had decided to make themselves feel good by picking on a Clan Heir. Not very smart, but these were the kind of people who thought that being a Ninja was all about epic battles and fame, rather than subterfuge and death. Unfortunately for them, I despise bullies and wasn't the type of person who let someone else be picked on. The fact that I was often the target of bullies due to ignorant parents passing on their disdain for me to their kids certainly didn't help my dislike of the cowards.

"Hey!"

At my shout, the bullys turned around and fixed me with with a piggy gaze. The leader of the bullies was a huge, fat boy that reminded me of a baby killer whale and made me wonder how in the world he planned to make it through the first PE session, let alone the whole of the Academy. He was even larger than the Akimichi and they had the excuse that their Clan Jutsu relied on their body's stores of energy to work, plus a lot of their body mass was actually muscle. This boy was pure fat. He had a mop of blond hair and watery blue eyes that contained little intelligence and a heck of a lot of malice, at least for a child.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, "Don't you know that picking on a Clan Heir is an incredibly bad idea?"

The fat boy snorted, sounding like the pig he resembled.

"What, this little freak?" he asked, "I'm just showing her her place compared to us normal people. Now beat it, or you'll be sorry!"

My eyebrows shot up. Wow, just wow. I knew that some of the Civilian residence of the village were jealous of the Bloodlines of the Shinobi clans and more than a few people were freaked out by the Hyuugas eyes, but to call the Heiress of one of the Noble Clans a freak could and would put you on their shitlist and, since this was a Shinobi village, chances are you'd disappeared and never be seen again. It really didn't help that this ignorant little bully and his gang reminded me of another baby whale who picked on someone for being different. However, that wasn't important, what was was making sure that these morons didn't become the victim of the Hyuuga Clans Gentle Fist. Broken bones were a lot easier to recover from than ruptured organs after all and got the message across much easier.

I picked up a nearby stone and threw it at the lead bully, nailing him in the back of the head. He turned around, his face turning red with anger.

"I'm sorry, maybe I wasn't being clear enough," I said, my voice and eyes colder than an arctic gale, "Here let me make it simpler. Stop picking on her or I'll break your legs."

The bully looked at me incredulously for a moment, before glancing at his goons.

"Hey, wait a sec, I recognize that kid," said one of the morons, "Thats the Demon kid your Dad told us about!"

The leader blinked and took another look at me, before a slow smile crossed his face.

"Well, this is lucky!" he said, "Lets get him!"

"Hooo boy," I muttered as the gang charged me.

Now, I could have easily taken them out thanks to the training I'd done with Ddraig and Tamamo, but since I was hiding my skills I couldn't exactly beat the shit out of them like I wanted to. At last I heal fast. Plus, these idiots couldn't actually hit that hard.

* * *

Eventually, the morons finished 'beating' me up and walked away, laughing and celebrating their 'victory', leaving me laying on my back.

"Idiots," I muttered.

"U-um, are you alright?"

"Hmm?"

I tilted my head back and found myself looking into a pair of worried, lavender coloured eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said as I sat up, "Those morons have no idea how to do any real damage."

I shifted my arm and winced. Although they didn't know how to hit properly yet, the leaders sheer weight meant that his hits did actually do some damage. Hinata noticed my wince and knelt down next to me.

"L-let me help," she said, "I-its the least I can do."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said.  
Hinata ignored me and cupped her hands over my injured arm. A moment later, a green aura appeared around her hands and a soothing warmth flowed into my arm.

"Wh...AH!"

I winced as my left hand tensed up.

" **Wha...I don't believe it!"** said Ddraig's voice in my head.

" _Whats up Ddraig?"_ I asked.

" **That power...its Twilight Healing!"**

My eyes widened and darted to Hinata's hands where, sure enough, there was a pair of silver rings on her fingers, nearly hidden by the light of the power. Well, that was interesting.

"Thats an interesting ability," I said, "Its not Medical Ninjutsu, is it?"

Hinata shook her head.

"No, its not," she said, "Truth is, I have no idea how I can do it. I just...developed the ability to heal injuries one day after my sister got badly hurt while we were playing in the forest. She would have bled out before we could get back to the Village and I was desperate. The next thing I knew, she was completely healed and I had this power."

"It sure is amazing," I said as she finished healing me and I flexed my arm, "It feels like I was never hurt at all!"

Hinata blushed and looked away.

"Y-yes, it is a blessing," she said, "I just wish…"

She shook her head.

"N-never mind."

She got to her feet and bowed to me.

"T-thank you for helping me," she said and scurried away.

" **Wow, she needs someone to give her a hug,"** said Tamamo, **"So what exactly is this Twilight Healing?"**

" **Twilight Healing, a Sacred Gear that allows the user to heal any injury from any race,"** said Ddraig, **"Its the sort of power any Healer would give their right arm for. To think its in the hands of a girl from a family who consider her gift to be an embarrassment due to their own foolish traditions…"**

"Thats almost as bad as what happened to Asia," I muttered, "At least she found happiness with Issei and the rest of Rias Peerage...Hey Ddraig, what do you say to helping out another wielder of Twilight Healing?"

" **Heh, since when have you ever needed my permission?"** growled the Dragon.

"Good point," I said, "Right, lets go!"

* * *

And thats how I made friends with Hinata...sort of. It took a few weeks to get her to stop squeaking and fainting whenever I caught her spying on my training in the waking world and even longer to convince her to spar with me. Still it was worth it, even if I did want to kill half of the Hyuuga clan by the end of it. Hinata was every bit as talented in the Junken as Neji. Her form was perfect, her speed incredibly and her natural flexibility just gave her an extra edge as it made her movements even more flowing. Literally the only thing holding her back was her chronic lack of confidence. Even her kind nature was less of a hindrance than that! To make matters worse, that lack of confidence was pretty well entrenched and I could not get Hinata to see that she had a ton of potential, even without her Twilight Healing.

To try and prove that she wasn't anywhere near as bad as her family would have her believe, I…'acquired' an anatomy model that was used to teach how the Chakra system worked and set it up. It worked by a person channeling some Chakra into it, which would then flow through the dummy in the same way as it would the Human body. It wasn't perfect of course, but it did have Tenketsu and dummys like this were also used to train Hyuuga in the use of the Gentle Fist.

I set up the dummy and charged it (being careful not to put too much Chakra in and blow it up like I did the other one I'd nicked) and took a few steps back.

"Alright Hinata, lets see what you can do," I said, "Just do your best."

"U-um, Ok," said Hinata and activated her Byakugan.

Ten seconds later, half the dummy pseudo-Tenketsu were blocked and, if it was Human, it would be suffering from massive internal hemorrhaging and muscle tears. Note to self, do NOT piss of Hinata. I looked at Hinata with a raised eyebrow as the Byakugan Princess poaked her fingers together.

"S-sorry, I know that wasn't as good as you were expecting," she said, "I'm a failure…"

I blinked and looked from Hinata to the dummy and back again.

"Hinata, that was damn near perfect," I said, "The only thing you did wrong was not target a lethal point. Look."

I pointed at the dummy, tracing the areas where Hinata had targeted.

"If this had been Human, you would have taken him completely out of the fight. Whats more, due to the severity of damage to the muscles in the legs, arms and abdomen, their Ninja career would be over without immediate treatment from a Medic on par with Tsunade of the Sannin. How in the world could that ever be considered to be bad?!"

Hinata blushed a shade of Uzumaki red.

"Hinata, the only thing holding you back from being a great Ninja is your lack of confidence," I said, "You are incredibly talented in the Junken and with your control and that healing power of yours, you'd make an excellent medic nin, easily on par with Tsunade. Had you been born into ANY other Clan than the Hyuuga, your powers would be welcome and nurtured, not ridiculed and scorned."

Hinatas blush darkened to the point where it was Gremory red.

"B-but my Father…"

" **Oh, thats it,"** growled Ddraig, making us both jump and look down at my left hand, **"Listen up Princess, your Father and Clan are complete morons. That power of yours is not a simple healing power. It is, quite literally, a gift from Heaven. Its name is Twilight Healing and it can heal ANYONE. Human, Devil, Angel, Dragon, Yokai, you name it. Do you have any idea how rare a power like that is?"**

Hinata stuttered, although whether it was from the fact my hand was talking or the fact she had just been told that her healing ability literally came from a long dead God.

"N-Naruto, your hands talking!" said Hinata.

"Er, yeah, this is Ddraig," I said, holding up my hand.

" **Yo."**

"Hes actually a Dragon sealed into a weapon thats in my left arm."

I clenched my fist and the Boosted Gear appeared.

 **DRAGON BOOSTER!**

Hinata jumped at the unexpected shout.

"Like your Twilight Healing, the Boosted Gear is a Sacred Gear, an artifact created by a God of the Ancient World in order to create miracles on Earth. Considering hes long dead, I'm not entirely sure how the Sacred Gear system is still working, but I'm certainly not going to complain."

"S-so, what does it do?" asked Hinata.

I grinned.

"It doubles my power every ten seconds," I said.

Hinata's eyes went wide.

"Thats…"

"Utterly broken? I know."

" **Notes about my brokenness aside, back to my original point,"** said Ddraig, **"You have a ton of talent in the Junken kid, but some people just aren't suited for combat. My advice is to focus on learning healing and become a medic instead. Of course, you should still train to fight, but your kindness and compassion will make you unsuitable for front line combat."**

"But my Father…"

" **Screw your father!"** said Ddraig, **"Its clear hes already made his mind up about you, so stop trying to meet his expectations and instead prove everyone wrong about you being useless by surpassing that brat Tsunade."**

I blinked.

"You know Tsunade?" I asked.

" **Hashirama was my last holder."**

"Oh...WHAT?!"

 **And that'll do for an end point. Might be a bit premature, but I really don't give a fuck.**

 **So, Hinata gets Twilight Healing and a good talking to from Ddraig about how she'd be better off becoming a Healer and telling everyone who thinks thats a bad thing to go screw themselves. She'll start channeling Asia in the future.**

 **Yep, Hashirama was indeed the last holder of the Boosted Gear. I wonder who held the Divine Dividing...as if its not blatantly obvious!**

 **Anyway, next time will take us up to the Exams. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	26. Sage of Alchemy Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Sage of Alchemy

Getting reborn is an interesting experience. Getting reborn into a world consumed with war and bloodshed, at the mercy of an immortal maniac out to become god is a pain in the neck. Still, at least I didn't lose my body. Unfortunately, these eyes make me think that maybe I'd be better as a walking suit of armour.

 **And here we are with something new, this time a Fullmetal Alchemist idea! Now, you might expect me to be using Ed, but from the summery probably tells you that he'll be Al instead. Now the only question is, what about his eyes makes him think that being trapped in armour would be a better choice? Hehehe, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I died, the last thing I was expecting was to wake up to see a crying man looking down at me. However, thats exactly what happened. It took a few moments to figure out what was going on, but when I did, I started cussing up a storm. Fortunately, my new body translated that into crying or else my new parents would have been scared out of their wits by a swearing baby. Of course, my problems didn't end there, oh no, I wasn't that lucky. See, I hadn't been reborn somewhere nice and safe, instead I had been reborn into the land of Amastris...AS ALPHONSE GOD-DAMN ELRIC!

So yeah, needless to say, I wasn't best pleased about being a future walking tin can, but I eventually managed to adapt. Considering I couldn't do anything other than drool and shit for a few years, I had plenty of time.

* * *

My first few years went pretty much like you'd expect, learning Alchemy from Dads books with Ed, hanging out with Winry and so on. What? You really think I'm not going to jump at the chance to learn something like Alchemy? Although, I have to say that it was a damn good thing I was a science geek last time through or I wouldn't have been able to follow any of it. My respect for Ed and Al in the original Manga went up multiple notches in no time flat.

* * *

Anyway, as you can imagine, time continued its march and my Mother's life came to its inevitable end. Even if I was expecting it, it still hit me hard, mainly because there was fuck all I could do about it. The main problem was that I was completely unable to convince Ed that attempting to bring her back was an extremely bad idea. The kid was extremely stubborn and was fixated on the idea. I knew that, even if I declined to help him, he'd do it anyway, so I tagged along. Who knows, maybe I could prevent it later on.

I couldn't. I tried constantly, bu

* * *

t every warning I gave Ed over the next few years was ignored or brushed off. Hell, when we started training under Izumi, I pointed out that her very first lesson was about accepting the cycle of Death and Rebirth, but was again brushed off. Eventually, I had had enough.

"Damn it Ed, will you listen to me!" I shouted, "This is madness! You know as well as I do that Human Transmutation is forbidden for a reason!"

"I know that Al, but I've figured out the correct formula," said Ed, leaning back to show me the Transmutation Circle he'd just finished drawing.

"Oh for...why are you being so damned stubborn?!" I growled, "Why can't you just let the Dead rest?"

Ed paused and looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Why are you so determined to stop me Al?" he asked, "Don't you want to see Mum again?"

"Of course I do Brother," I said, "But this isn't right! The dead should stay that way. I would have thought you had learnt that by now that going against the natural order will only lead to disaster. Besides, you really think that Mum would want us to waste our lives trying to bring her back?"

Ed sighed.

"I know," he said, "But...I've come to far. After everything we've been through, we have to try it."

He gave a weak smile.

"Besides, whats the worst that could happen?"

I stared at him.

"You...of all the things you could have said, why did it have to be that?" I groaned, "Now I know that something will go wrong."

Ed snorted.

"You mean you actually believe that crap?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"You really want to risk it?" I asked.

Ed just shook his head and turned back to his desk.

"Did you finish getting the ingredients?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I think Dad needs to learn to check his calculations," I said, "If we tried it with the amounts listed in his notes, we would have failed completely."

"What do you mean?" asked Ed.

"Well, there was way so much water missing that anything we made would have been completely dehydrated and with the amount of Potassium listed, I doubt that the results heart would even start beating," I deadpanned.

"Ah…"

"Yes, ah," I said.

Hey, I might be completely against this, but if Ed was going to do it anyway, I was going to make damned sure he actually has the right ingredients this time. Who knows, it might prevent some of the fallout.

"Alright, everythings set," said Ed as he finished the circle.

"Last chance Ed, we can still back out," I said.

Ed gave me a flat look and I sighed.

"Yeah, I know, I'm wasting my breath. Fine, lets do this."

Now, you might be wondering why I was going along with it considering I was about to be trapped in a suit of armour for who knows how long, but my reasons were relatively simple. Annoyingly stubborn or not, Ed was still my brother. Even if I backed out, Ed would still go through with the attempt and, without me there, he could well end up dieing from the backlash. I didn't want that to happen to him.

We knelt down next to the circle and placed our hands on it.

"This is it," muttered Ed.

"Ed…"

"No."

I sighed and we activated the circle. As expected, less than twenty seconds after the Transmutation started, everything went to hell as the light turned purple and shadowy arms began to wave through the air.

"Can I say I told you so?" I said weakly.

"Shut the hell up Al!" said Ed, right before one of the arms lashed out and slaced off his leg.

"E...AHHHH!"

I screamed as one of the arms lashed out and slashed me across the eyes, filling my world with red hot pain as everything went black.

* * *

" **Oh, whats this?"**

I opened my eyes and found myself floating in the endless void with the Gate behind me and the Truth before me.

" **How interesting,"** said the Truth, **"I don't think I've ever seen a being quite like you before. An Outsider...fascinating."**

"So, is this where you show me the Truth then kick me back to my body?" I asked, "What did you take? My eyes? It certainly felt like it."

Truth cocked its head on one side.

" **No, your Toll was paid in advance,"** it said.

"Eh?"

" **Your previous life is your payment,"** said Truth, **"However, I think you may leave this place with more than you entered."**

I blinked.

"Er, hows that possible?" I asked, "I thought this world ran on Equivalent Exchange?"

" **Oh, it does,"** said Truth, **"However, what you gain here does come with a cost. With the power it will grant you, you will have to face Father and later, an even greater threat."**

I narrowed my eyes.

"What threat?" I asked.

" **One that can, and will, destroy the world,"** said Truth, **"But for now, have fun."**

It waved as the Gate opened and dragged me inside. The experience was...harrowing to say the least. The knowledge that poured into my brain went well beyond meer Alchemy and into Magic, the history of the entire planet, knowledge of forbidden arts, other worlds and finally, a monstrous silhouette a single, glowing purple eye. Then, I found myself stood before Truth once more.

"Oh you have got to be fucking KIDDING ME!" I yelled, "Was that the…"

" **Yep."**

"And the power…"

" **Yep."**

I groaned and dropped my head to my hands.

"Well, at least you were nice enough to give me the knowledge of how to use them," I muttered.

" **Yes, but you'll still need to master a multitude of other skills if you want to beat Father, let alone her,"** said Truth.

"Eh, I'll figure something out," I said, "So, can I go now?"

Truth just grinned.

* * *

I jerked as I found myself in darkness. I let out a pained groan as my body reminded me that, even if I didn't lose anything, getting caught in an Alchemical backlash FUCKING HURTS!

"Granny, I think hes waking up!" called a familiar voice.

There was the sound of running footsteps and I felt a warm, rough hand on my forehead.

"Easy there Alphonse," said Granny Rockwell's voice, "I don't know what you boys were doing, but you're badly hurt."

"Wheres Ed?" I asked.

"Eds fine, or at least, as fine as you can be when you've lost an arm and a leg," said Granny.

"Thats a relief," I said, "Why can't I see anything?"

I reached up and felt bandages wrapped around my eyes.

"Well you see…" said Granny, "Whatever you two were doing completely destroyed your eyes. I'm sorry son…"

I grunted and reached up to remove the bandages.

"Wait, don't!" said Winry's voice, but she was too late and the bandages fell away.

My eyelids felt like they had been sewn shut, so opening them took some doing, but I managed. To my surprise, despite the fact my eyes had been destroyed and regenerated into a new form, I could see perfectly. I turned to look at Winry and Granny, only for both Rockbell women to recoil at the sight of my eyes.

"Wha...no, thats impossible!" said Granny, "I checked, your eye sockets were empty!"

"Amazing," breathed Winry, "Al, your eyes are beautiful!"

I shifted my gaze to the mirror that was conveniently placed over Grannys head. Staring back at me was a pair of purple orbs without visible whites and a pinprick pupils with concentric circles rippling out from the center. I looked down at my hands and focused, smirking slightly as my skin seemed to vanish and the flow of energy beneath my skin became visible.

"What are they?" asked Granny.

"The Eyes of the Sage," I muttered, "The Saṃsāra Eye, the Eyes of the Six Paths, the Ultimate Dojutsu. Just like the Philosophers Stone, these eyes go by many names. But the one thats easiest to say and their true name is the Rinnegan."

 **And done. I think this might be my most overpowered Outsider yet, although he doesn't have any Jutsu other than the inbuilt skills of the Rinnegan yet. Still, Alchemy more than makes up for that lack!**

 **Incidentally, I have the bare bones of an idea that will eventually cross this idea over with Swirling Dragon, which means that, even if I don't continue with this idea, we might be seeing this Alphonse again.**

 **To be honest, this entire idea came from seeing an image of the Eye in the Gate when I was looking for something completely unrelated.**

 **To be clear, because Al only lost his eyes in the rebound (which was from something completely unrelated to passing through the Gate), Ed lost both his arm and his leg.**

 **And done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	27. Sage of Alchemy Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Sage of Alchemy

Getting reborn is an interesting experience. Getting reborn into a world consumed with war and bloodshed, at the mercy of an immortal maniac out to become god is a pain in the neck. Still, at least I didn't lose my body. Unfortunately, these eyes make me think that maybe I'd be better as a walking suit of armour.

 **Hehehe, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"What are you doing Al?" asked Winry as I pulled back the sheet.

"Well, Ed and I gave a lot to make this, I kinda want to see what the result is," I said, "Hmm, interesting…"

Shortly after I woke up and checked on Ed (who was still unconscious), I asked Granny what she had done with what we had made. Apparently, me fixing the recipe and ensuring we had the right parts as opposed to being completely wrong had payed of and we had managed to create a perfect Human body. On the down side, it wasn't Mum. It was male for starters, with black hair and slate gray eyes.

"Alright, lets give this a shot," I said, holding out a hand and focusing.

I smirked and Winry gasped as a black rod emerged from my palm.

"W-what is that?" she asked, "Was that Alchemy?"

"Nope, not even close," I said as the rod broke off and fell into my hand, "Now then, I think that if I do this…"

I raised the rod and stabbed it into the body's chest, right over the heart.

"W-what are you…"

I held up a hand as I made a half rat sign with the other.

"You'll see in a moment," I said, "Ninja Art: Six Paths Jutsu."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the body twitched.

"Whooo boy, this feels weird," I said as I stumbled.

"What does?" asked Winry, "Al, what did you do?"

"Its one of the abilities of the Six Paths," I said, "I can use other bodies as puppets. Like so."

The body sat up and waved at Winry.

"I can see through and control both bodies simultaneously," I said through the body as it opened its eyes to reveal the Rinnegan, "Its gonna take some practice though."

Winry looked between my two bodies a few times, before her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.

"Hmm, maybe I should have let her in gently to my abilities," I muttered as I caught her.

I deactivated my technique, causing the body to go limp again, as I carried Winry out of the room.

"What did you do Alphonse?" asked Granny.

"Just demonstrated a new technique," I said, "Oh, don't get rid of that body. I'll need it."

"What could you possibly intend to use something like that for?"

"You'll see," I said with a smirk.

Granny eyed me wearily, before sighing.

"Fair enough, I won't get rid of it," she said, "Oh, by the way, Ed just woke up."

I gave her a flat look.

"And you didn't lead with that, why?" I asked.

"Because you have my unconscious Granddaughter in your arms," deadpanned the old woman.

"Point taken," I said.

* * *

After dropping Winry on the sofa where she'd be comfortable until she woke up, I headed to Ed's room where I found my brother staring up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. As I opened the door, he shifted slightly to look at me, before returning his gaze to the ceiling. I didn't say anything as I walked over and dropped into the seat next to his bed.

"Go on, say it," he muttered.

I snorted.

"It kinda seems pointless to say it now," I said, "Besides, I can't really feel smug with you in that state."

"And yet you came out unscathed," said Ed.

"Not entirely," I said, "I lost my eyes during the Transmutation, but due to...certain circumstances, Truth gave me these as a replacement."

"How is that Equivalent Exchange?" asked Ed.

"Well, I'll have to use them to save the world from a monster out to trap everyone in an endless illusion," I said.

Ed gave me a flat look.

"What?"

I shrugged.

"Hey, don't ask me, I only know what Truth rammed into my head."

Ed snorted. For a moment, we were silent, before I spoke up again.

"So, what are you going to do now?" I asked.

"I...don't know," said Ed, "I take it the Transmutation failed?"

"Surprisingly enough, we managed to make a perfect Human body," I said, "But it wasn't Mum and its non-functioning due to a lack of Soul."

"Huh, thats interesting," muttered Ed, "Guess Human Transmutation isn't such a pipe dream…"

"Well, the creation of Human bodies isn't," I said, "But bringing someone back to life through Alchemy is impossible."

"Hmm…"

We fell silent again.

"Hey Al, what do you want to do?" asked Ed.

"Hmm, interesting question," I said, "I guess...for now I want to master my abilities to the fullest. I'll need them for the future. Then...I don't know. I guess I'd like to see more of the world than just Amatris. However, I think the first thing we should do is try and get your body back to normal."

"And just how do you plan to do that?" asked Ed.

I shrugged.

"Theres an entire world out there Ed," I said, "Somewhere they must have something that can restore missing limbs."

Ed stared at me for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, there is the Philosopher's Stone," he muttered.

I hid a smirk. Bingo. Now, you might be wondering why I was willing to let things roll into canon, but the reasoning was simple. Ed and Al did a lot of good on their journey for a lot of people. Without them, who knows what could happen to people like Rose, the people of Youswell, Satella and even Mei and Ling if we didn't go on our journey? Plus, we had to deal with Father at some point or we wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Kaguya cus we'd all be dead.

* * *

A few days after Ed woke up, Mustang and Hawkeye showed up and, after scolding us, made the offer of becoming State Alchemists. I had no interest, mainly because I had other things to worry about, but Ed decided to take him up on the offer. After getting his Automail of course.

While he was doing that, I was hard at work at my own thing, mostly mastering my Rinnegan abilities, ranging from my Paths to controlling my additional body's, acquired by modifying the Transmutation Circle we used to attempt to revive Mum. The five new ones were created with a Chakra Receiver built into them and I quickly discovered that, in doing so, they became much more receptive to my control. I managed to send one body to the other side of the country with no problem whatsoever, although after it got more than ten miles away, I lost the ability to channel the power of the Paths through it. It could still use Chakra and Alchemy though.

Speaking of my Six Paths, I still haven't entirely figured out how the hell the Transmutation worked since every one of them was different. I somehow ended up with six different bodies, despite the fact I used the exact same materials and circle to create them.

With that ability discovered, I decided to make use of it to learn as much as I could about other skills and abilities that could come in handy in the future battles. There was very little in Amestris I could learn without Father knowing about it and having a counter, so I did the next logical thing. I sent them east, across the desert. Not to Xing to learn Alkahestry, but beyond to the land on the other side of a treacherous and deadly range of mountains where I would be able to learn all sorts of deadly techniques. What techniques are those? Why, Ninjutsu of course! Yep, as if it wasn't already obvious from the fact I have the Rinnegan, the Elemental Nations exist in this reality. I'm not really sure where exactly they are in the Timeline, but I'd find out soon enough.

Since I had six Paths, I decided that the most efficient way of using them was to send one to each of the Five Great Nations and have the sixth act as a traveler to gather intel and potentially learn techniques that those in the Villages could not. Obviously, being in seven places at once was rather difficult at first, but I think that either the Truth or the Rinnegan had done something to my brain, allowing me to create mental compartments so I could literally do seven things at once without any noticeable dip in focus. Sure, doing things like this basically cut my Chakra reserves down to a seventh of what it could have been, but it was also excellent exercise and I had no doubt my reserves would skyrocket very quickly. Plus, I also had Alchemy to fall back on, just in case.

* * *

While I was doing that, Ed was going through the agonizing process of receiving Automail and undergoing physical therapy to get used to it. There were multiple times that he ended up coughing up blood, but he persevered, never giving up and pushing himself everyday until eventually, he was able to move and fight with the same speed and precision he had when he had both arms and legs. He still wasn't as good as me though, even before I had my Paths start to learn Ninjutsu. Still, he was able to push me, so he was really good.

"Impressive," I said, "Looks like you're back to full strength."

"Yeah, finally," said Ed, "Now all thats left is to try some Alchemy."

He clapped his hands and transmuted his arm into a blade.

"Hmm, nice," I said.

"Yeah, that should do it!" said Ed, admiring his creation.

"Yeah, but you should probably change it back before…"

CLANG!

A wrench slammed into Ed's head, knocking him for six.

"OWWW!"

"HEY, YOU'D BETTER NOT BE MESSING UP MY AUTOMAIL!" yelled Winry from the balcony.

"HEY, THAT HURT!" yelled Ed, "You should act more like a girl and less like a gearhead!"

"Well sorry but your stuck with this Gearhead!" yelled Winry, "So long as you're wearing my Automail, I'm the one who's going to be keeping you working!"

"Tch, fine," grumbled Ed as he reversed his Transmutation.

* * *

And so, with his limbs now fully operational, Ed started his preparations for the State Alchemist exams and, a month after he recovered, the date rolled around and he headed out to catch the train to Centeral.

"Hey Al," said Winry as we watched Ed walk down the road in the direction of the Station, "If Ed passes and becomes a State Alchemist, you'll leave, won't you?"

I glanced up at my friend and sighed.

"Yeah, we will," I said, "But I promise that we'll come back once in awhile."

I snorted.

"Even if I have to drag him back."

Winry gave a weak chuckle.

"Thanks Al," she said.

* * *

Third Person POV, Unknown Location.

"Hmm, so this is the new Sacrifice?" said a shadowy figure sitting on a chair connected to a multitude of pipes, "And its Hoenhimes brat…interesting"

He glanced up at a figure stood to attention before him.

"Make sure he passes," said the figure, "We need him where we can keep an eye on him."

"Of course Master," said the second figure with a bow.

The figure turned and marched out of the room. For a moment, the room was silent, before the figure spoke again.

"Stop hiding in the dark and come out."

"Heh, impressive," said a new voice as a cloaked shadow seemed to step out of the wall, "I'm surprised you sensed me at all."

The first figure scoffed.

"You are in the heart of my domain, of course I could sense you."

The cloaked man chuckled.

"Tell me, how goes things here Homunculus?" he asked.

Homunculus closed his eyes.

"Well enough," he said, "Even without Greed, my Children are performing their roles well. It will be a few years yet before we are ready however. And you?"

"Very well indeed," said the cloaked man, "My pawns are carrying out their roles to perfection and I recently gained a very interesting piece. A man who slaughtered his entire clan in a single night."

"Oh? That is impressive," said Homunculus, "Between the Monster of the Mist, the Red Scorpion, the White Snake and the God and his Angel, and now this new face, your little organization is becoming very powerful. I dare even say, they could match up to my children in raw power."

He opened his eyes and glanced at the cloaked man through the corner of his eye, the only part of him that was visible was a single, glowing red eye with three commer shaped markings slowly rotating around the pupil.

"Don't you agree Madara?"

 **Ah, that can't be good. I almost feel guilty that this story will probably never get continued…**

 **So, Father is working with Madara...or at least Obito pretending to be Madara. That could be very, very bad indeed for our heroes.**

 **Incidentally, the start of FMA canon will be around the same time as the start of the Naruto canon, meaning that Al is three years older than Naruto.**

 **So what do you think of my variant of the Six Paths Jutsu? I created it so I could both nerf and overpower Al at will. Basically, so long as the Paths are active, he only has access to a small amount of Chakra, so he will mostly be using Taijutsu and Alchemy in combat...at least for now. Once shit hits the fan, he won't hesitate to either shut down or summon back his Paths to access his full power and kick arse.**

 **Incidentally, who do you think has more power, the Akatsuki or Father and the Homunculi? Personally, my money's on the Akatsuki. After all, the Homunculus may be able to regenerate quickly, but Ninja have far more destructive techniques at their fingertips. On a side note, who wants to see Kimbley and Deidara meet?**

 **And done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!**


	28. Overlord Age Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Overlord Age

O...K, I wasn't expecting this. When I was reborn into a world that I'm pretty sure was Mass Effect, I was gearing up for some serious fun watching people fumble, even if I would be getting on a bit when it finally rolled around. What I wasn't expecting was to end up in an entirely new world after my favorite video game ended. Well, this is gonna be fun

 **OK, I admit it, this is gonna be really, really odd. The Mass Effect thing is literally so I can throw the MC off and screw with his head, although it may come back into play later on. I'm not sure how long with will last, but whatever. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Hmm, I think I might be in trouble. When I died from a crashed Xbox electrocuting me, I probably should have seen this coming. I mean, I was playing Mass Effect! How much cliche could you get for the start of an SI insert? Then again, unlike those, I woke up as a baby, not on Eden Prime, so I guess thats something.

To be perfectly honest, other than the advanced technology and the fact that we had colonies on other planets, growing up in this new world wasn't actually all that different. I went to school, did homework, played games and did everything I did last time through. Still, I'd learnt from my mistakes last time through and so focused on improving myself. That is until I was 22 and a new type of game was released. Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, or DMMO-RPG's, weren't new, hell, there were a good number of fun ones and the current version of WoW held the distinction of being the first of its kind. However, in 2126 a game was released that blew it and everything before it out of the water and turned me into a full on Gamer geek once again. YGGDRASIL, a truly massive game with an incredible amount of player freedom, a constantly evolving world and an amazing community. It had a frankly obscene number of races, classes and jobs to choose from and I frickin _LOVED_ it. It hit every single nerd button I had and, for a couple of years, it consumed my life. I did eventually drag myself out of that pit though and became a contributing member of society. Well, as much as a full time author is, but I did occasionally work as a screenwriter as well.

* * *

Anyway, I had a ton of fun playing a Yasha, a type of Demon with shape shifting racial abilities and a great affinity for magic, and screwing with people with my shapeshifting abilities, usually by disguising myself as a Human type race, falling in with a hunting party and then slaughtering the lot of them once the mission was done. In fact, I actually tended to work as a mercenary for hunting parties to earn my gold and EXP...right before turning around and tearing my clients apart as soon as we parted ways. Hey, it may be dirty, but it was way better than some of the Human Race players treated my fellow Heteromorphic players.

Oddly enough, despite the fact my clients always ended up getting torn apart by a giant monster, no one ever seemed to notice and I had a steady supply of customers and even invites to join various Guilds. I turned them all down though. Like I said previously, I much prefered playing as a lone wolf. That is until one day when a group of particularly dim group of Human players who kept hiring me and then getting torn to bits. Apparently they wanted my help dealing with a group of Heteromorphic players who kept striking into Human lands and slaughtering anyone who tried to cross them. Considering the only thing these idiots had going for them was deep pockets, I'm not sure what they planned to do, but I'd yet to get board of slaughtering them, so I agreed to tag along.

* * *

"How in the hell did they manage to get lost in their own territory?" I growled as I stomped through the forest where my current pray were prone to appearing.

It also happened to be my current employers territory, which is why I was so annoyed that they had somehow managed to get lost. I was currently using my Tracking skill to track down my future doggy chow, grumbling all the while. Considering how high my skill was, it didn't take me long to find them in a nearby clearing.

"How the fuck did you lot manage to...get…" I trailed off as I entered the clearing and found my clients facing down a group of nine non-Human players, "Huh, guess you didn't need me after all."

I quickly scanned the newcomers levels and let out a huff when I saw they were all much stronger than my current companions...who were currently sneering, posturing and making threats. True, they greatly outnumbered the strangers, but numbers likely wouldn't mean much here. Especially not when I recognized the group. They were one of the strongest up and coming Guilds that had managed to take over one of the most difficult dungeons in the game with only nine players. Yeah, these idiots were doomed.

"HA, now Asura has arrived, we can finally get this party started and show you scum who's boss!" shouted the leader of my soon to be chew toys.

I sighed.

"You idiots do realize that these guys are much stronger than us, right?" I asked, "And I really don't feel like getting smacked down a level."

"Awww, we can take um!" said one of the other members, "After all, we're the heroes!"

I let out another sigh.

"Right, thats it," I said, "RPing is one thing, but I'm not losing my EXP to idiocy. Transform, Hellhound."

"Huh?"

My body began to glow and morph, rapidly growing a thick pelt the colour of smoke, my face bulging out into a powerful muzzle full of razor sharp fangs, my normally yellow eyes turning red and my humanoid frame contorting into the shape of a massive wolf the size of a horse with yet black fur and a massive set of claws and teeth that I quickly put to good use turning the idiots into mulch. They were so surprised they couldn't react before I'd finished them off. With the last one taken out, I turned to the nonplussed would-be pray and sat on my hunches.

"Um, good doggy?" said a Warrior in white armour.

I just let my currently canine tongue loll out of my mouth, showing off my massive fangs and lava-like drool in a doggy grin.

* * *

And thats how I met the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, one of the strongest Guilds in the entire game. I'm honestly not sure how it happened, but I ended up tagging along with them to finish the quest they were on and ended up adding the lot of them to my Friend List. They were just so much fun to hang around with. I even ended up joining the guild, ending my reign as the most powerful solo player, but gaining a reputation as one of the most powerful and dangerous mages in the game. Hell, even Momonga didn't hold a candle to my sheer destructive power, although that was mainly because he was a necromancer and, as such, relied more on summons. I on the other hand was an Elemental. That basically meant that my main method of attack was throwing meteorites around and blowing people up with fireballs.

* * *

It says something about a game, especially an MMO, when it can remain strong and at the top of the charts for 12 years. WoW was proof of that considering it was still consuming countless lives, although Yggdrasil now had it beat. However, all good things must come to an end and eventually, the player numbers began to slip. The fact that the devs had moved onto other things by this point meant that the game was slowly dieing. Hell, even Ainz Ooal Gown was hemorrhaging members by the end and they were one loyal lot. I suspect that the announcement of a new, very similar game being announced by the Devs didn't help the longevity of the game and, frankly, I was looking forwards to it as much as everyone else. However, I'd poured a lot of time and money into Yggdrasil, so I'd be sad to see it go. As such, I was currently wandering through the world, occasionally teleporting from area to area, taking in the sights and remembering all the good times I'd spent in this world.

I reached the top of a cliff and stopped, knocking my fist on a tree with a slight smile as I took in the view.

"I'll miss this when its gone," I muttered, "Even if the new games even better, I think this world will always have a special place in my heart…"

I let out a sigh and glanced at the clock. Half an hour until timeout. I brought up my console, intending to logout, but before I did, I noticed a name still logged in on my Friend List. It was the Master of Ainz Ooal Gown. I snorted. If I knew him, he'd be staying on until the Servers shut down. I hesitated for a moment, before shrugging and activating a teleport spell to the Great Tomb of Nazarick instead of logging out. Since we both shared a rather unhealthy love for the game, it felt right to spend the last few moments hanging out and reminiscing.

I brushed past the undead guards outside the Tomb and teleported deeper inside, reappearing outside the meeting room that had been distressingly empty of late. I stuck my head into the room, but it was empty. I noted that the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown was missing from its pedestal though. I quickly checked my friend list and saw that, yes, Momonga was still online. I spent a few minutes wandering the corridors, but I quickly realized he must be in the Throne Room. A quick teleport later and I appeared before the throne room doors and pushed them open. As I expected, the hulking skeletal form of Momonga was sat on the Guild Master's throne, with Sebes, the Pleiades and Alberdo.

"So, one last night as the Guildmaster and you spend it in here?" I asked as I walked up the hall.

"Asura, it has been a while," said Momonga.

"Yeah, I know, but you know how intense working on a movie can be," I said.

"Still, it was more than worth it," said Momonga, "I hear it wrecked the box office as well."

"Yep, one of the highest grossing films of all time," I said with a smirk, "Ain't I just the best?"

We both burst out laughing.

"Well, its good to see you again if nothing else," said Momonga.

"Yeah well, considering how much money and time I've pored into this game over the years, I figure I might as well get everything out of it I can," I said as I lent against the throne.

"I wish you'd arrived sooner," said Momonga, "It would have been fun to reminisce."

"Yeah well, I was out exploring," I said, "Found some interesting stuff to."

"I see," said Momonga, "Do you want your old gear back?"

I snorted.

"Not much point when the servers will go down in a few minutes," I said.

"I suppose," said Momonga.

He sat back in the throne with a sigh.

"Its been a long 12 years," he said, "Still, it was fun. In fact...it was a blast."

I nodded.

"Yeah, that it was," I said as I closed all three of my eyes as the clock ticked down to midnight…

And then it ticked over to one after.

"Huh?"

I opened my eyes and stumbled slightly as, instead of my usual depth perception, I found myself with a third field of view. Despite my avatar having three eyes and my ability to control the third one, it wasn't actually functional as anything but a focus for certain spells. Now however, it was like it had suddenly become fully functional and, while my brain quickly adjusted, for a moment I was nearly sick from the sensation.

"What in the world?" said Momonga from next to me, "Did they push back the shutdown?"

"I...don't think so," I said, "I feel...strange."

Momonga raised a hand and moved his fingers to summon his console.

"Hmm, I can't summon my console," he said.

It was at that point that I noticed that the NPC's were moving and exactly what was going on hit me like a ton of bricks.

" _Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!"_ I thought, _"How did I miss that!?"_

"My lords, is something wrong?" asked Alberdo, staring at Momonga worriedly.

Momonga twitched slightly.

"I can't contact the GM," said the Overlord.

"Don't bother trying," I said as I rubbed my head.

"Huh? What do you mean Asura?" he asked.

"I mean that something extremely strange is going on," I said, "I think...that somehow we've been transported to a new world."

If Momonga had an eyebrow, it would probably be raised.

"And why do you think that?" he asked.

"Because I can feel my magic and see through my third eye," I said, "That is impossible within the game. Also, there's no way that lot could move without being ordered or set to do so and you have done neither."

I jerked my thumb at the Pleiades and Sebes, who were shifting on their feet. A couple of the more fiery members looked a tad insulted, but refrained from commenting. Momonga stared at me for a moment, before turning to examine the former NPCs.

"Sebes, head outside and see where we are," he said, "Pleiades, strengthen our defences. Until we know whats going on, we need to assume that our security is breached."

I pushed off the throne that I had been leaning against as my body regained its equilibrium.

"While their doing that, I'm going to go and do my own reconnaissance," I said, "Call me if you need me."

Momonga nodded and I teleported out, reappearing at the gates. I paused and examined my new appearance in the highly polished silver plates that made up the doors locking mechanism. As a Yasha, despite technically being a heteromorphic race, my base form resembled a Human, albeit with a third, vertical eye in the center of my forehead with eight red, wavelike designs radiating out from it, the lowest two stretching down to my cheeks and the upper two vanishing into my hairline, pointed ears and a pair of smooth, black horns curling from my forehead. My hair was silver, with thin, jagged red lines running through it and my eyes were golden yellow with slitted pupils. My current equipment was a simple navy blue kosode top and hakama pants, a white scarf with red eye shapes at the ends and a pair of straw sandals. There wasn't anything special about the gear since my high level stuff had been left with Momonga when my workload eventually consumed all the time I would have spent playing the game.

I shook my head and turned away from my reflection, making a mental note to retrieve my gear from the Vault, before taking off and flying high above the clouds.

"Hmm, lets see what I can see," I muttered, "Farsight."

My eyes glowed and my vision expanded out, sweeping across the land. I briefly paused when I reached a village, but quickly moved on since there wasn't really anything particularly interesting going on in any of them. I was able to confirm that we were indeed in the New World from canon though when I spotted a few familiar faces in the nearest city. I didn't stop though, instead choosing to send my vision even further afield, beyond the three known kingdoms and out to sea. My Farsight ability was tied to the moon, with the phase determining how far the spell could allow me to see. Combine that with the Pendant of Clear Vision I was wearing and my vision easily eclipsed virtually all scrying spells in terms of range. It wasn't really that useful though, except for keeping an eye on possible threats.

Eventually, my vision reached another landmass and a village a short distance inland before reaching its limit. However, despite that, I could still get a good look and what I saw made me do a double take. It looked like a group of travelers, consisting of a group of armoured men in heavy looking plate armour and a group of robed individuals with pointed ears and tattoos who were chained up. And being dragged along since most of them seemed to be either trying to get away or dazed from a previous attempt.

"What the hell?" I muttered, "That looks like...Transport!"

An eye shaped portal appeared behind me and closed around me, warping me to above the village I had seen the fight taking place in. I shifted into the form of a raven with red eyes and red, eye shaped markings on the undersides of its wings and flew down, landing on a post near the road as the group rounded the corner.

"Release us Shem!" shouted one of the captured elves, glaring at his captors, "You have no right to take us like this!"

"Shut it Knife Ear," sneered the leader of the Knights, "All Mages belong in the Circle and you damned Dalish are no different."

I blinked a few times and facepalmed, something that I admit must have looked pretty strange seeing as I was currently a crow.

"Something tells me this is gonna be a right pain in the arse," I muttered, "Then again...SQUARK!"

There was a puff of feathers as a bolt of white light hit me and forced me out of my transformation.

"What the hell?" I muttered, "That felt like…Holy Smite. Interesting..."

Holy Smite was a low level skill from YGGDRASIL that allowed those in the Warrior class to cause minor Holy damage and remove buffs from the target. However, because it was so low level, it quickly became obsolete and was replaced by much more powerful and useful skills. The only reason it had worked to knock me out of my transformation was because the Raven From was meant for fast traveling by air and, as such, had incredibly low defence. Plus, I was technically weak to Holy attacks, being a Demon and all.

"Well, looks like this is our lucky day," said a voice, making me look up.

A group of five Templars were advancing towards me, swords out and ready, leaving three of their fellows to watch over their prisoners.

"Not only did we bag a group of Knife Ear Apostates, but we even found another one lurking on the roads," said the leader.

I snorted and got to my feet, brushing myself off as I did and using my bowed head to hide my third eye as I used an Illusion Skill to hide it. I could easily flatten these morons, but I wouldn't fight if I could avoid it.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I ain't a Mage," I said.

Technically, that was true. I may be a Magic Caster in terms of my class, but there is no way in hell I could be considered a Mage by the rules of Thedas. The Templars didn't look convinced though.

"Don't bother lying to us Mage," said the leader, "I can sense your Mana."

I raised an eyebrow. Well, wasn't that interesting.

"In that case, you must know that you don't have a chance, right?" I said.

I had more mana than Momonga and was tied with him as one of the strongest Magic Casters in the Guild. However, the main difference between us was the fact that, while he mostly focused on support and winning through clever usage of information, I just overwhelmed my opponents with high level, wide area attacks. During one of the Goblin Invasion events, I had once destroyed nearly half of the vanguard of the invading horde with a single spell. True, that was after cranking up my power with countless buffs, some incredibly powerful gear and making use of some of my Guildmates spells that could amplify the power of my own spell, but it was still an impressive feat. With that in mind, these five idiots didn't really intimidate me. Hell, my physical and magical defence would probably be enough to neutralize any attack they could try.

"And why would I think that?" asked the lead Templar, "Mages can't possibly hope to defeat the Makers chosen warriors!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Mage Sight," I said and the Templars lit up.

The Mage Sight spell was what allowed the caster to see any buffs or debuffs on those around him or her. The moment I cast it, I figured out why these idiots weren't running. I had assumed that he'd used Mana Essence or a similar ability, but it turned out, it was more akin to Detect Magic, a spell that only revealed the location of nearby magical sources, not the amount of power they had. I sighed.

"Right, that explains it," I said, "Alright buddy, since you apparently can't detect my power, I'll give you this warning. Leave now and I won't turn you all into red smeers."

The Templars didn't seem to take my warning in stride however, in fact, they seemed more insulted.

"DON'T YOU LOOK DOWN ON US YOU DAMNED KNIFE EAR!" roared one of the younger looking Templars and charged, his sword raised.

My response was to backhand him without looking. As I was a Magic Caster, my strength stat wasn't that high, but the Yasha Race stats were fairly well balanced between Magic and strength stats, so even without training the stat, I was capable of some pretty impressive feats of strength. Like literally knocking the idiots block off.

"Oh dear, I guess you all want to die here," I said with a dark grin as the Templars stared at the now headless body, "Very well, I will oblige. Crimson Lightning!"

Blood red energy sparked around my hands, before leaping at the Templars.

"Hah, you're wasting your time," said the leader, "Magic won't...GAHHHH!"

The lightning struck and immediately proved him very wrong. After a couple of seconds, the Templars were thrown backwards as the spell dissipated, smoking and quite dead. For a moment, there was silence, before one of the remaining Templars who had been left to guard the Elven prisoners drew his sword.

"YOU BASTARD!" he roared, "YOU'RE DEAD!"

"He just saw me take out an entire squad of his fellows with one spell and he thinks he can take me?" I muttered as I shrugged off a Holy Smite, "Whatever, I can't be bothered with this. Deadly Wind."

I waved a hand and a black wind appeared and hit the charging Templar. Instantly, his armour and weapon began to corrode, falling apart in seconds, followed by his body. Within moments, there was nothing but a skeleton left and even that was dissolving as it collapsed.

"Hmm, interesting," I muttered as I stared down at my hand.

Despite the fact I had just killed six men in rather gruesome fashion, I felt nothing. Momonga had an excuse since he was undead anyway, but I was not. Still, I suppose I was a Demon, so its not totally out of the question that my morality and empathy for Humans had taken a nosedive.

CLANG!

I blinked and looked up to see a startled looking Knight staring down at his broken sword. Apparently he had just tried to attack me while I was distracted and, since his sword was low class trash, it had broken against my skin, likely thanks to my racial Armoured Skin ability that served to protect from physical attacks that weren't enhanced by Magic. Or really sharp swords.

"Well, that was rather dumb," I said.

The Templar laughed weakly, right before his upper half was immolated by a massive fireball. With the annoyance dead, I turned to fix the remaining Templar with a flat look.

"You want to pick a fight too?" I asked.

His response was to drop his sword and run away as fast as he could. I snorted. That was the first intelligent decision I'd seen from a Human all day. I turned to the chained Elves, who flinched away under my stare.

"You...what are you?" asked the oldest woman amongst them who was wearing robes I vaguely recognized as being those of a Keeper, "This feeling...are you a Demon?"

I blinked in surprise.

"Oh my, you can see through my Transformation Skill?" I said, "Impressive. I guess the people in this land are not as pathetic as I thought. Release Transformation."

There was a pulse of magic and my horns and third eye reappeared. Immediately, the Elves recoiled.

"What manner of Abomination are you?" demanded one of the Elves.

I laughed.

"I am no Abomination," I said, "I am a Yasha, a high level Demon, well beyond any pathetic little Spirit that dwell in the Fade!"

Well, actually, I had no idea if that was true or not, but since Templars could actually kill most Demons and Abominations, it was probably true.

"A Yasha...I do not believe I have ever heard of your kind," said the Keeper, narrowing her eyes, "Why are you here?"

"I was curious," I said honestly, "I have heard rumors of the strength of the Templar order and wished to test them. Unfortunately, I am disappointed."

I sneered down at the bodies.

"I see," said the Keeper, "And what of us?"

I stared at her for a moment, before pointing at the group. They tensed as a red glow appeared at the tip of my finger.

"Break item," I said and their bonds turned to dust.

"Do as you will," I said as I turned away, "I don't care in the slightest."

I sensed a slight buildup of magic behind me and glanced back to see the Keeper smack down one of the younger elves arms.

"Very wise," I said.

I tilted my head on one side as I heard the chime of Communication Magic.

" **Asura, please return to Nazarick,"** said Momonga, **"We need to talk. Come to the Arena as soon as you are able."**

"Alright, I will be right there," I said, "I believe I have some information as well."

I cut of the spell and summoned a portal into existence, ignoring the Elves startled gasps as I stepped through. I'd be back soon enough though, I was eager to test my power against the Blight.

 **And done. Well, that was kinda fun. A nice long chapter to start with, although this probably won't be continued past the first two chapters. On the other hand, I could be totally wrong, in which case, YAY!**

 **So, what do you think of Asura? Suitably op for an Overlord story? I'd say so. I'll come up with a way to nerf him like Ainz does with Momon...sort of.**

 **Assume that most of the events of Overlord are canon unless I state otherwise since we'll mainly be focused on Asura fucking with Thedas. With a little help from a few of his comrades from Nazarick of course.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to review on your way out!**


	29. A Wizard at Beacon Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: A Wizard at Beacon

Waking up in the body of a baby is rather disconcerting. Finding out I've been reborn in a world of monsters and Darkness is worse. Still, at least I've got some cool powers out of the bargain!

 **And here we go with another RWBY idea, this time a True OC story...sort of. At least, hes not Jaune this time. Unfortunately, to keep from having to create three new characters or add a fifth member to a Team (which I really don't like), someones gonna get the axe from Beacon. Unfortunately, that someone is going to be Jaune, although he WILL make an appearance at some point. Oh, and before I forget, yes, this story was basically so I can play around with the magic system from In Another World With My Smartphone. If you haven't seen it yet, WATCH IT NOW! Or read the Light Novels. Their next on my list after I finish Overlord. For now though, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Well, I can safely say that someone is pissed at me. Why? Well, I'd just died from having a shelf of kitchen equipment fall on me at work and now I find myself waking up in the body of a baby with a giant in a surgical mask leaning over me. Needless to say, that scared the crap out of me.

After that pant wetting introduction to my new life, I quickly made a few interesting discoveries. First of, I had been reborn into the world of Remnant. You know, the world where everyone has colour's in their name, weapons can change shape and the entire world is infested with Monsters? Yeah, that one. In other news, I was apparently now the son of Glynda Goodwitch and an unknown man, although considering my hair is black, my money's on Ironwood. Plus, my name was James, so that was another nod towards him being my pa.

* * *

Anyway, moving on. Growing up was oddly normal, all things considered. Mum was strict, but a very good teacher in the art of combat and the use of Dust in combat. Much to my surprise, she didn't actually forbid me from becoming a Huntsman, instead deciding to train me whenever she could and activated my Aura at a very early age. That led to two reveals about me. First of all, I had an obscene amount of Aura and second, my Semblance was incredibly unique. It was, in a word, Magic. By using various Dust crystals as foci, I could summon and control the Elements like no one else could using just my Aura. Hell, I didn't even use up the Crystals, unless I cast a really massive spell with one. I could also use my Semblance to use various supplementary abilities without Dust as a focus, including creating passable copies of other people's Semblances, but as a general rule, mine weren't as strong.

To complement my Semblance, I created two primary weapons. The first was a pair of bracers containing a red, orange, green, blue, yellow and white crystal, which allowed me to use Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Light and my copied Semblance type skills respectively. Well, actually White Dust was a generic energy used in normal bullets, but it served as a decent catalyst for my copied abilities, or Null as I usually refered to it as. Mainly because it was nearly identical to the Magic system from an Anime called In Another World With My Smartphone. Actually, it was pretty much identical and I was pretty sure that if I got my hands on some Darkness Dust (the rarest and most expensive in existence) then I'd be able to perform Summon spells. Hell, I'd even done a bit of experimentation and found that I could actually use a few of the Null spells shown in the Anime.

Anyway, my second weapon was a revolver that could turn into a sword and acted as my main weapon when my Magic was unavailable. Actually, I used my Semblance to make it and it was nearly identical to Touya's Brunhilda, only mine was white and called Sheer Trigger. However, that was a secondary weapon for if my magic ever failed me or I couldn't use it for whatever reason.

* * *

In addition to being trained by Mum, I also attended a combat school located in Vale where I was naturally the top of the class, much to the ire of some of my classmates. Still, between my incredible skill with my Semblance and my not inconsiderable talent with a blade and gun, I had more than earned my spot as top student in my graduating year, just like my Mother. Considering how good I was, getting into Beacon was a synch, not that that stopped the mutters that my Mum helped me get in. Fat chance of that. In fact, if I know her, she probably marked me even more strictly than my future classmates. She expected only the best from me after all and I was only to happy to meet and break those expectations.

* * *

Anyway, eventually the first day of school rolled around and saw me making my way through Vale to the Bullhead port. Despite the fact that my Mother typically lived at Beacon, I instead lived at an apartment she owned in the City proper, with Mum coming home at the weekends and holidays. Still, we spoke often over Scrolls and were fairly close, although I couldn't expect any preferential treatment once school started. That was fine though. I was training to be a warrior after all, even if I was technically a Mage.

I reached the Port in plenty of time and boarded the Bullhead, pausing to allow some girls to get on first. What? With a mother like mine, you really think I'd not be instilled with some measure of chivalry? The Bullhead wasn't full yet, so there were plenty of seats to chose from. I sat down in one and planted my backpack between my legs and pulling out my Scroll, opening my Ignite app (basically Remnants Kindle from the online shopping company, Derwent). I sat quietly, reading my latest book, the Remnant version of the Dresden Files. It was functionally identical to the one from my old world with only a few names changed and taking place in Atlus instead of Chicago. I glanced up when Torchwick was mentioned, but I ignored the announcement from Mum in favor of my book. I'd heard it before after all.

* * *

Eventually, the Bullhead arrived and I stood, slipping my Scroll into my bag as I left the flying machine. As I did, I caught the tail end of the argument between Ruby, Blake and Weiss and watched as the former flopped down onto her back.

"Hnn, guess I should meet the Heroine," I muttered as I walked to the girl.

As I approached, she opened her eyes.

"Hey there, need a hand?" I asked, offering my hand, "I'm James."

"Ruby," said Ruby, taking my offered limb and letting me pull her to her feet.

"Are you OK?" I asked, "I caught the tail end of that argument. It looked pretty rough."

Ruby looked sheepish.

"Um, I kinda knocked over some girls luggage and she started yelling at me," she said, "Then some stuff happened and I sneezed and exploded then that nice girl came to help and told the crabby girl off and…"

"Yeahhh, I noticed that explosion," I said, cutting of Ruby's babbling, "To be fair, she was more at fault than you, waving that Dust Vile around so much."

"I know, right?" said Ruby, looking relieved.

We slipped into silence for a few seconds as we walked.

"Sooo, I got this thing," said Ruby, pulling out Crescent Rose and slamming it into the ground.

She also almost cut off my toes, but I didn't do more than flinch.

"Ohh, now thats cool," I said, "A mechashift scythe/sniper rifle. I bet this thing could do some serious damage to Grimm."

I looked up and nearly took a step back when I saw that Ruby was staring at me with massive, shining eyes.

"Y-you know what it is!" she said.

"Yeah, I had to do some research when I was making this," I said, drawing Sheer Trigger from under my long, white coat, "Its not actually Mechashift since it uses my Semblance to function, but I still had to know how it worked."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"My Semblance is pretty useful in how I can use it," I said, "It allows me to do various things with Dust and my Aura, including reshaping and transforming matter. Using that ability, I can do this. Blade Mode."

Sheer Trigger glowed and changed shape, transforming from a normal revolver with a short blade underneath the barrel to a longsword with a revolver built into the hilt.

"Whoaaaa, thats so cool!" said Ruby, her eyes wide and gleaming, "I bet that Semblance is really useful!"

I smiled and switched my weapon back to Gun form so I could put it away.

"You have no idea," I said, "I'm sure you'll get to see some of what I can do in the future when I really cut loose. For now though, we should get to the Main Hall."

"You know where it is?" asked Ruby as she followed me.

"I practically grew up here," I said, "My Mums on the staff, so when I was a kid, I spent a lot of time here. These days I mostly live in the city for school, but I still know my way around."

* * *

It didn't take us long to get to the Hall where we were supposed to meet for the opening ceremony.

"Hey Ruby, over here!" called Yang from the crowd, "I saved you a spot!"

"Oh, come and meet my sister," said Ruby, grabbing my arm and dragging me over to where Yang was waiting.

"Hey Ruby, glad to see you're OK," said Yang, eyeing me curiously, "I see you made a new friend."

Ruby blinked and looked mildly surprised by that.

"Um, yeah, I guess I did," she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Is it really that surprising?" I asked.

"Don't mind here, shes not very good at making friends," said Yang, eyeing me up and down with a gleam of appreciation in her eye, "I'm Yang Xiao Long handsome."

I blinked. Well, that was a tad unexpected. I mean, I'm not exactly bad looking, but I wasn't expecting Yang to start drooling over me right off the bat.

"James Goodwitch, nice to meet you," I said.

"Goodwitch? You mean like the teacher?" asked Yang.

I nodded.

"Yep, shes my Mother," I said.

The two sisters stared at me.

"What?"

"You didn't tell me your mother was the deputy head!" said Ruby.

I shrugged.

"Not like it really means anything," I said, "Believe me, just because shes my mother, she will NOT pull her punches."

The two girls glanced at the sivear looking woman on stage and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I know what you mean," said Yang, "That aside Ruby, I told you you could make friends if you just put your mind to it."

"Yeah, but only after you ditched me and I exploded!" snapped Ruby.

"Yeesh, meltdown already, huh?" asked Yang.

"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!" protested Ruby, "And there was some fire and I think some ice and…"

"Are you being sarcastic?" asked Yang, now looking totally confused as I stood back on my heels to watch the show.

It was even funnier in person.

"I wish! I tripped over some crabby girls luggage and she started yelling at me and then I sneezed and then I exploded and then she yelled at me again and I felt really bad and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

While this was going on, I was having real trouble keeping from laughing as I watched Weiss slowly approaching Ruby from behind. Apparently the white themed girl hadn't noticed her future leader yet, but that quickly changed as she noticed Ruby's red hood.

"YOU!" she shouted, making Ruby jump into Yangs arms.

"Oh no its happening again!" she howled.

"You were lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" snapped Weiss.

"Oh my god, you really exploded," said Yang.

It was at that point that I lost all self control and burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the R,W and Y of RWBY. Yang looked like she was trying to keep from laughing as well, Ruby looked a little betrayed and Weiss...Weiss was trying to burn a hole in my skull.

"And just what is so funny?" she demanded.

"S-sorry, I just can't help it!" I said, "This argument sounds like something out of a cartoon!"

I burst out laughing again, this time with Yang joining me.

"Yang!" wined Ruby.

"S-sorry Rubes, but hes right," said Yang.

"D-don't mind us Ladies, you just keep on chatting," I said as I struggled to get my hysterics under control.

Fortunately, Ozpin chose that moment to step up on stage and give his speech, after which we were shepherded out to the Great Hall, after dropping off our gear in our lockers of course. I quickly changed into my sleepware in the gents, a pair of black pajama bottoms and a white vest, and headed back into the Hall where I headed over to where I'd claimed a spot in the corner and pulled out a book. I didn't start reading though, instead using it as a cover for watching my future classmates. I could already see several important people, such as Ren and Nora preparing for bed (Ren doing so calmly and quietly while Nora bobbled and bounced around with excess energy), Pyrrha sat quietly in another corner meditating and Cardin and his goons messing around and acting like pricks towards the Faunus in the room.

"Assholes," I muttered as I adjusted my bracers, "Lets see if we can do something about them for now. Come forth Wind, send my foes to Morpheus, veternum venti."

The green crystal on my bracer glowed and a faint pink mist emerged from my hand, wafting across the room and causing anyone it touched to fall asleep. Eventually, it reached Cardin and his friends and they all immediately collapsed as the spell did its work.

I smirked as I turned away from the morons who would likely end up as my punching bags at some point in favor of a commotion going on on the other side of the room. I smirked slightly when I saw it was the fight between the future Team RWBY. Said smirk was interrupted by a yawn and I decided to call it a night.

 **And done. So, what do you think? As I said up top, I won't be adding James to a team as a fifth member or creating an entire team around him, although to be fair, I could probably just you Touya's friends and no one would notice.**

 **For those interested, I will be including a description of James in the next chapter, but his outfit is identical to Touya's, mainly because it looks really damn cool, with the addition of his bracers of course.**

 **Despite what it might appear, hes not actually as OP as he first appears. True, he is very powerful, but his main strength is fighting at a range. While he is capable of defending himself up close, a skilled fighter who focus on CQC would flatten him in no time. Plus, his attacks require him to be able to speak to activate.**

 **For those interested, Veternum Venti means sleepy wind.**

 **I hope I did a good job explaining James and Glynda's relationship. We'll see some interaction between them soon enough, but I think I managed to pull off how Glynda would actually act as a Mother. Speaking of which, I wonder who his Father really is? And no, its not Ozpin.**

 **And done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!**


	30. A Wizard at Beacon Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: A Wizard at Beacon

Waking up in the body of a baby is rather disconcerting. Finding out I've been reborn in a world of monsters and Darkness is worse. Still, at least I've got some cool powers out of the bargain!

 **Hello and welcome back. Nothing to say here, so lets dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The next day dawned bright and sore for me as I had slept sitting up, leaning against the hard, wooden paneling that lined the Hall. Big mistake. I groaned as I cracked my back, twisting this way and that with a series of satisfying cracks.

"Ohh, thats better," I said, "Now, lets go gear up."

After my morning rituals and breakfast (making sure to keep my fingers well away from Nora), I headed into the armoury to pick up my gear. Yang and Ruby were already arguing about being on a team. I reached my locker to find Pyrrha and Weiss stood in front of it. Weiss had an odd look on her face and was probably in the middle of plotting how she and Pyrrha were going to be the perfect team and such. Unfortunately, my locker was right between them and I didn't feel like waiting for Weiss' little breakdown to finish.

"Scuse me," I said, snapping the white themed girl out of her trance, "Could I get at my locker?"

"Oh, sure," said Pyrrha, stepping to one side and letting me approach.

"You again," sniffed Weiss.

"Whats with the cold shoulder Princess?" I asked as I put on my coat and grabbed my gun, "I didn't do anything to you."

Weiss glared at me as I checked that Sheer Trigger was fully loaded and slipped it into the holster on the back of my belt.

"You mocked me yesterday!"

"Thats what you took away from that?" I snorted, "I was only laughing because of how over the top you were acting."

"THAT GIRL COULD HAVE KILLED ME!" roared Weiss.

"But she didn't and she apologised, so no hard feelings," I said, "So, now thats out of the way, how about we start over. Hello Weiss, I'm James Goodwitch."

"Hello James," said Pyrrha.

I blinked as I realised that yes, Pyrrha was still there. How the hell had I forgotten about her?

"Oh, sorry, that was rude of me," I said, holding out my hand, "Nice to meet you…"

Weiss was quick to plant herself between us, cutting me off.

"Ahem, James was it?" she said haughtily, "Do you have any idea who this is?"

"I do," I said, "Pyrrha Nikos, correct?"

Pyrrha twitched slightly, but nodded.

"Again, its nice to meet you," I said, stepping around Weiss to offer Pyrrha my hand again, "I hope we can get along."

Pyrrha looked surprised, but shook it anyway.

"Um, likewise James," she said, blushing slightly.

Weiss looked between the two of us in utter confusion.

"Bu...wha...she…"

"Breath Princess, don't pass out before we even get to the initiation," I said with a smirk.

That seemed to snap Weiss out of it.

"HOW CAN YOU TREAT HER SO CASUALLY?!" she spluttered, "SHES A CELEBRITY!"

"So?" I said, "So's my Mother...sort of. And besides, past achievements mean very little here. After all, I've never even entered a tournament and yet I managed to get in with one of the highest scores in the combat exam ever."

Whatever Weiss was going to say was cut off by Mums voice over the PA requesting that we all meet at the cliff edge.

"Well, time to go," I said, as I slipped on my coat, "Come on Pyrrha, Princess."

"Stop calling me that!" snapped Weiss.

"Then stop acting like it."

"GAH!"

She flounced off. I snickered as I followed her with a slightly smiling Pyrrha at my side.

* * *

We arrived at the cliffs and were directed to stand on the launch pads at the very edge.

"For years, you have been training to become warriors," began Ozpin, drawing all attention to him, "Today, the skills you have gained will be tested in the Emerald Forest."

"I'm sure that many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams," said Goodwitch, "Let me put your minds at ease. We will be assigning you into teams. Today."

"What?" whimpered Ruby.

"Your teammate will be with you for the duration of your time at Beacon," said Ozpin, "So its in your best interest to be paired with someone you work well with."

I noticed Ruby clenching her fists nervously.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with once you land will be your teammate for the next four years."

I could practically hear Ruby shattering at that.

"WHAT?!" she yelled.

"See, I told you…!" hissed Nora to Ren.

"Once you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," continued Ozpin, ignoring the whispering, "There you will find a ruin containing several relics. You will meet opposition along the way, so do not hesitate to kill anything in your path or you will die. Once you return with your relic, we will guard it and your standing and grade you appropriately. Our teachers will be watching your progress, but they will not intervene, so I suggest you be careful. Now, are there any questions?"

There was not.

"Good, take your positions," said Ozpin.

Thirty seconds later, the launch pad activated and I was catapulted into the air.

"YEEEHA!" I whooped as I flew over the trees, my coat tails flapping in the wind.

I flipped a few times, before gaining control over my flight and readied myself, extending my hands towards the ground.

"Come forth Wind, break my fall, Air Cushion," I said.

The air in front of me swirled as I approached the ground and caught me, slowing me down enough so that when I landed, I touched down gently. As soon as I did, I pulled out Sheer Trigger and shot a Beowolf right between the eyes without even looking.

"Come forth light, sacred shining spear, Shining Javelin," I said, "And Multiply."

In response to my two spells, a large number of white magic circles appeared around me and unleashed a barrage of spears made of golden light that quickly turned the back of Beowolves that had been sniffing around the clearing I landed in into swiss cheese.

"Well, that was impressive."

I turned to see Pyrrha emerging from the treeline.

"Thanks. So, I guess this means we're partners?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded.

"We are," she said.

"Great. Shall we?"

We headed off into the forest together, leaving the dead Beowolves to dissolve.

"So, do you have any idea where we are?" I asked after we had been walking for a few minutes.

"Ummm."

"I thought so," I said, "Hang on, I think I've got...aha!"

I pulled a compass out of my coat.

"Why do you have a compass?" asked Pyrrha.

"Always be prepared is my Mothers moto," I said, "She probably stuffed the pockets of this thing with dozens of random bits of junk she thought I might need."

To demonstrate, I pulled out a packet of tissues, a packed lunch, a bundle of take out flyers and a packet of condoms. I raised an eyebrow at the last one.

"Err, O...K," I said, "I don't think that was Mums doing…"

"I hope not," said a now blushing Pyrrha as I put the random assortment of items back into my coat.

"Anyway, lets go," I said, "North is...that way."

I pointed in the direction the needle was pointing. Directly at Pyrrha. I narrowed my eyes and took a few steps to the left. To my relief, the needle remained pointing in the same direction, even when I walked past her. Nice to know that joke wasn't an actual thing. Now that we had a direction, we started heading north, keeping our eyes peeled for the Temple as we went. As we made our way through the trees, we passed a certain cave that, had I been less prepared, we might have stumbled into. Fortunately, we wouldn't have to deal with the Deathstalker.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Pyrrha paused.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" I asked.

"Listen."

I stopped and did as she said. For a moment, I didn't hear anything, but then the sound of something breathing heavily in the forest reached my ears. I frowned.

"What…"

Then, the treeline exploded and a wall of black fur and white plates erupted with a horrible, screeching roar. I reacted without thinking, just barely dodging a yellow stinger as it snapped down and embedded into a tree behind me. The tree immediately started rotting as purple venom sprayed from the tip of the stinger.

"MANTICORE!" screamed Pyrrha, whipping out her weapons as the massive Grimm roared again.

It was massive, towering over both of us in a deadly wall of muscle, claws, teeth and venom. It looked like a massive lion, with a pair of bat-like wings and a scorpion's tail curving up over its head and dripping with purple venom that instantly killed any plants it fell on. Its face was covered in a typical white mask of a Grimm and bone spikes protruded from its shoulders.

Manticores are one of the most dangerous types of Grimm in existence. They are incredibly strong, extremely short tempered and so territorial they had even been known to attack and kill other Grimm. Plus, between razor sharp claws, jaws powerful enough to casually crush a man's skull and venom so powerful that it could reduce a person to goo in minutes, they weren't hurting for ways to kill. The only up side was that they were normally found in mountainous areas, far from Human civilization. To see one so close to Vale...it wasn't a good sign.

The Manticore took a swipe at Pyrrha, forcing her to jump back or get sliced to ribbons.

"Pyrrha, keep its attention!" I shouted.

I ignored the red-heads rather colourful response in favor of focusing on my Semblance.

"Come forth fire, crimson eruption, Explosion!" I shouted as the red crystals on my wrists lit up with a ruddy glow.

Pyrrha jumped back as a red circle appeared under the Grimm for a moment, before multiple pillars of fire erupted, blasting it off its feet and filling the air with the stench of burning fur.

"Time to go," I said.

"Quite," said Pyrrha as we sprinted away from the howling Manticore as it tried to put out the flames still licking at its fur.

* * *

It didn't take us long to reach the ruin where Yang, Blake, Ren and Nora were already gathered.

"GUYS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" I yelled as we sprinted up.

"Huh? Oh, hey James," said Yang, "Whats up?"

"Manticore," said Pyrrha.

That got us four blank looks.

"What?" said Blake.

"Theres a Manticore in the forest," I said, "We REALLY need to get out of here and let the teachers know. Unless you fancy trying to kill the damn thing."

"That sounds like a terrible idea," said Ren.

"Indeed, so lets get what we need and GTFO," I said.

"Er, guys," said Blake, pointing up.

We all followed her finger, just in time to see a Nevermore fly overhead with Ruby and Weiss clinging to its back.

"Awww shit," I muttered, "Thats gonna make things more difficult…"

Ruby chose that moment to jump.

"RUBY!" shouted Yang, worry clear in her tone.

"Accel," I said and vanished.

A moment later, I skidded to a stop, just in time to catch Ruby in my arms.

"Nice of you to drop in," I deadpanned.

"Um, thanks," said Ruby, her cheeks pinking.

I rolled my eyes and set her back on her feet.

"RUBY!" shouted Yang as she came sprinting over.

"YANG!" shouted Ruby right back as she was tackled hugged by her sister.

"Not that this isn't sweet and all, but I feel I should remind you of the very angry Manticore that is probably heading this way?" I asked.

"Huh?" said Ruby.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LEFT ME!" shouted Weiss from the back of the Nevermore.

"I said jump!" called back Ruby.

"Shes gonna fall," said Yang.

"She'll be fine," said Ruby

"Shes falling," said Blake

I rolled my eyes and took a step to the side, catching Weiss with ease, before setting the heiress on her feet.

"Um, thank you?" she said, looking a tad ruffled.

"No problem, now lets grab our Relics and GO!" I yelled as I started herding everyone back towards the ruin.

"Hey, whats the rush?" asked Weiss.

She got her answer a moment later when the treeline erupted and the smouldering and very angry Manticore came barreling out, skidding to a stop and looking around. When its burning red eyes fell on our group, it let out a horrible shriek and started charging towards us.

"Slip!" I shouted, pointing at the ground in front of it.

There was a flash of light and the giant Grimm faceplanted as the friction under its feet was magically removed.

"Lets go, that won't slow it down for long," I said.

"Noted," said Yang as we all sprinted back to the ruin, grabbed a Relic and headed in the direction of the cliff.

"What should we do?" asked Pyrrha as we ran.

I glanced around. With the presence of the Manticore, the Nevermore had flown away to avoid getting killed, but that was a cold comfort. Even experienced Huntsmen balked at the idea of fighting a Manticore.

"Keep moving," I said, "Its not far to the...YIPSE!"

I skidded to a stop as a massive chasm suddenly yawned before us, forcing us to stop or take a very long trip to the bottom.

"Aw shit, the ruins would chose now to collapse," I grumbled as I looked down at the shattered stone blocks far, far below us.

"I take it there used to be a way across here?" asked Yang.

"Yep, but it looks like they've finally given up the ghost," I said, "Come on, we need to…"

I turned, but stopped at the sight of the Manticore slowly stalking towards us. It wasn't running any more, it didn't have to. We were cornered and it knew it.

"James…" said Ruby, sounding scared, "Please tell me there's another way out of here."

Not that I blame her in the slightest. I gave a weak chuckle.

"Yeah, unfortunatally, its about three miles in that direction," I said, pointing off to the left, "And I don't think our new friend is too eager to let us go."

"So basically, what you're saying is that we've got no choice but to fight?" said Weiss.

"Thats about the size of it," I said, drawing Sheer Trigger, "Its that or get eaten. True, we might still get eaten, but at least we can give it indigestion. Besides, I think I have a plan…"

Apparently the Manticore had got tired of waiting as it chose that moment to let out another roar and charge.

"Guys, hold it back!" I shouted, "Weiss, can you make a large block of ice?"

The white clad girl blinked as the others charged the Grimm in an attempt to slow it down, doing there best to keep out of the Manticores reach.

"Well, yes but…"

"Do it," I said, "Quickly!"

While Weiss was doing that, I turned back to the fight and crossed my arms. The green gems in my bracers lit up as the wind began to pick up.

"Come forth wind, shred and restrain, Deadly Maelstrom!"

I threw my arms open and the wind shot forwards, tearing up the ground as it rocketed towards the fight. The Manticore barely had time to react before the razor sharp typhoon hit, lifting it off its feet and shedding its fur. Unfortunately, it didn't have enough power to deal more than superficial damage. Still, it bought the fighters some breathing room.

"Alright, done," said Weiss as she summoned a large block of ice with her sword, "Now why do you need it?"

I smirked.

"Like this," I said, "Modeling."

A circle appeared under the ice and it morphed into a curved lense.

"Didn't think I'd need this trick for a while, but whatever," I muttered, "Come forth light, sacred shining spear, Shining Javelin! Multiply!"

Multiple circles appeared behind the lense and fired off a barrage of light spears into it. THe lense immediately started glowing and focused the spears into a single, massive beam that shot out and hit the Manticore in the side, making it roar in pain. My Light magic was VERY effective against Grimm, but since the light element was mostly meant for healing and defence, I didn't have any truly powerful attacks in it as of yet. Still, with a combination of intelligence, creativity and remembering this particular trick from an Anime I once watched, I could easily change that.

"Modeling," I said with a smirk and the beam of light focused even further as the lense once again changed shape.

The Manticore screeched in pain as the light began to burn a hole through its side. It thrashed and tried to get away, but the others continued their attack, forcing it to remain where it was. Within seconds, its struggles started to slow as the beam burnt its way through its skin and into its vital organs. A moment later, the beam shot out the other side and the Manticore let out one last scream and collapsed with a loud crash. For a moment, we all remained tense and at the ready, just in case it was faking, but when the body started steaming, we all relaxed.

"W-we did it…" whispered Ruby as her legs gave way and she collapsed into a sitting position.

"That we did," I said as I followed her, "Man, I'm beat."

"Your Semblance is amazing James," said Pyrrha.

"Yeah, but it can be draining to use over a long period of time," I said, "Plus, it drains my Aura."

"That sounds like it could be dangerous," said Ren as everyone gathered a short distance from the Manticore.

"Not really," I said, "I just need a Tank to pull aggro."

I chuckled.

"In that regard, Pyrrha is the perfect partner for me."

Pyrrha cocked her head on one side.

"What do you mean?" she asked, "And whats a Tank? And aggro for that matter?"

"Their Gaming terms," said Yang, "Typically, a Tank is a heavy character who keeps the enemy's attention away from the other members of the party."

"Exactly," I said, "In this case, I'm a Mage and Pyrrha is my Tank. I can do a lot of damage, but if an enemy gets up close, it could mean trouble for me."

I smirked up at my partner.

"I hope I can rely on you."

Pyrrha blinked, before smiling and nodding.

"Of course, it would be my pleasure," she said.

"Great, now then, lets get going before anything else attacks," I said, flipping to my feet, "I don't know about you lot, but I need a nap."

Everyone laughed and we started making our way back to the top of the cliff.

 **And done. I hope you lot enjoyed this, I certainly had fun writing it. I can't help but think that I did a horrible job on the fight though…**

 **If your wondering what James did to the Manticore, it was the same trick Touya used against the Dragon he fought. Basically, its using physics to massively increase the attack power of his light spells by focusing them through a lense.**

 **I considered having Ruby and James be a team, but since I couldn't come up with anything using the letters J, R, B and Y, I scrapped that idea. Still, the team of a Mage and a Warrior is classing for a reason.**

 **Parings...not sure yet, but I am considering using James/Ruby. Let me hear your thoughts on the matter.**

 **And with that, I'm signing off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	31. Dishonoured Warden

Outsider Chronicles: Dishonored Warden

When I died, the last thing I was expecting was to get reborn into a world of Magic, missing Gods and a mystical Blight that is lead by dragons. It certainly doesn't help that I got reborn as an Elf. Still, could be worse. At least with these powers of mine, I'll have an easier time against the Blight. Now if only this black eyed bastard would leave me alone.

 **Unsurprisingly, I've had a lot of suggestions to do an Outsider story with Dishonoured as a part of it. Well, here we are! In this case, the primary world is Dragon Age with our protagonist serving as the Outsiders latest puppet. He also happens to be the City Elf origin cus why the hell not? Also, this is handy cus the Fade is a lot like the Void. Hmm, I wonder if that means that the Outsider has some connection to the Maker...guess we'll have to find out! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

My death was as painful as it was humiliating, so I won't go into it. Instead, lets look forwards to my new life. Yep, I got reincarnated as a blatant kick in the nads to my new homes religion. Yeah, I hadn't been reborn into a nice safe place like my original homeworld, oh no, instead my new home is the Alienage in Denerim, Thedas. Yep, I got reborn as into the world of Dragon Age as a god damn City Elf. To make matters worse, I think I got my arse reborn as the Elven Origin considering my surname is Tabris. My first name isn't Darrian though, instead its Corvo.

Growing up was...hard. Frankly, I think thats a given, but it still has to be said. Scraping a living in the Alienage was incredibly tough, especially in the winter, but I always managed with the help of Soris and Shianni. It helped that I was very good at sneaking around and stealing, almost supernaturally so, to the point that I mastered my mothers teachings in no time flat. Good thing too because she was killed not long after I did. I don't think that my Father and Elder Valendrian really approved of my methods, but they didn't say anything. After all, its not like we had much of a choice in the matter if we wanted to live.

Eventually, the dreaded event rolled around and I was told that my Father had organized a marriage between me and a nice girl from Highever. Yeah, this day was gonna blow...it didn't help that, had I known what would happen before sundown, I wouldn't have bothered getting out of bed. Or willingly gone with Duncan.

* * *

"WAKE UP BIRD BRAIN!"

"GAH!"

The sudden yell in my ear made me jerk awake, resulting in me going tumbling out of bed to land on the hardwood floor with a crash.

"Ow."

I glared up at my Cousin, who was smirking down at me.

"Was that really necessary?" I asked.

Shianni snorted.

"Course it was," she said, "Now come on. Its your big day today."

I groaned and let my head fall back to the floor with a thump.

"Still not eager?" asked Shianni.

"Not really," I said, "I mean, I'm sure shes a nice girl, but I'm really not keen on marrying someone I've never met."

"Yeah well, tradition and all that," said Shianni.

I snorted.

"Stupid tradition," I grumbled.

I sighed and flipped to my feet.

"Well, guess I can't put it off any longer. Now get out so I can change."

"Aww, do I have to?"

I just gave her a flat look and pointed at the door.

"Fine."

Now alone, I let myself drop back onto my bed and rubbed my head.

"Well, I guess today I either die or become a Warden," I muttered, "Joy…"

I sighed and stood again, stepping across the room to pick up my prepared best for the wedding. As I got dressed, my mind shifted back to the dream I'd had the night before. It had been...odd to say the least. I couldn't remember many details, but there were a few things. Like floating islands and a general sense that reality was more of a suggestion than a concrete fact. Now, considering the world I was in, that wouldn't really be that surprising since even non-mages occasionally got a glimpse into the Fade when they slept, but this was different. While a normal person would likely have mistaken it for the Fade, I had some idea of what it would look like and I'm pretty sure that the Fade didn't have any whales swimming through it. After a few minutes thought however, I shrugged it off. I wasn't a mage, so it was probably nothing but an odd dream caused by nerves.

* * *

Now dressed, I left my room and greeted my Father, who looked incredibly proud of me. Not sure why though considering this entire thing was his doing. Still, he gave me some nice new boots and a box that was apparently from my Mother. Since they were nicer than my current ones, I quickly changed into my new boots and headed out to find Soris. Before I did that though, I wondered around the Alienage, accepting the congratulations and small change from my neighbors for my wedding. Eventually, I reached the Vhenadahl where I ran into Nessa and ended up dropping 5 silver so they could go to Highever and start anew. Call me paranoid, but I really didn't want them anywhere near Denerim considering what was going to be going down in the not too distant future.

With that done, I headed over to where Soris was stood near the exit to the Alienage.

"Well, if it isn't my lucky cousin," said Soris as I walked up to him, "Care to celebrate the end of our independence together?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes yes, ball and chain and whatever," I said, "Frankly, I'm just annoyed that I know bugger all about Nesiara."

I sighed.

"I know its tradition and all, but you'd think that Father would have chosen someone I actually know rather than a girl from another city entirely."

"You mean like Neria?" asked Soris with a grin.

I gave my cousin a flat look.

"Its been ten years since I last saw her and, need I remind you, we were FIVE!" I said.

"True, but you were always so damn adorable together," said Soris with a grin, before he sobered, "Still, its a shame she turned out to be a Mage. I think you two would have made a good couple."

I sighed.

As you probably guessed, Neria Surana was an old friend, as well as a likely candidate for the Mage origin. When we were kids, Soris, Neria, Shianni and I had lived close together and so got up to all our childish troublemaking together. Well, mostly just Shianni and I, with Soris acting as our lookout and Neria being too shy to really do anything but watch. Still, she was a good friend and I will admit to having a very childish crush on her at the time.

Soris patted me on the shoulder.

"Alright Corvo, lets go introduce you to your betrothed before you say I do," he said, "And try to look a bit happier. At least yours is a real knockout, not a mouse like mine."

I rolled my eyes again and elbowed him in the gut.

We started heading back to the Vhenadahl where our future brides were waiting when the doors leading into the city proper opened and a group of finely dressed Humans swaggered in. I scowled at the sight of them, as did Soris.

"Vaughan," growled my cousin as we watched him and his buddies eyed the women around them with lecherous grins.

"Its a party, right?" asked the arrogant noble, "Well, lets grab a whore and have a good time."

I growled and stalked towards the group as Vaughan's gaze fell on Shianni.

"Hmm, very nice, so young and vulnerable," he sneered.

"Touch me and I'll gut you pig," snarled my cousin.

"Please sir, we're celebrating a wedding," said one of the elves in the party, trying to defuse the situation without issue.

It didn't work.

"Silence worm!" snarled the noble, drawing back his hand to smack the Elf.

Before he could, I caught his wrist.

"Now now, no need for that," I said with a smile that didn't reach my eyes, "Today is supposed to be a happy one. Lets not mar it with bloodshed."

"Wha...release me maggot!" snarled Vaughan, trying to pull his hand free from my vice-like grip.

"OK."

I let him go, just as he attempted to tug his hand free, causing him to stumble back and trip over his own feet.

"Why you little…" snarled the arrogant noble as he took a step towards me.

Before he could do more than that however, his legs gave way and he fell face first to the floor.

"Oh dear, it seems that the young Lord has been taken ill," I said blandly, "I suggest you take him home so he can sleep it off."

The nobles friends quickly scooped up the unconscious moron and scurried out of the Alienage. As soon as they were out of sight, I turned to see both my cousins staring at me with raised eyebrows.

"What?"

"What did you do?" asked Shianni.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," I said with a smirk as I brushed past my cousins and continued back towards the tree.

Before I'd gone more than a few steps, Soris stopped me with a hand on the shoulder.

"We might have another problem," he hissed.

"Eh?"

"Another Human just walked in."

I turned and saw Duncan stood a short distance away.

"Could be one of Vaughan's or a random troublemaker, but we should move him along before someone does something stupid," said Soris.

I snorted.  
"Small chance of that happening," I said, "I think thats Duncan of the Gray Wardens."

"How do you know that?" asked Shianni.

"Father mentioned him once," I said swiftly as I walked towards the Warden.

As I approached, he turned and looked me up and down. The glance was incredibly quick and it was only thanks to my practiced eyes of a thief that I was able to catch it.

"I understand that congratulations are in order for today," he said courteously with a slight bow.

"Er, thank you," said Soris, apparently taken a tad off guard by the Warden's good manners towards Elves, "However, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave."

"Ah, I am afraid I cannot just yet," said Duncan, "I am here seeking something important. However...I believe I may have just found it."

"Whats that supposed to mean?" asked Shianni, a tad aggressively.

"That is my buisness young lady," said Duncan, reproche clear in his tone.

"Alright alright, lets settle down," I said before my hot headed cousin could start a fight, "He hasn't done anything wrong as of yet, so there is no reason that we cannot accommodate him for a short while at least."

That earnt me a surprised look from my cousins and a calculating one from Duncan.

"Skilled and wise, you really are your Mothers son," said Duncan.

"You knew my Mother?" I asked.

Duncan nodded.

"I did. At one time I wished to recruit her, but unfortunately she turned me down. Truly a shame as she would have made a fine Warden."

"I see you haven't changed in all these years," said the Elder as he approached.

"Ah, I suppose I haven't," said Duncan.

"Even so, it is good to see you again my old friend," said the Elder, "Although I do wish that you'd stop trying to recruit my people."

"I do what I must, old friend."

The Elder gave Duncan a reproachful look, before ushering us over to the platform where the wedding was due to take place.

* * *

As expected, everything quickly went to hell when Vaughan and his goons reappeared, this time with armed guards and started snatching women and smacking around anyone who tried to get in his way.

"Get out of the way woman!" he snarled as he smacked the Revered Mother to the ground when she tried to stop him, "I will have these whores for my party!"

"You never learn, do you?" I growled as I stepped in front of my cousin and bride.

I may not like the idea, but that didn't mean I was about to let this bastard take her.

"Tabris, always playing the hero," sneered Vaughan, "I don't know what you did to me last time, but it won't work again."

His eyes slipped to over my shoulder and my eyes widened, but before I could react, something hard slammed into the back of my head and everything went black.

* * *

I groaned as consciousness slowly returned to me and with it, a pounding in my head. I slowly pushed myself to my hands and knees, wincing as I probed the back of my head and felt wet blood in my hair. That had hurt. I cursed myself for letting my guard down as I let my head rest on the cool flags beneath me as I tried to muster the will to stand.

I paused.

Wait, flagstones? There were no flagstones in the Alienage, all the floors wiere either wooden or dirt. I opened my eyes and, after a few blinks, the floor swam into being. Gray, uneven blocks made of what appeared to be granit. But that was impossible, there weren't any floors like this in Denerim. Granit was incredibly hard to work with after all. With curiosity, and no small amount of fear, now driving me and suppressing the pain and nausea, I slowly sat up and looked around. Or rather, I would have done if the sight directly in front of me hadn't frozen me in place. I was on a platform floating in a vast, gray void. It was mostly empty, but I could see a few other islands floating off in the distance with buildings that I vaguely recognized from Denerim, albeit twisted and broken.

"Wha...where am I?" I spluttered, "The Fade? No, thats not…"

" **Hello Corvo."**

I jumped at the unexpected voice and spun around, only to freeze when my gaze landed on its owner. Floating in mid air a short distance away, studying me curiously through jet black eyes, was a young looking man with short, brown hair and pale skin, wearing a brown coat, blue pants and black boots.

" **How interesting,"** said the Outsider, **"Not only do you share a name with my favorite piece, but you also share my title. Albeit with a different meaning."**

My jaw worked as I tried desperately to string together a coherent sentence. Eventually, I managed it.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

I never said it was eloquent. The Outsider looked amused at my outburst.

" **Yes, you are very interesting,"** said the Godlike being, **"A being from another world, with knowledge of the future, both for your lands and those of Dunwall, although I highly doubt you'll ever find yourself there. Hmm, yes, your future is impossible for me to see and yet I know that you will be an integral part of this world. Perhaps you will even be able to right some wrongs committed. It is for this reason that I have chosen you."**

He waved a hand and my left hand immediately started burning. I held it up and watched in horrified fascination as the Mark was burnt into the back of my hand.

" **The Mages of your land draw their power from the Fade, the realm of my long dead predecessor, but you, my dear Outsider, will draw your power from here,"** said the Outsider, indicating to our surroundings, **"Your power comes from the Void and me. However, do not believe that this is the limit of your power. If you wish, you could easily take your powers further, bringing light to a world engulfed in Darkness. Never allow your powers to stagnate, little Outsider, or you and all you care about will die."**

"Well, thats a tad ominous," I muttered, "So, do you think you can send me back? Only, I have some friends to save before that bastard has his way with them."

The Outsider smiled.

" **Oh, don't worry, I will make sure you can save them before that happens,"** he said, **"But before you do, remember to check the box your Mother left you. I think you will find whats inside extremly useful."**

I opened my mouth to ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, but before I could, reality seemed to twist and my eyes snapped open once again.

* * *

I sat bolt upright, startling Soris and my Father, who had been leaning over me, looking around wildly. I was back in my room.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Corvo, I don't…" started Father.

"How long!"

"About 10 minetes," said Soris, "But Corvo, they took…."

I threw back my covers and jumped out of bed, ignoring my Father and Cousins attempts to stop me.

"I'm fine," I said in response, "And I don't have time to wait around. I need to get going before anything happens to them."

I hurried over to my dresser where I had set the box my Father had given me that morning before going out. I undid the latch and opened it, only to pause when I saw what was inside.

"Well...this is certainly going to be useful," I said as I stared down at the blank, white mask with large, black eyeholes and a mouth curved into a smile with two stich marks on either side near the corners.

I carefully lifted out the mask to reveal what looked like a sword hilt and a palm sized piece of bone carved with the Outsiders mark resting on top of a neatly folded, black leather armour, as well as a pistol sized crossbow and a quiver of bolts. Somehow that didn't surprise me in the slightest. I picked up the hilt and, guided by some unknown instinct, spun it around my fingers. In response, a blade shot out, somewhere between a long dagger and a shortsword in length and sharp as a razor.

"Perfect," I said with a grin.

I left the Rune where it was, but took out the armour and weapons.

"Corvo, your not going to do anything foolish, are you?" asked Father as I quickly started to change into the armour.

"Now whatever gave you that idea?" I asked as I finished buckling up my new gloves.

The armour looked a heck of a lot like Shrouded Armour from Skyrim and, combined with the mask, made me look like some kind of angel of death.

"Your going to go save them, aren't you?" asked Soris.

"Yep," I said.

"I'm coming with you," he said, getting to his feet.

"No, your not," I said flatly, "I have no intention of going in the front and, while you can do it, your not meant for sneaking."

I smiled at my cousin and cut him off before he could protest.

"Trust me, I'll get them out," I said as I slipped the crossbow into its holster on my belt and picked up my mask, "Until then, hold down the fort."

"But…" started Soris, but Father put a hand on his shoulder, cutting him off.

"Be careful son," he said.

I nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"I always am," I said as I put on the mask and stepped into the shadows, instantly vanishing from view.

 **And done. I was tempted to end it when the Outsider first showed up, but decided to go on for a bit longer. For those interested, yes, Dunwall and Karnaca are indeed present in this world, but they are a long, long way away from Thedas.**

 **No, the armour is not actually the Shrouded Armour, it just looks like it. The mask he wears is based on the one worn by John Doe, so just look at my Avatar if you want to know what it looks like.**

 **Hmm, I wonder what other powers the Outsider could have been talking about? Are they relevant? Maybeeee~.**

 **Anyway, I'm done since I wanna go to bed. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	32. Demon Magus Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **Well, this should be interesting. Im not sure how far this idea will go, but it should be fun nonetheless. Oh, and before I forget, the Magus and the Mages have no idea each other still exist. They both believe that the other was wiped out centuries back. In terms of strength, Campione lay just a bit weaker than True Ancestors and serve as a bridge between Gaia and Humanity...when their not acting like, well, Demon Kings. For now though, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I died. Fluffy clouds? Golden Gates? Perhaps a tall fellow in a black cloak with a scythe? As it happened, I got none of the above. What I got instead was being reborn, an experience I am VERY glad faded from my memory very quickly. Still, I'm not going to complain. Sure, going through puberty twice would be a pain and school would likely be incredibly dull, but at least I knew what not to do this time! Tabula Rasa, a clean slate.

I was born into a perfectly normal family in Japan (I know I know, weeby as hell, but I didn't decide this!) with the only odd one of the bunch being my dear old Grandpa and that was mostly because he was an eccentric ex professor of history and mythology with a ton of old tablets, statues and scrolls laying around his house. I learnt all sorts of things from him growing up, from ancient languages to runes to things about mythology and history I never dreamed of. Looking back, I really should have smelt a rat considering I subconsciously recognized some of the things he spoke about. If I had, maybe I would have done things a bit differently in the future.

Anyway, its probably a good thing that I had such a close relationship with my Grandfather because, when I was just six years old, my family and I were caught in a massive fire that consumed a huge portion of the city, killing countless people, including my parents. Incredibly, against all odds, I survived. But then again, I had always been lucky. After the fire, my Grandpa took me in and raised me himself (my Grandmother had passed away shortly after I was born, so I didn't know her). Of course, even that was doomed to end sooner rather than later.

When I was 16, Grandpa came down with the flu and, as is unfortunately common with people as old as him, wasn't able to fully recover. He died shortly after, but not before leaving me with some parting words.

" _Live for yourself, never allow anyone to tell you how to live your life."_

Wise words and ones I fully intended to live up to.

Fortunately, I didn't end up getting booted into foster care. My Grandfather and parents had left me a not insignificant amount of money, as well as a small house and, other than a social worker occasionally sticking her head around the door, I was mostly left alone, provided I went to school, kept my grades up and so on. There was one last thing I needed to do for the old man though.

Other than the advice, one of the last things he asked me to do was return a tablet depicting Prometheus to an old friend of his in Sardinia. Fortunately, it was the summer hols and I'd always wanted to go to Italy, so I decided to make it a sightseeing trip as well. If I had figured out what had been bugging me about the tablet before then, I might have sent it by mail instead.

Since I could speak Italian, the trip started off rather well. My first stop was Cagliari, the island's capital, where I quickly found that trying to find the woman was much easier than I was expecting. Apparently, she had a rather large house a few miles out of the city.

* * *

"Well, that was a lot easier than I thought," I mused as I walked towards the train station to catch a train to the closest village to the house, "Now if only I could figure out why this thing is keeping me on edge..."

The tablet was about the size of an A4 sheet, carved with the likeness of Prometheus and the sun. Despite being nothing more than a lump of stone, I couldn't help but feel that it was so much more than that. I couldn't put my finger on why though.

"Hey kid," said a female voice from behind me, breaking from my thoughts.

"Hmm...HUH?!"

I turned, only to freeze in utter shock at the sight of the speaker. She was a beautiful young woman with long, blond hair, blue eyes and an incredible figure that was only enhanced by the red and black dress she wore. She was also threatening me with a pocket knife, but I was too busy trying to reboot my brain to really register that as a cold feeling settled in my gut.

"Hand over that Grimoire at once," said the woman, providing the kick I needed to restart my brain.

As soon as it was, I glanced down at the tablet in my hands and scowled.

"Oh you have got to be…" I said before bursting into a rather impressive set of profanities in around 30 different languages, including three dead ones and one that hadn't been heard since Gilgamesh was walking around calling people mongrels.

Erica Blandelli (because who else would it be?) seemed rather taken aback by the sudden barrage of verbal filth spewing from my mouth, although I doubt she understood all of it. However, the meaning behinds the words was perfectly clear even without understanding. Eventually though, I ran out of profanities and wrapped it up with an extremely succinct:

"...FUCKING KIDDING ME!"

In English. Really, modern languages have so little poetry compared to the old ones. Rage now spent, I took a deep breath and turned to the blushing and scandalized looking Erica with a calm smile that was completely at odds with my earlier storm of swearing.

"Sorry about that," I said, "I just realized that my Grandpa may have screwed me over."

"How did you even learn half of those languages?" asked Erica, before looking at me suspiciously, "Are you a Mage?"

"Nope, just a perfectly normal High School student," I said, "Anyway, you'll have to forgive the delayed interruption, my name is Kariya Ishida. And you are…?"

Erica seemed to be getting more off balance by the minute, although I can't really blame her. I mean, my reaction to being held at knifepoint was to start swearing, followed by apologizing about it, admitting I'm not a mage, despite not really reacting as normal to that question, and introducing myself. Still, she managed to pull herself together and drew herself up.

"I am Erica Blandelli of the Copper Black Cross," she said, "And I must once again ask you to hand over that Grimoire!"

She gestured with her knife to the tablet in my hands.

"Actually, this isn't mine," I said, "My Grandpa asked me to return this to someone before he died."

"Who?" asked Erica.

"A woman by the name of Lucretia Zola."

Erica blinked in surprise.

"Wait, you mean the Witch of Sardinia?" she asked, "Why would she…"

She was interrupted as the air was suddenly rent by an enormous bellow that made the air and glass vibrate from its intencity and forced me to cover my ears in pain.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I spluttered, "What is that?"

Erica spun around, a scared look on her face that only got worse when she saw the massive pig that had just appeared in the bay.

"Oh god...its a Rogue God!" she gasped.

"That...can't be good," I said.

"Get out of here!" shouted Erica as she took off down the street, jumping onto the roof of a car as it drove past, no doubt driven by her maid.

"Yeahhhh, somehow I don't think that'll be an option," I muttered, but none the less took off in the opposite direction to the oversized ham sandwich.

Maybe if I could get far enough away I could avoid having to deal with this shit...I let out a yelp as I tripped over a bit of rubble, the tablet flying from my hand.

"Owww," I muttered as I stood.

"Does this belong to you?"

I looked up and suppressed the urge to sigh when I saw the purple haired boy stood a few feet away with the tablet in hand.

"Yeah, it does," I said, "You should get out of here though kid. Theres a rather large porker rampaging through the port."

Verethragna ignored me.

"Hehe, this is funny," said the God.

"Uh huh," I said, "So, who are you exactly? You don't look Italian."

Verethragna looked up and met my eyes and I had to suppress the urge to fall to my knees. Blimey, he sure does have a lot of power if he can do that just by meeting my eyes.

"I am the Victor," he said with a slight smirk, as if he was impressed by my resilience, "The strongest and he who will defeat every enemy."

He paused and looked thoughtful.

"Although I don't think its necessarily bad to have a taste of defeat. I try to revive the Kings of the Ancient Gods in order to fight them, but I have yet to be defeated."

I narrowed my eyes, but before I could say anything, Erica shot overhead.

"Huh, shes good," I muttered.

"Do you know that Witch?" asked Verethragna.

"Not really," I said, "I don't suppose I could have that back? Only, I promised my Grandpa I'd deliver it for him."

"Oh?"

Verethragna glanced between me and the Tablet, before bursting out into rather maniacal laughter.

"Oh, this is perfect!" he crowed, "It seems your a good kid and a good Warrior! This Thief has told me so!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the sound of a scream reached my ears and I tensed. Despite my desires to avoid getting involved, I knew that if I didn't, Erica would likely die. There is no way that my conscious would allow that to happen, so I basically had to make my peace with getting dragged head first into a crazy ass magical world.

"Are you going?" asked Verethragna.

"Yeah, so can I have it back now?" I asked, holding out my hand.

The God looked thoughtful, before nodding and handing it over.

"Very well, I will let you hold onto this," he said.

"How nice of you," I muttered under my breath.

I don't think that stopped Verethragna from hearing it though as he smirked.

"Farewell for now little Outsider," he said, "I look forwards to seeing what you do with this power."

"Wait, what?" I said, but I was distracted by a brilliant light as a white horse appeared and the tablet glowed brightly.

By the time I could see again, the Heretic God was gone.

"Well shit, looks like I'll have to get answers later," I grumbled as I put the tablet into my bag and took off down the street after Erica.

* * *

It didn't take long to find her, not when she and the Boar were trying to overpower one another with energy attacks. It was clear that Erica was about to get pushed off the roof though, so I kicked the door of the building in and sprinted up the stairs, reaching the third floor window just in time to catch Erica as she fell past.

"Wha...what are you doing here?!" she gasped.

"Saving your pretty little ass," I grunted as I hauled her up.

Erica's cheeks pinked ever so slightly and she opened her mouth to respond, but before she could we were buffeted by a large windstorm. We both looked up to see the Boar struggling as a large tornado surrounded it.

"T-thats the Avatar of a God!" gasped Erica, before a large flash forced us to close out eyes.

When I could see again, I opened my eyes to see that both the Boar and the tornado had gone, leaving the destroyed port empty of threats.

"Well, that was interesting," I said.

Erica scowled and punched my arm.

* * *

Later, Erica and I were sat at the local train station, waiting for the train as Erica explained what and how Heretic gods were and affected the world around them.

"I don't get it though, how can you possess such a powerful Grimoire and not know all that?" she asked.

"Well, like I said earlier, this was actually my Grandpa's," I said, "I'm not entirely sure how he came to have it in his possession, but before he died, he asked me to return it."

"To Lucretia Zola, right?" asked Erica, "But why would she give something like that to a Japanese person?"

"Hell if I know, but I got the impression he dated her for a while," I said.

"Sounds like he was quite the social butterfly," she said.

"That he was," I said with a fond smile, "He was also nutty as a fruitcake and loved pissing people off, just to see their reactions."

I sighed.

"I miss the old geezer…"

There was a moment's silence.

"Wheres the train?" I growled eventually.

"This is why I didn't want to take the train," said Erica haunterly.

"Right, and why are you tagging along again?" I asked, "Not that I mind having a beautiful girl as a traveling companion or anything."

Erica gave me a flat look.

"As a Knight of the Copper Black Cross, my duties will not allow me to leave that Grimoire be," she said, "And I would appreciate it if you didn't make such comments."

"Yeah, not likely," I said, "I won't quit until I make you blush. Think of it as payback for holding me at knifepoint earlier."

Erica's eye twitched ever so slightly.

"Anyway, hurry up and carry my luggage," said Erica as she got to her feet, "We'll go by car."

I snorted, but did as asked. It was only polite after all and Grandpa had raised me to be a proper gentleman.

* * *

About an hour later, we reached Lucretia's house, although how we managed it without dieing I will never know.

"How in the world did she pass her driving test?!" I growled as I stumbled out of the car.

"Oriana's only faults as a Maid are that shes terrible at making stew and she can't drive," said a completely unruffled Erica as she got out of the car.

"Next time, I'm driving," I growled.

"I haven't see you before," said a voice from the roof of the house, "Who are you?"

We looked up to see a black cat perched on the roof.

"Pardon the intrusion," said Erica, "We're here with a delivery from Soken Ishida for Lucretia Zola."

"Soken?" asked the cat.

The gate buzzed and opened.

"Come on it," it said and we did as bidden.

The cat led us into a rather spacious and tastefully decorated sitting room where a beautiful and shapely woman with long, pale brown hair and purple eyes was waiting, clad in nothing but some black and purple lingerie. All in all, exactly the kind of woman I'd be drooling over...if I wasn't pretty sure she'd slept with my Grandpa at some point. I do NOT want to touch a relationship like that with a ten foot pole.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Lucretia in a voice that was dripping in sexuality, "I shouldn't be lazy just because I can use magic."

"Lemie guess, magic slows the aging process?" I asked.

"My, aren't you a clever one," said Lucretia as she shifted into a pose that showed off her every curve, "Yes, while I may be pretty old my normal standards, I'm nowhere near my decline. So what do you say big boy? Want to give this body a try?"

"How lude," muttered Erica.

"Pass," I said, "As tempting as that sounds, I really don't want to do it with someone who can honestly say 'thats not how your Grandpa did it'."

Lucretia giggled.

"Well, suit yourself I suppose," she said, "Its too bad though, I would have liked to see how you stacked up…"

Now that did make me blush, earning me a glare from Erica. Lucretia giggled again, before picking up the tablet I'd handed her earlier and she'd tossed aside in favor of teasing me.

"Hmm, ah, the Secret Book of Prometheus, this brings back memories," she said, making Erica gasp.

"Prometheus?" she asked.

"Oh yes," purred Lucretia.

"So, what will you do with it?" asked Erica.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," said Lucretia, "It'd be terrible if bad people started gathering because of this. If possible I'd like someone to look after it."

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Boy, did you happen to run into anyone else on your way here?" she asked.

"Well, there was this kid who was giving out a frankly scary amount of power," I said thoughtfully, making Erica stiffen beside me.

"Hmm, alright then, I suppose I'll give it to you," she said, tossing me the tablet.

"Oh deep joy," I said.

"Wait a moment!" said Erica in protest, "You do realize hes a beginner at Magic, right? If you give it to him then…"

"And I came all the way here to give it back," I said.

"It seems that the Gods wish it to be in the hands of that boy," said Lucretia.

"That can't be right," said Erica.

"Its inevitable," said the Witch with a smirk that looked rather sinister in the dying evening light, "All the strings of Fate are strung together…"

"Yeah well, I don't believe in Fate," I said.

"Maybe not, but belief does not mean that it does not exist," said Lucretia, "After all, so many people believe that Magic is nothing but a fairy tale."

I sighed in annoyance.

"Fine, I'll keep an eye on it," I muttered.

"Thats a good boy," said Lucretia.

"I can't believe this foolishness!" snapped Erica, "A Grimoire from the Era of the Gods in the hands of a novice? ARG!"

She stormed off.

"Well, that could have gone better," said Lucretia lightly.

I just gave her a flat look.

 **And done. So yeah, our hero, one Kariya Ishida, will be taking Godou's place as the Seventh King. Godou will probably still be making a cameo at some point though.**

 **No, Kariya has no relation to Uryu and Bleach will not be making an appearance. As fun as it could be to have him kick Aizens arse up and down Reality.**

 **I think it goes without saying that the fire he survived was the one caused by the Fourth War.**

 **Next time, a new King is born. Hmm, I wonder what the addition of an Outsider as a Campione will do to this world? Keep reading to find out, but first, review!**


	33. Demon Magus Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Demon Magus

Its one thing to discover that reincarnation is an actual thing, but its quite another to find out that Gods are very much real as well. It certainly doesn't help that I ended up getting dragged head first into a fight between two of them, found myself with a ridiculously hot stalker and labeled as a Demon King. Add in a Grail War and you have the makings of a truly humongous headache.

 **And we are back! Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Well, this sucks. It was the morning after we arrived at Lucretia's house and, after a rather entertaining evening watching Erica get royally plastered, I had been saddled with the job of putting her to bed. Why I agreed I have no idea since I knew that Lucretia would take the opportunity to lock me in the bedroom with her. Now, don't get me wrong, seeing Erica in nothing but her skivvies is a sight I would happily give my right arm for, I can't help but feel rather guilty that its because of what amounts to Ecchi logic and a perverted, oversexed Witch. The fact she nearly brained me the next morning when she woke up and spotted me sleeping on the couch in the room is another.

"Die right here and now!" snarled the bright red Knight as she glowered down at me.

"You do realize this is partly your fault, right?" I grumbled as I rubbed my dead arm in an attempt to bring some feeling back.

I had reacted on instinct when Erica had swung at me and blocked her fist with my arm, but she was incredibly strong and that had just resulted in me losing all feeling in said limb.

"And how is that?!" growled Erica.

"You got plastered last night," I deadpanned, "And since Arianna did to, I had to put you to bed. Its not my fault Lucretia has a bad sense of humor."

"That may be true, but now you have this unlady-like image of me burnt into your retinas," said Erica, cracking her knuckles, "No matter whos fault it is, I'll have to punish you!"

I raised an eyebrow and eyed her up and down.

"Unladylike eh?" I muttered, "Sure, but it sure is a nice image."

Erica's jaw dropped as her face went bright red, the blush stretching all the way down to the tops of her breasts.

"HAH, told you I'd make you blush," I said with a smirk.

Erica gritted her teeth.

"Why you little…"

CRASH!

We both stumbled as the ground shook from the massive crash.

"What was...oh dear," I said a I looked out the window and saw the rain, "Why do I get the feeling thats not a good sign?"

Erica ignored me as she snatched up her discarded dress and donned it at incredible speed, before sprinting outside. I followed her and arrived just in time to find her gaping up at the massive form of Melqart .

"Please wait oh mighty God!" shouted Erica.

The gigantic warrior paused and looked down at us. I swallowed nervously as I felt his massive power wash over me like a wave of hot wind.

" **How arrogant must you be, Child of Man, to stop a Gods advance,"** rumbled the mighty being.

"Forgive my disrespect, but unless I'm mistaken, you are Melqart, the King of the Ancestral line, the Ancient Venetian God?" asked Erica.

" **So, there are are still praiseworthy individuals who know the names of the Ancient Kings,"** said Melqart, **"I AM MELQART, the King once known throughout this isle...no, throughout these entire waters!"**

A massive bolt of lightning suddenly shot out of the heavens and struck the mighty King on his bracers as he swung up his arm to block the attack.

"Lightning?" I muttered.

"It rarely rains on the Island of Sardinia," said Erica, "This is probably…"

She was cut off as a bolt of lightning lit up a gap in the clouds, revealing a pair of yellow eyes with bar shaped pupils. I twitched as I felt the tablet under my coat start vibrating and heat up slightly from the presence of another Avatar.

" **As always, you are adept at changing your form,"** rumbled Melqart, **"I must hurry."**

"If Melqart has manifested, that must mean…" muttered Erica, before trailing off.

She snapped her fingers and her dress transformed into her combat gear in a flash of red as she jumped over the wall. She paused as she landed on top of it and glanced back at me.

"You stay here," she said.

"And just what are you planning to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to try and stop this battle," she said, "Melqart is one of the strongest of the Mediterranean Gods. If I don't stop them, this Island will perish."

"Do you actually have a chance?" I asked, although I already knew the answer to that.

Erica twitched.

"Its a Knight's duty to protect the people," she said softly.

I frowned.

"Oh no, not a chance," I said.

"Huh?" said Erica, looking back at me in surprise.

"My Grandpa taught me that I should never allow someone to fight an impossible battle alone," I said seriously, "There is no way I'm letting you go and get yourself killed if I could help."

I smirked.

"Besides, if you died, how could you get me back for making you blush this morning? Its no fun to leave a game unfinished."

Erica frowned.

"I cannot guarantee your safety if you come," she said.

I shrugged.

"Thats fine," I said, "I know I'm walking into the lions den. I can take a bit of danger."

I grinned.

"Besides, how can I resist the opportunity to watch a fight between Gods?"

Erica stared at me in shock for a moment, before letting out an unladylike snort.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," said Erica, "Lets go."

As if on cue, Arianna pulled the car up in front of us. Erica hopped onto the roof while I climbed in, inwardly praying that I'd survive to reach the fight.

* * *

Fortunately, the road was relatively straight, so Arianna had no excuse for driving like a maniac. Unfortunately, that meant that I had nothing to distract me from my thoughts as I stared down at the Tablet. The main thought on my mind was why in the world was I doing this? I mean, now that I'd handed the Tablet over to Lucretia (even if she had passed it right back), there was nothing to stop me from simply leaving and forgetting this ever happened. As it was, I was running head first into danger that could well get me killed or result in me becoming a being worshipped and reviled in equal measure.

I snorted and shook my head. Actually, the answer to that was simple. As much as I tried to deny it (in the safety of my own head), the truth of the matter is that I couldn't wait. The idea of seeing, and perhaps fighting, with Gods was simply to tempting for me to resist. Combined with my incredible luck that allowed me to survive that fire all those years ago without a scratch and win virtually every game of chance I've ever entered and I was practically a shoo in for the Seventh King.

"Kariya, look!" called Erica from the roof, snapping me out of my introspection.

I glanced out the window and, sure enough, there was the shadow of a massive bird flying alongside the car.

"Huh, thats not normal," I said as I glanced up at the empty sky above.

"Its a Divine Beast, the Bird of Pray" said Erica, "It must be here so it can merge into a single form again."

I returned my attention to the road ahead as the massive form of Melqart and the much smaller form of Verethragna swam into view. I smirked.

"This was going to be fun," I said, "Melqart vs Verethragna. Talk about an impressive matchup."

"Wha...how do you know him?" gasped Erica.

"He's the Persian God of War and Light," I said, "Lucretia told me about him."

"I see…" said Erica, not taking her eyes of the two combatants.

As we got closer, the Knight leaped from the roof, transforming her sword into a shield as she went.

"Something tells me this won't go well," I muttered as Arianna stopped the car.

"Probably not," said the Maid, looking oddly serious.

I let out a huff and opened the door.

"Wait, where are you going?!" gasped Arianna.

"I didn't tag along to sit on the sidelines," I said, "You get out of here, but I'm going for a closer look."

"No, wai…"

I cut Arianna off as I shut the door and started running towards the fight.

* * *

I reached it just in time to see Verethragna start throwing lightning bolts at Erica, forcing her to jump out of the way. She avoided the first two, but the third knocked her shield out of her hand and the fourth would have hit her if I hadn't have tackled her out of the way.

"K-Kariya…" she spluttered as she stared up at me with wide eyes.

"Well, that was rather rude," I said as I stood up, "Are you OK?"

"I-I think so," said Erica.

"Great, lets find some cover," I said, grabbing her hand and dragging her further into the ruins the Gods were using as a battlefield.

I skidded to a stop once we were closer to Melqart and took a deep breath. Might as well dig into Godou's bag of tricks seeing as I'm going to be taking his place.

"Hey Melqart!" I called.

" **Huh?"** said the God as he turned to me.

"Verethragna's power of the White Horse lies within!" I called, holding up the tablet, "What do you say, wanna team up with me? If you protect the two of us, he won't be able to return to his full form!"

Melqart stared down at me for a moment.

" **Are you trying to use me, a God?"** he asked at length, incredulity clear in his tone.

"I prefer to think of it more of a shared interest," I said with a smirk, "You want to beat the arrogant brat and we don't want to get fried. Keep us safe and we both win."

Melqart stared at me for a moment longer, before he burst into great belly laughs.

" **AHAHAHAHAHA, WELL, AREN'T YOU AN IMPERTINENT ONE,"** he rumbled, **"Very well Human!"**

He spun around and took a swipe at Verethragna, who easily flipped out of the way.

"It seems that my initial prognosis was correct about you," said the God of Victory, "Now, MAKE THIS FUN FOR ME!"

He fired a bolt of lightning in mine and Erica's direction.

"KARIYA!" shouted Erica, but the bolt just deflected of a golden shield.

" **Hahaha, you'd call that divine intervention,"** said Melqart, **"Be grateful Human!"**

The two gods clashed once more with a crash that even drowned out the thunder.

"What are you going to do now Kariya?" asked Erica.

"Hell if I know," I said, "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"How can you just stand there and smile?" asked Erica incredulously.

I glanced back at her, completely unable to remove my grin from my face.

"How can I not?" I asked, "I never believed that I'd have the chance to see something like this! A duel between Gods!"

"HAH, as expected of the Child I bet on!" crowed Verethragna as he summoned his sword, "But its still not enough that I would lose!"

He shot towards us, evading Melqarts club by inches as he slammed the blade into the shield, the tip penetrating the barrier in a shower of sparks and a terrible rending sound.

"A golden sword," muttered Erica, "Wait, I remember that Sword! It has the power to cut through Divinity!"

"Does it now?" I asked with a rapidly widening grin that was beginning to look ever so slightly maniacal.

"The Sword steals Divinity from a God, forcing it to fall from Godhood," said Erica, not noticing my grin.

I was mostly playing the part of ignorant newbee, but the grin was all real. I think I might have the instincts of a Demon after all.

"I wish to experience defeat!" said Verethragna, his own crazed grin splitting his features in two, "Ancient King, Child of Man, you shall entertain me more!"

"Kariya, you have to run away!" said Erica.

"Not a chance!" I said, "I was given a weapon to use in this fight and I will not leave before I have a chance to use it!"

Erica took a step back, her eyes wide in surprise.

"But if a Human uses that, their body will break down, killing them!" she protested.

"And if I don't use it we'll both die," I said, finally losing my manic grin, "I won't allow that."

Erica looked even more surprised by that.

"Kariya, its a Knights job to sacrifice herself," she protested.

"Maybe so, but I still don't want to see you die," I said, "As much as I hate to say it considering how we met, I've taken a bit of a liking to you."

I winked at her.

"You've sacrificed enough, its my turn now."

Erica snorted.

"That was so uncool," she said.

"Hey!"

Erica chuckled again.

"You know, your a lot like Epimetheus," she said.

"You mean the Titan of Hindsight?" I asked.

"Yep, he was a fool too," she said, "Idiot."

She stepped forwards and kissed me lightly on the cheek. Despite myself, I felt my cheeks warming.

"That was for good luck, now make it a good show," said Erica with a smirk.

I grinned and nodded.

"Of course," I said.

At that moment, Verethragna shattered the barrier with a yell of victory, just as I spun around and aimed the tablet at him. There was a massive surge of energy and the White Horse erupted from the Tablet with enough force to push my heels into the muddy ground. Almost immediately, I felt the backlash from the tremendous release of power as it felt like someone had just injected molten lava into my body as my muscles began to burn. I was locked in place, unable to move or scream, until the blast finally ended and I was thrown back. Thankfully, the burning stopped, but my entire body ached. Considering I was probably coming apart at an Atomic level, thats not really that surprising.

"Kariya!" shouted Erica as she ran to my side.

"I cannot be defeated by my own Avatar!" yelled Verethragna, looking rather angry.

"Heh, I stole it," I said, making Erica cock her head in confusion, "I stole his Golden Sword!"

At that moment, the blade in Verethragna's hand vanished.

"It can cut through Divinity, right?" I asked, "So how do I use it?"

Erica looked at me in surprise for a moment, before she smirked and her cheeks pinked slightly.

"I don't know what else I was expecting," she said, "You've more than earnt this Kariya…"

I blinked, but before I could respond, she stepped forwards and kissed me full on the lips. My first thought was how soft and warm her lips were, followed by the fact she tasted of strawberrys, before a searing heat flowed from her into me and my entire body lit up as knowledge flowed into my mind. In response, the light spread, washing away the land around us in favour of the Golden World. The swords immediately moved, spinning to point at a shocked looking Verethragna.

"Ah…"

SHUNK!

The God jerked as a sword shot at him with the speed of a bullet and penetrated him through the stomach. He stared down at uncomprehendingly for a moment. Then, his body burst into flames and he started laughing.

"AHAHAHA, excellent work boy," he said calmly, despite the flames licking his body, "I admit, I never truly believed that you'd be able to kill me...I guess that will teach me to never underestimate an Outsider."

He smiled as his body began to dissolve.

"Continue to grow stronger, young Outsider, continue to grow and win. Don't you ever lose a fight, not until the day we meet again!"

Finally, the last of the Gods body faded, along with the sword, leaving nothing but his crest floating in the air before me as my legs gave way and I fell into darkness.

 **And done. I know that a great deal of this and the last chapter were Canon, but from this point on, things will begin to change. After all, you can't expect a Campione who's also an Outsider to not screw over Fate, can you? Hehehe.**

 **Just to be clear, although Kariya is a little perverted (he is a teenaged male after all), hes mostly just trying to get a rise out of Erica. Trust me, the relationship between those two will be different from the one between Erica and Godou, mainly because Kariya is nowhere near as passive as the original Seventh King. He also has no problem embracing his role...as a King, not a Demon.**

 **As for pairings, well, it'll be Godou's original girls...plus at least one more who I'll be keeping to myself for now. There may be others, but their not set in stone yet.**

 **Anyway, I am now done, so I'll sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	34. Born of Blue Flames Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Born of Blue Flames

Getting reborn would have been rather cool...if I hadn't been reborn as the literal antichrist. Yeah, getting reborn as a half demon raised by an Exorcist isn't really my idea of a good time. Then again, discovering that my Human side has powers of its own is kinda cool. Apparently the Demons of Gehenna aren't actually all that dangerous when you compare them to some of the nasties in the world.

 **And we are back! I've had this idea knocking around in my head for a while, so I've decided to roll with it. Yes, its technically another DXD story, but for once its not the main story world! No, that would be Blue Exorcist and our protagonist has been reborn as Rin. This should be interesting, no? Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Let me tell you, death by having an animatronic dinosaur fall on your head is NOT fun. Still, I suppose you could probably guess that. In other obvious news, being conscious while being born is just as traumatic as dying. The fact that I've apparently been born into a fictional world doesn't really help matters. What really doesn't help is that I'm apparently the literal Antichrist, having been reborn as the Son of the Demon God, Rin Okumura. Yeah, this is gonna blow, isn't it?

Surprisingly enough, no. Oh sure my future would inevitably go down the drain and my temper was a tad shorter than it used to be, but my laid back nature meant that my temper was relatively easy to control, unless someone really pushed me. Plus, I was a smart person with two lifetimes worth of education, so I really had no excuse not to get into High school. Of course, that doesn't meant I would be able get into True Cross on a scholarship like Yukio. He blew my brains out of the water, although to be fair, I was much better at creative pursuits than him. However, I really didn't mind all that much, not when I was gunning for a different school anyway, one with more of a focus on the arts. Well, that was the plan anyway.

Frankly I should have seen it coming. Theres no way I could go through life without attracting the attention of Gehenna or the ever marching Plot. Add in my temper and the fact I don't like bullys meant that it was pretty much inevitable that I end up getting into that fight with Reiji that happened at the start of the series. The main difference here however is that, instead of him shooting pigeons with a crossbow (I wouldn't have cared about that in the slightest), I instead caught him trying to mug an underclassman after school one day.

Anyway, after kicking all of their arses and sending them packing, I checked on the kid and helped him gather up his stuff, he headed home with only a black eye for his trouble and with his lunch money intact. I on the other hand as badly bruised, with a bloody nose and torn knuckles.

"Tch, guess something never change," I muttered as I pinched my nose shut to stop the bloodflow.

* * *

"I'm home!" I called as I entered the living quarters of the monastery.

"Welcome hom...WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?!" yelled Yukio when he saw my bloody face.

"Got into a fight with a bunch of morons," I growled as I headed to the bathroom to dig out the first aid kit and wash my face.

"Again? Honestly, you should learn to keep your temper," said Yukio.

I gave my twin a flat look.

"What do you mean again?" I asked, "I'm not that bad!"

"I still need to patch up up far too much," said Yukio as he snatched the first aid kit out of my hands.

"Hey, at least its good practice. OW!"

"Zip it moron," growled Yukio as I rubbed my head where he'd just hit me.

"So, are you all set for tomorrow?" I asked, indicating to the boxes piled in the corner.

"Yeah, I think so," said Yukio, "What about you?"

I shrugged.

"I've got my uniform, my ticket and my key to my new place," I said, "I won't be taking my stuff until later though."

We fell silent as Yukio finished patching me up and shut the kit box.

"You will be careful, won't you?" he asked, "I won't be around to patch you up after all."

"Of course I will," I said, "The same goes for you. I won't be around to keep the bullies off with my fearsome presence."

Yukio laughed.

"You? Fearsome?"

"Hey, I can be scary!" I protested, pulling a face and making claws with my fingers, "Rawww! See?"

Yukio just thumped me over the head again and I responded by dragging him into a headlock.

* * *

The next day, I was packing up the last of my stuff ready to move out to my new school when a knock interrupted me.

"What?" I called.

"Hey Rin, you busy?" asked Izumi as he stuck his head around the door.

"Not with anything that needs to be done this minute," I said, "Why, do you need something?"

"We're out of milk," said the Priest, "Do you mind running down to the shop to get some?"

"Sure, no problem," I said, taking the bundle of notes he handed me and slipping them into my pocket.

I headed out, catching the tail end of Fujimoto's conversation with the little girl and her parents.

"Think she'll be alright?" I asked as I stepped up beside her.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," said the old Paladin, "That charm will protect her."

"Hnn," was my only response as I headed towards the gates, "See ya later old man!"

"Get some bread as well!" called Fujimoto.

I just waved in acknowledgment.

* * *

"Aww shit, I can't believe I forgot about this," I grumbled as I stared at the shopping street near the Monastery.

The entire place was infested with Coal tar Demons, which probably wouldn't be that different from normal, but now I could see them. With that in mind, Astaroth would probably be rearing his ugly head right about…

"Hey, Okumura!"

Now. I sighed and turned around to see, sure enough the familiar form of Reiji now sporting the ever so trendy look of horns, a tail, claws and pointy ears.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You got a minute?" asked Astaroth.

I shrugged and nodded. It might be a tad stupid to go with him considering I knew how this little conversation would go, but I was willing to bed good money that, no matter what happened, the King of Rot would find some way to confront me. At least this way I had some control over the situation.

"Sorry about yesterday," said the possessed teen as we came to a stop in a fenced off area under a bridge, "We were all feeling a little hot headed and took things too far."

"Sure, I'm sure thats all it was," I said sarcastically, "Is that everything? Cus I've got an errand to run."

"Before that, how much do you want?" asked Astaroth.

"Huh?"

"I'm going to be starting at True Cross soon," said the Demon King, "It'd be a pain if any...unsavory rumors started spreading about me."

"If you acted like a decent Human being, that wouldn't be an issue," I said, "Anyway, you can keep your money, I don't have any intention of telling anyone."

I turned to leave.

"Oh don't be so proud Okumura!" yelled the Demon, "I know that you guys are poorer than dirt! That brother of yours is going to True Cross too, right? I bet the fees must be murder. Just take the money and you can use it to…"

He was cut off by a fist to the face. It may take a lot to set me off, but like the original version of Rin, badmouthing Yukio was one of the few things that'd do it. Sure, I knew he was one hell of a badass, but he was still my little brother.

"That wasn't very bright asshole," I growled, "You can badmouth me all you want, but leave Yukio out of it!"

"That...hurt," growled the Demon as he stood, holding his face, "But you really shouldn't get to cocky. Get him!"

"DENIED!" I yelled as one of the goons tried to grab me, only for me to duck out of his grip and trip him.

The other one took a swing, but I easily sidestepped his punch, grabbed his wrist and threw him into his friend. I smirked as I turned back to a surprised looking Astaroth.

"Did I mention that I know how to fight?" I said.

And I did. Considering what I knew about my future, you really think I'd just go through life without at least trying to improve myself? I wasn't trained or anything, but using the internet and an out of the way area of the local park, I had been able to teach myself a pretty decent style of brawling that made use of my enhanced strength to do a rather large amount of damage.

The Demon scowled.

"Damn brat, don't look at me like that!" he roared and reached behind him.

Before I could react, he grabbed a piece of rebar from the crate behind him I hadn't noticed and threw it at me. The metal bar smacked into my shoulder, knocking me off balance long enough for one of the goons to grab me and force me to the ground.

"There we go, right where you belong," sneered Astaroth, "In the dirt at my feet."

"Fuck you!" I snarled.

Astaroth just laughed and stepped over to a fire that was burning in an old barrel, plucking a red hot piece of rebar from the flames.

"Now, since I owe you for hitting me not once, but twice, and for turning down my generosity, lets see if Demons like you feel pain," he said as he stalked over.

"H-hey man, don't you think thats going a bit far?" asked one of the goons, eyeing the glowing metal wearily, "I mean, we could get arrested!"

"SHUT UP!" roared Astaroth, kicking the kid in the face, not that it helped since the other one was more than twice my bodyweight, "Now, lets get this Human BBQ started!"

" _Oh no you fucking don't!"_ I thought as I reached deep inside of me.

I really didn't want to confirm his suspicions, but I wanted my eyes burnt out even less. However, instead of a blue flame, I felt something else, a strange, golden light that radiated a feeling I could only describe as sharp and deadly. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to properly register or draw it out as I felt the heat of the metal on my cheek, panicked and accidentally went too deep, resulting in a massive blast of blue fire that sent the goons flying. Naturally, they all fled, leaving me with Astaroth, who looked like Christmas had come early.

" **Well, it seems that I was right about you,"** said the Demon as more of his true form began to manifest from Reiji's body, **"Theres no doubt that they are the Flames of Satan!"**

He knelt in front of me and held out a clawed hand.

" **Come now Little Brother, our Lord Father is waiting."**

I was about to swear at him and try drawing on that strange power again when a familer voice echoed down the alley.

"Evil is in their hearts, 'Oh Lord."

We both turned to see Fujimoto walking towards us, reciting the Death Verse he did.

" **Wha...an Exorsist?!"** growled the Demon, before his eyes widened as he recognized the prayer, **"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!"**

Fujimoto ignored him as the Demon charged towards him.

"Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors,

Give them after the work of their hands, render onto them to their reward.

Thou shalt destroy them and shall not build them up.

Blessed be the Lord."

He sidestepped Astaroth's swipe, grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back

"The Lord is my helper, and my protector.

Thou shalt perish!"

Astaroth screamed as a thick, black smoke erupted from his mouth like something out of Supernatural and the Demon form vanished, leaving nothing but Reiji behind. Threat dealt with, the Priest looked up and met my eyes.

"Rin, are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, but what…" I started.

"It seems that the Kurikara is no longer enough to suppress your power," said Fujimoto, cutting me off.

"Um, sure," I said, "Is he OK?"

Fujimoto glanced down at Reiji.

"He should be fine," he said, "I Exorcised the Demon, but if he doesn't change, there's a risk that he may be possessed again."

He glanced up at me.

"You can see them now, right?" he asked, "The Coal Tars?"

I nodded.

"I thought so," said Fujimoto, before launching into the explanation about Assiah and Gehenna.

Mirror worlds, impossible to travel between, possession of objects, etc.

"But enough of that, we need to get you somewhere safe," said the old Paladin, grabbing my wrist, "Come on, lets go."

He dragged me away from the alley.

"Wait a second old man, why are they after me?" I shouted, more to play the part than anything else.

It would be strange if I didn't ask questions after all.

"You are...the son of Satan," said Fujimoto with suitable gravitas for telling someone they are the spawn of the Devil.

* * *

It didn't take long to get back to the Monastery where Fujimoto immediately started giving orders to the other Priests to fortify the church against any threat.

"As soon as the sun comes up, you need to go," said Fujimoto once he was done, ignoring the loud crashes from outside as numerous Ghouls started slamming themselves against the barrier.

"Well, they sure didn't waste any time," I muttered.

"Rin, come with me," said Fujimoto as he shoved the Alter to one side, revealing a staircase leading down.

I followed him down into a small chamber with nothing but a chest of draws inside. Fujimoto opened it and pulled out the Kurikara. Immediately, I felt something inside me stur at its presence, likely my dorment powers.

"This is the Kurikara," said Fujimoto, "An ancient and powerful Demon Slaying sword. Years ago, I sealed your Demonic powers inside and sealed the sheath. It is more important than your life, it must never leave your side and, more importantly, never be drawn. If it is, all your powers will come rushing back to you and you will never be able to go back to being Human."

"Is that really true?" I asked as I took the sword.

"What do you mean?" asked Fujimoto.

I glanced at the old Priest.

"I'm already half Demon, right?" I asked, "I can feel those flames inside me. I can't help but get the feeling that this is only a half measure."

"Perhaps it is," said Fujimoto, "But for now, it is the best we have."

I sighed.

"What about Yukio?" I asked.

"While you are twins, he was too weak to inherit any power," said Fujimoto, "You alone inherited the powers."

"I see," I muttered, "So I take it everyone knew about this?"

Fujimoto's silence (and my metaknowledge) was all the answer I needed.

"I see," I said and took a deep breath, "And you didn't tell me why exactly? You didn't think that, maybe, it would be a good idea to tell me that I'm the spawn of the Devil and that one day I'd have DEMONS AFTER MY ASS!"

I shouted the last bit as my temper boiled over slightly. I stopped and took a deep breath as I tried to get myself back under control before I did something stupid.

"I could only raise you as a Human," said Fujimoto, "It was for that reason that I kept my silence."

There was a loud crash from upstairs and we both stumbled, before rushing upstairs to find that a truck had been driven through the front of the church, allowing the Demons in.

" **I'm here for you my young Prince,"** said Astaroth as he clambered over the ruins, **"Come, let us return home together!"**

He thrust out his arm, which stretched out towards me and would have grabbed my leg had I not sidestepped and slammed a foot into his hand. There was a loud crack as his fingers broke and the Demon howled in pain.

"I think I'll be staying here thanks," I said.

Fujimoto gave me a surprised look, before he grabbed me by the shoulder.

"When morning comes, the Demonic activity will lessen," he said, "You need to go, now and get as far as you can."

"And where am I supposed to go exactly?" I asked.

Fujimoto handed me his mobile.

"There is only one number on here," he said, "Once you're away, call it. Hes an old friend and will be able to help you."

"But…"

Before I could protest, Fujimoto shoved me down the stairs. I landed with a crash and immediately got to my feet, just in time to see the old man close the hidden hole.

"FUCK!" I shouted, pounding my fist on the wood.

I could hear the fight going on outside, but I wasn't anywhere near strong enough to break through the wood. I glanced down at the sword. I could draw it now. Its not like I didn't know what would happen. But, the question is, was it worth it? I honestly didn't think so. I hated the idea of having an unstable power like Satans flames inside me and, if I did draw the sword, it would mean that I was letting the old man down.

"Tch, damn it," I growled, "This would be so much easier if I didn't have to worry about the old man dying! But...I can't just leave them. I wish...I wish I could fight without my flames!"

As if in response, I felt something inside me twist and a brilliant, golden light erupted from my feet.

* * *

Third Person POV, Shiro Fujimoto

Shiro gritted his teeth in frustration as the possessed teen effortlessly tossed his subordinates around. He had underestimated their enemies. He never believed that one of the Kings would come after Rin this early! Yet here they were, facing down Astaroth himself and totally unprepared for it.

" **I'm gonna rip the guts out of every last one of you before I'm through!"** roared the Demon King as he finished expanding into his true form.

Or at least, as close as he could get in Assiah. Shiro growled and readied himself for the fight, but before Astaroth could try and make good of his promise, there was a flash of light and the alter exploded. Shiro spun around, just in time to see Rin vault over ruins, a sword in hand. However, it wasnt the Kurikara. Instead, it was a western style longsword with a golden guard and grip, forged in such a way that they resembled crosses. As he landed, Rin threw the sword which slammed into Astaroth's shoulder, which immediately began to steam as if doused in holy water.

" **GARRRRR!"** roared the Demon, **"What the...a Holy Sword?! But how?!"**

"That would be thanks to this," said Rin with a smirk as he held out a hand.

Immediately, a golden circle appeared in front of his hand and moved out, revealing a sword with a similarly designed hilt as the other one. As soon as the tip formed, the circle vanished and the blade burst into golden flame.

"Meet Corruption Eater," said Rin, his face thrown into shadows by the flames and making his grin look rather sinister, "Its a Holy Sword of fire that can burn away corruption."

The blood drained from Astaroths face as Shiro's jaw dropped. There was only one thing that could create swords like that, but it wasn't possible for Rin to have one...right?

" **B-but how?!"** spluttered Astaroth, **"Only Humans can possess Sacred Gears!"**

"Ah, but your forgetting something," said Rin as he lowered his stance and held up his sword, "I may be part Demon, but part of me is Human too. Thats more than enough in this case."

He swung the flaming sword and a blast of golden fire erupted, turning every Demon Mushroom in the room to ash and forcing Astaroth to stagger back. However, the monster was way to powerful to be defeated by a sword created by an untrained user, despite his injuries, so he was soon back on his feet, more pissed than anything.

" **THATS IT!"** roared the Demon, **"BROTHER OR NOT, YOU ARE DEAD YOU DAMN BRAT!"**

He took a deep breath, black mist gathering in his maw, but before he could unleash his attack, he was pierced from behind by three Spears of Light, one pink, one yellow and one blue.

* * *

Back to Rin

When I had manifested my sword, the first thing on my mind was utter disbelief, followed by an urge to bang my head against something. I decided not to though since the fight was still going on and I didn't know for sure what it was. For all I knew it could be a power Rin never tapped into for whatever reason. When Astaroth confirmed that it was indeed a Sacred Gear, most likely Blade Blacksmith considering the swords seemed to have Holy Element, I had to take my newly found anger out on the convenient Demons or risk swearing my head off. I had expected a hard fight against the King of Rot, so I wasn't entirely surprised that he managed to shrug off my attack. I was surprised when he was stabbed from behind with Spears of Light though. Then again, if Sacred Gears are a thing then it stands to reason that everything else in DXD is too.

However, something seemed off. Despite the fact I was glad that the Angels were apparently coming, something about those spears had me on edge. Now if only I could…

"HAH, WE GOT HIM!" said a high pitched voice from above.

I looked up and nearly lost control over my jaw muscles as I saw the owner. Floating above the wrecked Church was three winged figures, each with another Spear in their hands. However, they weren't Angels. The one who had spoken was a young looking girl with blond twintails wearing a Gothic Lolita style dress and armed with a pink spear, while her comrades were a busty woman with long, blue hair and a rather revealing maroon outfit consisting of a shirt that showed off a LOT of her breasts and a very short skirt, armed with a yellow spear and a man in a pale violet trench coat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes and a black fedora wielding a blue spear. Oh, and all three had black wings. Er, what?

I turned to Fujimoto, only for my confusion to skyrocket when I saw his expression of relief at the arrival of the Fallen Angels. Shouldn't that be fear at the arrival of more enemies? What the fuck was going on?!

"I told you that brat would be trouble Shiro," said another voice, making me turn back to the entrance as a third woman stepped over the rubble and planted a foot on the back of Astaroth's head.

Long black hair, purple eyes, a killer figure and a black dress under a pink cardigan, armed with a jagged looking purple spear. Yep, that'd be Raynare alright. Now why in the world would an Exorcist be working with a Fallen? Unless...aw shit, I think I know where this is going!

 **And done. Bit of an odd ending there, but hey, its amusing. Yes, the Knights of the True Cross do indeed work for the Grigori, not the Church.**

 **I actually originally planned for that reveal to wait until Rin was brought before the leaders where he calls out Azazel for being the Governor General and not the Demon King, along with the fact that no one actually knows that they're working for Fallen. Then I realized that was utterly stupid and totally unbelievable, so I scrapped it.**

 **Hmm, I planned for Freed to show up as well...eh, that crazy bastard can be along a bit later.**

 **In terms of power levels, DXD wins hands down. Usually. There are Demons who can fight on par with high level Angels and Devils, like the higher level Demon Kings and beings like the King of Rot, although I may change some of the 'demons' encountered into other types of beings. Naturally, Satan is pretty high up the food chain, but he would definitely lose if he went up against a Leader Class or one of the Satans. Thats the DXD Satans.**

 **Yes, Rin does indeed have a Sacred Gear in the form of Blade Blacksmith. Mainly because I wanted the irony of the Son of Satan wielding Holy Swords. I might also have him as a natural Holy Sword user, although I'm still toying with that idea.**

 **Fujimoto won't be dieing! Yay! In other news, Mephisto may or may actually be a Devil, Vali is attending Cram School and Rin is still (mostly) Human since he hasn't drawn the sword.**

 **Don't take any of that seriously. I'm currently suffering from a nasty cold and I think my brains are slightly scrambled. On the other hand, they do sound like things I'd do since I seem to be channeling Mephisto at the moment…**

 **Anyway, don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	35. Legend of Lief Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Legend of Lief

Getting reborn as the hidden prince of a nation consumed by Darkness is not fun. Especially if that means you're basically going to be forced to go on a pretty intense scavenger hunt to find a bunch of magic stones. Of course, that alone would be to little of a headache for the bastard who put me here, so I naturally have to have a glowing birthmark on my hand. This is really gonna blow...

 **So here we go with another idea that, frankly, I have no idea how far it'll go. When I was a kid, I loved the Deltora Quest books, so it was pretty much inevitable that I'd eventually come back to them. However, theres no fun in having a weakling like Lief as a protagonist, so lets give him something new and powerful. I toyed with the idea of giving him Ddraig again or possibly Albion, just for shits and giggles, but then it hit me. A Dark king, a blond hero, a massive scavenger hunt...DEAR DIN, ITS PERFECT! Plus I've been wanting to do a LoZ story for a while. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Let me tell you, death by a giant, fiberglass devil falling on your head is not fun. Still, apparently Death is not the end for me and I found myself waking up as a baby. I think I'll skip over my childhood so we can get to the good stuff, although to be fair, I also don't really want to talk about it. Lets just say that theres a bloody good reason you can't remember that time and leave it at that.

Actually, theres one more thing I should mention. My new home isn't my old one, not even close. Actually, it seemed like I'd been reborn into the Dark Ages...right up until I realized I recognized my parents and my new name. My Parents were called Jarred and Anna, an apparently simple blacksmith and his wife living in the city of Del with their son, Lief. Thats me by the way. So yeah, reborn as the hidden Prince of the kingdom of Deltora and future target for a Dark Lord of unknown power as I head out on a scavenger hunt for a bunch of magic jewelry. My life's gonna suck…

* * *

Still, I suppose its not all bad. While I'd always enjoyed the Deltora Quest books, I'd always been mildly annoyed at how weak Lief seemed half the time. Plus, I knew exactly what we'd end up facing, so I made it a point to do my best to become as strong as I could. It certainly helped that I seemed to be unnaturally talented with a sword and shield to the point where I mastered them in no time flat. Of course, I also learnt the arts of blacksmithing (I was less good at that), made to memorize entire passages from the Book of Deltora and so on. I also made it a point to learn how to fight bare handed, mostly through play with the other kids, but also from the few lessons I took last time through. The final thing I taught myself was free running and climbing, mostly because half the time Lief got into trouble it was because he wasn't fast enough at climbing.

* * *

I was floating high above a large, open space surrounded by dark clouds and with what looked like a reflective pool as the floor, watching from above as two figures clashed blades again and again in a shower of sparks. At first glance, it appeared that one figure, a hulking monster of a man with black scale armour and long, glowing hair that moved like flames, had a huge advantage over his opponent due to his size and apparent strength as he was swinging a sword larger than me around with one hand. However, despite the size difference, his opponent, a young man in green, was holding his own. More than that, he was winning. Eventually, the green clad boy managed to break through the monsters guard and drove his sword into its chest, striking a finishing blow. The Monster staggered back, black blood leaking from its wounds. It regained its balance and fixed the hero with a glare, opening its mouth and….

* * *

"LIEF, GET UP NOW!"

"YIKES!"

THUMP!

"Owww…"

I groaned as I pushed myself up off the hardwood floor. You'd think I'd have learnt by now not to sleep in or else my Mother would either drag me out of bed or shout loud enough to scare me out of sleep. However, despite spending the last 16 years doing just that, I still managed to sleep in more often than not. It certainly didn't help that I'm rather lazy by nature and often took naps in the sun when I could get away with it.

I rolled to my feet and stretched, yawning widely as I walked over to my dresser to get dressed. As I did, I paused as I remembered what day it was.

"Guess that today's the day I go on an adventure," I muttered as I pulled on my trousers.

* * *

As I expected, my parents allowed me to take the day off for my birthday, so I spent it getting into trouble with my friends and ending with a meal of apples from a forgotten old tree. Unlike the original Lief however, I wasn't about to risk getting caught out by the Gray Guards, so I headed home before sunset, much to the relief of my parents. I think they were worried I might be late and end up dead in a ditch somewhere. Like I'd ever be that stupid.

Anyway, we sat down for our evening meal and, once that was done, Father led me into his study area and sat me down where he proceeded to tell me his tale, how he used to be the 'friend of the King' and all that. I already knew it of course, but I still acted suitably surprised.

"And you didn't tell me this until now because…?" I said.

"We thought it best to keep silent until now, Lief," said Mum from where she was stood by the fire, "It was so important, you see, that no word reached the ears of the Shadow Lord."

"Thats fair enough I guess," I said, "But why now?"

Mum and Dad glanced at one another.

"Because, now that you are old enough, we have something we must ask of you," said Dad, "As you know, the only thing that can defeat the Shadow Lord is the Belt. Over the years, I have spent my days keeping my eyes and ears open for any information I could find on the possible locations of the Gems so that it could be restored and the Heir found."

"Until you were ten your father believed that he himself would be the one who would go to seek the gems of Deltora, when the time came," said Mum, "But then —"

She broke off, glancing at Dad sitting in his armchair, his injured leg stuck stiffly out in front of him. He smiled grimly.

"Then the tree fell, and I had to accept that this could not be," he finished for her, "I can still work in the forge, enough to earn our bread, but I cannot travel. And so, Lief, the task is left to you. If you are willing."

"Do I have a choice?" I asked sardonically, before sobering, "But the Belts useless without the Heir, right? I assume you know something about that as well, otherwise reforging the Belt would be a waste of time."

"When we reached the forge the king and queen made themselves look like ordinary working people," said Father, "In haste we discussed the plan for escape while outside the wind howled and the darkness of the Shadow Lord deepened over the land. And then we parted."

His face was furrowed with grief and memory.

"We knew that we might never meet again. Endon had realized by then that by his foolishness and blindness the people's last trust in him had been destroyed. The Belt would never again shine for him. All our hopes rested with his unborn child."

"That doesn't answer my question," I said, "How do we know they are even still alive? They could have been captured and killed or even died on their own."

Dad heaved himself to his feet and removed his belt. He cut the stitching at one end with his knife and pulled out what was hidden inside. My breath caught. Sliding from the leather tube was a fine steel chain linking seven steel medallions. I knew what the belt looked like from the books and Anime depictions, but to see it in person...well, lets just say that a mere description or animated depiction could never do the belt true justice. Despite being fashioned from steel, the entire thing shone like polished silver and its clasps were designed to look like a pair of spread wings when closed.

"Is that…" I breathed.

"The Belt of Deltora," said Father, apparently pleased by my awe, "I reforged it from the pieces Endon and his wife recovered, ready for the day that we could recover the Gems. It is also how I know that Endon's blood still lives. If his line had gone, the Belt would have crumbled to dust."

Well, that and he was Endon himself, but that was kinda irrelevant for now.

"Take it Lief," said Father, holding out the Belt, "I cannot be its bearer any more. It is up to you to watch over it until it is complete and its true bearer found."

I hesitantly reached out and took the belt, inwardly marveling at how light it was. Hard to believe that all the hopes and dreams of everyone in Deltora rested on this thin bit of metal. I lifted my shirt and placed the belt around my hips where I had no doubt it would remain for a very long time to come. As soon as the clasps met, there was a faint flash of light, nearly unnoticeable, but knowing what I do, I did see it. What I didn't notice until later however was that a new symbol had appeared on the clasp.

"What now?" I asked as I scratched the back of my left hand that was itching slightly for some reason.

"Now you must find the Gems," said Father, "The gems were scattered, hidden in places no one would dare to find them."

"Let me guess, they are hidden in places so dangerous that no one with an ounce of sanity would go anywhere near them?" I asked.

"So I fear," said Dad as he picked up a parchment from the table beside his chair and began slowly to unfold it, "Seven Ak-Baba were flying together around the palace tower on the day the gems were taken. They separated and flew off in different directions. We believe that each was carrying one of the gems, and each was going to one particular place to hide it. See here. I have drawn a map."

He spread the map on the table and pointed at the marked locations.

"The Lake of Tears, City of the Rats, The Shifting Sands, Dread Mountain, The Maze of the Beast, The Valley of the Lost, The Forests of Silence …" I muttered aloud as I read them, "Yep, that'd do it. Typical Dark Lords…"

"Indeed," said Father with a slight smirk, "We know little about each location, other than they are incredibly dangerous and infested with dangerous creatures. Knowing this, are you still willing to go?"

I sighed.

"Well, I can't say I'm entirely pleased about doing so," I said, "But I honestly have no choice. If we allow the Shadow Lord to keep his hold on Deltora, this age of Darkness will never end."

I opened my eyes and looked at my Father with determination in my gaze.

"I'll do it," I said, "Dangerous or not, I can and WILL succeed!"

As if in response to my declaration, the belt hummed slightly and the back of my hand tingles slightly. My parents both looked shocked, before Father burst out laughing.

"I honestly don't know what I was expecting," he said, "You always were courageous Lief, possibly a little too courageous. Then again, I suppose in this dark time, we need people like that. A Hero to burn away this Darkness, just like so many do in the legends."

I smiled back, before turning to my Mother, who was crying, despite her smile.

"Don't worry Mum," I said, "I won't die. I promise."

Mum chuckled weakly.

"I know you won't," she said, "You are blessed Lief, blessed by the Goddesses. But despite that, I still don't want to let you go."

I stepped forwards and hugged my Mother, rubbing her back as she clung to me.

"What mother wants to let their child walk into danger like that," she said.

"I know, but I have to do this," I said.

Mum stepped out of my arms and nodded.

"Of course you do," she said.

"Courage and strength of heart are all well and good, but you will need more if you intend to win," said Father as he bent down and drew something from under his chair, "Here, a birthday gift for you."

He placed the bundle on the table and I quickly unwrapped it, revealing a sheathed sword, a cloak and a wooden shield, painted with a depiction of the Belt. I blinked at the last item. Well, that was a tad unexpected.

"I made it on our own forge," said Father, tapping the sword with his finger, "It is the finest work I have ever done. The shield I bought from a traveling Merchant when they came through, but it is also a fine work. Care for them well, and it will care for you."

"The Cloak is from me," said Mum, "The fabric is... special. I used every art I knew in its making, and wove much love and many memories into it, as well as strength and warmth."

Father stood up and put his arm around her. She leaned against him lovingly, but tears shone in her eyes. I looked at them both.

"You never doubted that I would agree to go on this quest," I said quietly.

"We knew you too well to doubt it," said Mother, trying to smile. "I was sure, as well, that you would want to start at once. Food and water for the first few days of your journey are already packed and waiting. You can leave within the hour, if you wish."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"That may be best," I said, "If I wait until morning, I may change my mind."

"There is one thing more," said Father, limping to the door, "You will not be alone on your quest. You will have a companion."

He swung the door open, revealing Barda standing there. The disguised Guard stepped into the room and dropped his cloak, revealing his rough, but but clean clothes and neatly trimmed beard and hair. He straightened to his full height (which was tall enough that he would need to duck to enter most doors), pushed back his tousled hair from his face, tightened his jaw, and lifted his head. As he did, I couldn't help but notice something I never had before. His eyes were red and his skin was far darker than anyone in town, even those who worked in the fields daily.

"Good evening Lief," he said.

"So, thats what you've been hiding," I said.

Barda snorted.

"I guess you're more observant than you appear," he said, "Thats good, it'll keep you alive."

I huffed at being underestimated by the big man.

"Alright then, its time for you to leave," said Father, moving over to a bookcase and pulling out a book.

The entire wall swung out, revealing a secret passage.

"Your first stop will be the Forests of Silence," said Father as Barda picked up a pack Mother had just bought into the room, "Be careful son, this will be a very dangerous journey."

"I know," I said, "We'll be back before you know it."

Father nodded and pulled me into a hug that Mother quickly joined.

"Lief, we should hurry," said Barda.

I reluctantly broke away from my Parents and followed the former guard into the tunnel, the door closing behind us.

* * *

Third Person POV

"Do you think he will be alright?" asked Anna as her Husband returned to his chair.

"He will be fine," said Jarrad, "Barda will keep him safe. Besides…"

He smiled.

"You know as well as I do the truth of that mark on the back of his hand," he said.

"Yes, and thats what worries me," said Anna, "The Shadow Lord is bad enough, but if the legends are true…"

Jarrad reached over to the bookshelf and removed a book, letting it fall open on the table.

"Then Lief will win," he said, "After all, he is the Hero."

He chuckled lowly as he looked down at the picture on the page before him. It was a boy clad in a green tunic, holding a sword with the tip pointed to the sky and a golden triangle made of three smaller ones behind him.

* * *

The Forests of Silence

High in the trees of the Forest, a young girl stirred slightly in her sleep as her left hand clenched, revealing a faintly glowing triangle on the back as she dreamed of a boy clad in green.

* * *

The Shadowlands

In his chambers, the being known as the Shadow Lord awoke from dreams of conquest as a rather strange feeling washed over him.

"Hmm? Whats this?" he mused as he sat up, "I feel like something has changed...is it the Belt? No, that is no threat to me, not any more…"

He pushed his flaming red hair out of his eyes, before pausing and looking down at his left hand. There, clearly visible against his dark olive-green skin, was a triangle made up of three smaller ones with the top one fully shaded in while the other two were empty.

"Could it be..?" he muttered, "No, thats impossible. Besides, without that cursed Sword, they haven't a hope of stopping me."

He frowned.

"Then again, I cannot afford to be reckless."

He clambered out of his massive bed and quickly sent out messages to his many Servants with orders to keep an eye out for anyone matching the description of the Hero or Princess. He would not allow to defeat him, especially not that accursed Hero!

 **And done. Yeah, I really don't know why I bothered with trying to hide the fact that the Shadow Lord is Ganondorf in this reality, its freaking obvious. You can probably guess who the 'Zelda' of this story is as well if you know anything about Deltora.**

 **So yeah, this is a genuine crossover. Deltora is Hyrule way into the future to the point that the Blood of the Goddess is no longer on the Throne (although it still exists). However, that does NOT mean that the old tribes of Hyrule are no longer present. In fact, I already have plans for how its all gonna work. It does mean that a few things have been changed, but thats the nature of Fanfictions.**

 **Hmm, I wonder why the Belt changed when Lief touched it? Could there be more to it than first appears? Actually, I think thats a given.**

 **Let me be perfectly clear about this. As of right now, Lief has NO idea that the world he lives in is also part LoZ and this isnt a case of denial. There is literally no way he would ever have figured it out. Sure, hes heard a few legends that refer to the Hero, but they have changed so much over the years (or at least, the ones he has have) that he could never have figured it out. I suppose that the Triforce on his hand could have tipped him off, but I'm pretty sure that they are usually invisible unless in use. At least, here they are.**

 **Oh, before I forget, could someone clear up for me whether or not Zelda is also reincarnated? I know that Link usually is as he inherits the Spirit of the Hero, and Ganondorf definitely is, but I'm not sure about Zelda. The 'Blood of the Goddess' implies that its her line rather than her being incarnated into each step of the cycle.**

 **And with that, I am done. I actually kinda want to continue with this since I like Deltora Quest and I've come up with two pages worth of notes already, but knowing me, I probably won't. Anyway, don't forget to leave a review!**


	36. Legend of Lief Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Legend of Lief

Getting reborn as the hidden prince of a nation consumed by Darkness is not fun. Especially if that means you're basically going to be forced to go on a pretty intense scavenger hunt to find a bunch of magic stones. Of course, that alone would be to little of a headache for the bastard who put me here, so I naturally have to have a glowing birthmark on my hand. This is really gonna blow...

 **And we're back. Before I begin, I have this to say...DON'T ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT! Its really annoying when I can't just PM the answer to you. However, I'll answer it anyway. The question was if this happened after Breath of the Wild or if it was a different timeline. Well, my original intent was to have it be set in the flood timeline, but thats kinda gone out the window cus I plan for the Kokiri and Zora to show up. Its best to assume that this happens in its own timeline since I haven't played BotW yet. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The tunnel existed onto a dark path surrounded by trees, as most of the roads around Del were. I was content with allowing Barda to lead as I had never left the City before and he seemed to know where he was going. I kept my guard up though, although I appeared relaxed. My sword, sheathed across my back under my shield, was loose in its sheath and ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. Not that I was expecting trouble for a while.

After a few hours of walking, we came to a fork where Barda stopped. The main path continued off, while the side road was narrower, crossing a little wooden bridge and then winding away into the darkness.

"I believe that this is the path to Wenn Del and the shortest way to the Forests," said Barda, "The turning fits the description I was given. But there should be a signpost, and there is none."

Now here I had a choice. On one hand, I could easily avoid the first danger of our quest by simply suggesting we go the long way, on the other, if I did that then, chances are we wouldn't meet Jasmine and, considering how many times she'd save our bacon, we'd probably be dead before we even found the Topaz. Hmm, potential death at the hands of a monster but gaining a loyal friend or definite death at the hands of a ghostly knight obsessed with flowers...tough choice.

I glanced around for the signpost, aided by the handy moonlight, and quickly spotted it under some leaves.

"Here it is," I said, brushing away the leaves that covered it, "Looks like someone pushed it over…"

I trailed off when I saw the word BEWARE that had been scrawled across the sign.

"Well, thats not ominous at all."

"Someone has tried to warn other travelers of danger along this path," muttered Barda, "No doubt the sign was not pushed over to hide the way, but to hide the warning."

I sighed and got to my feet, brushing off my leggings as I did.

"Well, looks like we'll have to ignore it," I said, "Deep joy."

Barda raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "This path will save us a day and a half, if we take it, but perhaps I should not lead you into certain peril when we have just begun."

"Can we really afford to waste any time?" I asked, "The Shadow Lord has spys everywhere and he will learn of our quest sooner or later. We are prepared for trouble, now. We will watch for danger as we go."

"Very well," said Barda, turning to face the path, "Come, lets go."

We headed down the path that quickly started to get narrower and darker. Tall, thick bushes lined it on both sides, not helping the darkness in the slightest. Their leaves were large, smooth, and stiff, with strange, pale veins showing almost white against the dark green. Yeah, I don't think those are normal in the slightest.

* * *

We had not gone far before the back of my hand began to prickle, as it often did when someone was watching me or trying to sneak up on me. I turned my head slightly and, from the corner of my eye, caught a glimpse of something gleaming through the leaves. It was a pair of red eyes, glinting in the moonlight. I gritted my teeth. The next few minutes were REALLY going to suck. I sped up slightly and touched Barda's arm.

"I see them," Barda muttered, "Draw your sword, but keep walking. Look to the front. Be ready."

I did as I was told, also setting my shield on my right arm. I was left handed, so naturally I held my sword in my dominant hand. I swallowed nervously as more and more eyes started to appear. I was REALLY starting to regret deciding that meeting Jasmine was worth the risk. I had definitely underestimated the creepiness factors of these stupid things.

Then something skittered across the road behind me. Without thinking, I swung around just in time to see a creature disappearing into the bushes, a bent, pale, scuttling thing that seemed all legs and arms. Just a glimpse made my skin crawl and the back of my hand itch. These things were...wrong. So wrong.

"Look ahead!" hissed Barda, furiously dragging on my arm to make me move again, "Didn't I tell you —"

Then the humming began. The sound that the Wenn made was absolutely horrible. Rather than insect buzzing, it sounded almost like music, but no instrument could ever make a sound like that. It quickly built in intensity and it wasn't long before my head was pounding, my ears were ringing and I'm pretty sure my eardrums were starting to tear.

Desperate to shut it out, we clapped our hands to our ears and bent our heads against it, walking fast, faster, eventually breaking into a run. Our feet thudded on the endless path, not helping the pounding in my head any, but it was kind of hard to tell since all I could perceive was the pain of the sound that rose and rose, piercing my brain, driving out every thought. We ran, weaving and stumbling, desperate to escape it, without any luck. Finally we fell, exhausted, to lie writhing, helpless in the dust. The sound rose to an agonizing wail of triumph. The leaves thrashed and rustled. A host of pale, lanky creatures with hot red eyes scuttled towards us and, in moments, we were covered.

Then, just as I was about to pass out, my hand suddenly flared up and a massive flash of light erupted, blasting the Wenn away. That was the last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me.

* * *

I woke slowly, with no idea of where I was or how much time had passed. There was still a dull ringing in my ears, my throat was raw and every muscle in my body was aching. Basically, I felt like I had the day after my Graduation last time through. Still, I was alive, so that was something. Alive and helpless unless Jasmine choses to help that is. Light slanted through branches high above me.

"It is day now, then," I thought drowsily, "Late afternoon, by the look of it. Guess it won't be long before the Wennbar shows up…"

I groaned and lifted an arm to rub my head. Wait…

I sat up and looked around in confusion. I shouldn't be able to move, right? Thats what the Wenn did. As I looked around, I realized that Barda was nowhere to be seen and, unless I was very much mistake, I was still on the path we had been attacked on. Well, wasn't that interesting, the Wenn had not taken me for some reason. The question is, why…

"Oh, your finally awake!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice and spun around. No one was there. I frowned and looked around in confusion.

"Who's there?" I demanded.

"Oi, I'm right here!" said the voice as something fast and glowing shot up and buzzed around my head.

I blinked and took a step back, only for my eyes to widen in utter shock when I saw what was floating in front of me. It looked like a ball of blue light with a pair of insect-like wings sticking out the side .I shook my head, slapped myself hard across the face and looked again. Nope, still there.

"Hey, quit spacing out and listen!" said the Fairy, "We don't have much time if you want to save your friend from being eaten!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a sec!" I yelled, catching the fairy before it could fly away, "Whats going on here? Who and what are you?"

"Tch, damn, I hate the curious ones," grumbled the Fairy, "Alright kiddo, listen very carefully cus I'm only gonna say this once."

She wriggled out of my hands and flew up into my face, her light dimming slightly to reveal that she wasn't actually a ball of light, but rather a tiny humanoid with pale skin, blue hair tied in pigtails, blue eyes and wearing a dress that looked like it was made of petals.

"My name is Navi and I'm a Fairy," she said, "Normally I wouldn't show myself to Humans like you, but something about you blasted away the Wenn and prevented them from touching you. That means that you might be the person I've been waiting for."

I blinked.

"Person you were...what are you talking about?" I asked.

Navi (Aw shit, this could end badly) sighed.

"Truthfully, I have no idea of the specifics," she said, "All I know is what the Great Deku Tree told me before he was trapped by the Dark. He told me that one day, a Human clad in green would come and he would have the power to finally defeat the Darkness that has settled over this forest for so long."

I glanced down at my clothes. Sure enough, I was indeed wearing a green tunic over a white shirt and leggings...wait a Chu sucking minute!

I wrenched my glove off and looked down at the back of my hand. Sure enough, there was the mark I'd had since birth, sitting there innocently as if it hadn't just made my life about a million times more complicated. For most of my life, the mark had been little more than a slight discolouration of skin, barely noticeable, but now it was clearly standing out. An outline of a triangle split into three smaller ones with the bottom right one filled in. Shite, this won't end well!

"Oh, thats interesting," said Navi, suddenly popping over my shoulder, making me jump, "Although it does explain why the Wenn couldn't take you."

She frowned and looked me up and down.

"You know, I always thought that the Hero of Legend would be taller…" she mused.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I growled.

"Oh, nothing," said Navi, "Now come on. I'll explain on the way."

I hesitated for a moment, before following the Fairy deeper into the woods, listening closely as she told me the true history of the Forests of Silence and, although she didn't know it, Deltora as a whole. As it turns out, the Forests were once known by different names. The Lost Wood, the Kokiri Forest and the Faron Woods, and had been the home of the Deku Trees and the Kokiri people. However, at some point in the past, a Darkness had swept over the forest, bringing with it the Wennbar and a powerful curse that had transformed the Kokiri into the Wenn while simultaneously stripping the Great Deku Tree of its power. Now, the only light to be found was the Lilies of Life, which were actually the last remnants of the Trees power.

"So basically, you want me to drive out the Darkness by killing the Wennbar?" I asked.

"Pretty much," said Navi, "Of course, that should break the curse over the Kokari, but you'll also need to do something about the undead Knight in the Great Deku Tree's clearing, otherwise the forest will never be free of the Darkness."

I sighed. Well, wasn't this an annoying turn up for the books. Whats next, the Lake of Tears is actually Lake Hyrule and the cursed people are the Zora? Actually, considering this revelation, that wouldn't surprise me in the least considering the Lake of Tears was next and it was probably Lake Hyrule.

"Alright fine, I'll do it," I said, "He probably has what I need anyway…"

"You mean the Topaz?" asked Navi.

"Yep."

"Then he does. But first, we need to save your friend and defeat the Wennbar."

"Greaaaat," I muttered.

At that moment, we reached the end of the treeline and Navi stopped.

"We're here," she said, "This is where the Wenn leave the offerings."

I crouched down and stuck my head through the leaves, just in time to see a girl drop out of the trees and land beside Barda. At the sight of the girl who could only be Jasmine, my eyes widened in utter shock, before I pulled my head back in, grabbed it and did my best to hold back a scream of rage and frustration. Why? Well, the future addition to our group was slightly different to how she was depicted in both the book and the Anime. The main and most obvious difference was that, instead of having dark hair, hers was blond, although it was still wild and tangled, and her ears were pointed. Actually, so were mine and everyone else from the Del tribe, so that particular detail wasn't as surprising as it could be. However, with the new information Navi had given me, I was willing to bet good money that the Del tribe had originally been the Hylians.

Anyway, other than her blond hair, Jasmine looked mostly like I was expecting, elifin features, short and slim stature and wearing the outfit she did in the Anime, crimson arm guards, leggings/boots, a utility belt, pink collar, pink dress, and a gray toga made of what looked like the same material as the Gray Guards uniforms.

I sighed and stood. This was going to be a minor pain in the rear. I stepped out of the treeline and slowly headed towards the Guard and Wild Girl. I was a few meters away when Kree the Raven spotted me and let out a loud caw. Immediately, Jasmine spun around, her knife flashing out of its sheath, ready to slash my throat. I ducked under it, smacking her arm up in such a way that her fingers released the knife and spun, catching the knife and ending with the tip pressed against her throat.

"Wha…" was all she could say as she stared down at the tip of her own knife with wide eyes.

"Nice to meet you too," I drawled as I removed the knife from her throat and took a step back.

Jasmine immediately jumped away and glared at me.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is Lief," I said, "And this big lug…"

"HEY!" said Barda.

"Is my traveling companion, Barda."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at me, but didn't say anything as I bent down to check on Barda.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"Yes, but I can't move," said the big man, "What about you?"

"I'm fine," I said, "Those things didn't do anything to me other than knock me out. I came to a short time ago."

I glanced back at Jasmine, who was still watching us suspiciously.

"I don't suppose you have anything that could help, do you?" I asked.

The girl snorted and stuck her nose in the air.

"Why would I want to help Gray Guards like you?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What in the world gave you the impression we were Gray Guards?" I asked.

"Only Grey Guards take the Wenn Del path, for it leads nowhere but to the Forests," said Jasmine.

"We are not Guards," growled Barda, "We came to the Forests for good reason."

"What reason?" asked Jasmine.

"To help drive out the Darkness!" said Navi, popping up out of nowhere and making everyone jump.

"What the...a Fairy?!" spluttered Barda in shock as Jasmine stared at the little orb of light in surprise.

"Wha...why would a Fairy be with a Guard?!" she spluttered.

"Because their not Guards you stupid girl!" said Navi, "Come on girl, use that common sense thats kept you alive for this long. If Lief was a Guard, you'd be dead right now."

Jasmine gulped and rubbed her throat where I'd placed the knife.

"Oh, speaking of which, you can have this back," I said, tossing the knife back.

Jasmine caught it instinctively and looked between it and me uncomprehendingly.

"Hey listen, we need to do something about Barda," said Navi, "It won't be long before the Wennbar shows up. You have an antidote to the Wenn's poison, right?"

"I-I do, but…" started Jasmine.

"Then go get it!" said Navi, "Hurry!"

Jasmine hesitated for a moment longer, before leaping into the trees and vanishing. I sighed as I sat down beside Barda.

"And now we wait," I said as I removed my cloak and tucked it under Barda's head.

"Now we wait," said the big man.

We fell silent as the sun began to dip below the horizon. I really hope she hurries because I did NOT want to fight the Wennbar while having to protect Barda at the same time.

 **And there we go. Done. Well, wasn't this a chapter full of revelations. I actually planned to save the reveal that the Forests were actually the Lost Woods until after Lief defeated the Wennbar and all the Wenn turned back into the Kokiri, but the idea of him meeting Navi was way to good.**

 **Incidentally, yes, Navi will indeed be tagging along. If only so I can enjoy the irony considering who'll be making an appearance once they get the Topaz back.**

 **Yes, I changed Jasmine's hair colour and gave the Del Tribe pointed ears. I really don't think I need to spell out why, do I?**

 **Anyway, short AN here, so I'll sign off. Next time, Lief vs the Wennbar...who is the mid-dungeon boss. Until next time, don't forget to leave a review!**


	37. Devils and Divine Chapter 1

**Not technically an Outsider story, but its more relevant to put it here than in the Vault.**

Devils and Divine

When I was struck by lightning on the way to work, the very last thing I expected was to end up like a character from my favorite Anime. Of course, unlike him I've ended up, not in a fantasy world, but instead in another awesome Anime...where God is supposedly dead. This...is going to suck.

 **And here we go with another idea. This technically isn't an Outsider story but for once people can actually say its an SI! Yeah, the character in here is supposed to be me, so he'll start out as kinda useless and improve from there, mostly thanks to Gods upgrades. Now then, let the self congratulatory bullshit begin! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I took a lightning bolt to a face on another wise clear day, the very last thing I was expecting was to find myself sat at a table with a cup of green tea in front of me and an old man with long, gray hair, brown robes and a long beard.

"Errr…" was the first thing out of my mouth.

"Ah, hello there young man," said the old man, "I'm so terribly sorry about what happened. I was throwing around some lightning and I accidentally hit you. I really should be more careful, but it hasn't happened in weeks!"

"Errrr…"

"Your name was Lucas Redding, right?" said the old man.

"Yeasssss, and you are?" I asked.

"Oh, I am God," said the old man, "Its nice to meet you."

My eye twitched.

"This all seems very familiar," I muttered.

"Ah, that would be because of the book you were reading before I zapped you," said God cheerfully.

My eye twitched again and I took a deep breath.

"Let me guess, your gonna send me to a new world with a few upgrades and, to apologize for killing me, you're gonna let me chose a gift?"

"Yep. I'm so glad you understand."

I slammed my head into the table.

"I have no idea," I grumbled, "Maybe...a super computer? Nah, to…"

"Sure, that'll be fine," said God cheerfully, "A laptop with infinite battery and self updating so its always better than the top of the line version? Easy peasy."

"Er, thanks," I said.

"Jolly good," said God as he got to his feet, "Now, since I don't want to see you again any time soon and you're a weedy little so-and-so, I'm going to give you a boost so you can actually survive."

"What was that?" I growled, a little miffed at being called weedy, even if it was kinda true.

God ignored me and held out his hand. There was a flash of light and I felt a rush of energy flow through me.

"Huh, that felt odd," I said, "I feel...stronger."

"Well, that was my intent," said God, "Now then, have fun!"

He snapped his fingers and my world turned inside out.

* * *

My eyes snapped open and I found myself looking up at the sky through the branches of a tree. I sat up, rubbing my head as I looked around.

"OK, so where am I?" I muttered.

As if in answer, my phone suddenly went of, nearly making me jump out of my skin. I quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Ah, its good to see you made it," said Gods voice, "I was a little worried you'd end up trapped in the Dimensional Gap."

I twitched.

"What?"

"You'll see," said God, "Speaking of which, I know its a bit of a pain, but since you landed in that world, would you mind helping me out with something there? I'll pay you of course."

"Um, O...K," I said slowly, "What do you need?"

"Oh, I think you'll figure it out," said God, "Incidentally, you're going to need a place to live if you're going to be any use to me. As such, I have acquired a place for you to live. It should be just around those trees."

"Alright, fair enough," I said as I headed towards said trees, "So, what kind...of...place…."

I trailed off as I rounded the trees and saw my new home. I stopped in place and my jaw dropped in utter disbelief. It was a nice enough house, with a set of columns holding up an awning out front and a decent sized sitting area under it. It also happened to be the house both Viser and Bishop Galileo used as a base in DXD.

"Lucas? You there?" said God.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" I spluttered, "God, did you drop me into the DXD world?!"

"Ah, so you figured it out then?" said the old man, making my eye twitch violently.

"Let me guess, you're actually the not-so-dead God of this reality?"

"Yep."

"And you want me to be your personal gofer in...what, destroying the Devils?"

"Oh no, of course not!" said God, sounding rather offended at the idea, "I want you to help put a stop to that stupid war!"

"Come again?"

"The only reason I fought against the original Satans was because they were out to destroy the entirety of Creation," said God, "Despite what my children think, I don't hold the fact they fell against any of them, in fact, I'm proud of them. I'm happy they found their own path, its why I gave them free will in the first place. What I'm not pleased about is how they keep killing each other."

I sighed.

"Fine, I'll help," I grumbled, "But did you have to give me a damn murder house? The damn place is probably haunted!"

"Its not."

My eye twitched again and I had to bite my tongue to keep from cursing God out.

"Oh, and before I forget, I've removed the language barrier from you, so you should have no problem talking with people," said God, "You won't be able to read though, so I suggest you learn quickly. You always did want to learn Japanese after all. Oh, and don't worry about the house, everythings paid for and its yours. Good luck!"

He hung up before I could say anything else.

"So, I have Gods phone number and hes a fucking Troll," I growled as I slipped my phone into my pocket and continued towards the house.

I found the key under a rock near the front door and, with much hesitancy, stepped inside. Much to my relief, all traces of Visers victims had been removed and the place cleaned and furnished tastefully. Well, mostly. There was a bloody hideous painting over the mantelpiece of a woman with her top off that looked like it was from the renaissance era, but this was DXD, so I'd let it slide. I'd remove it later.

* * *

My next stop was the master bedroom, where I found my promised laptop on the desk. When I saw it, I'm pretty sure I started drooling as it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. It was thin, sleek and black, with a gorgeous shine to the top. It looked every inch the powerful and futuristic computer, especially with its awesome light up keyboard and the sound quality was excellent. God had even provided a wireless mouse that matched the computer.

I dropped into the office chair next to the desk with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. Well, wasn't this a right situation I found myself in. When God told me I'd be sent into a new world, I expected to end up in a fantasy world, but this was both better and much, much worse. Better because I didn't need to adjust to not having electricity any more and worse because I was in a world where God was believed dead and apparently now his gofer/fixit man for dealing with his unruly kids. Great, this is really gonna blow…

Wait, what am I saying? I'm in the DXD world, this is gonna be awesome!

* * *

I spent the rest of the day flip flopping between being elated and scared out of my wits. I was pretty sure that God had given me plenty of upgrades so he wouldn't end up seeing me again any time soon, but I didn't know the first thing about fighting. As such, I wasn't entirely sure what I could do and I was afraid I'd end up getting dragged into a fight and killed. On the other hand, I was in DXD!

Not only that, but my connection with God, as tenuous as it was, could get me on the wrong side of the Devils, which could prove deadly. Plus, the Angels could take offence at the idea and deside to take my head off or blow my house up with lightning bolts. On the other hand, I WAS IN DXD!

I had more thoughts that basically boiled down to the logical side of my mind telling me the many ways I could die horribly and the geeky side yelling back that my logical side should shut the hell up because I WAS IN DXD DAMN IT! Eventually, I decided to go for a walk to clear my head and to pick up some food as my cupboards were currently completely bare. Fortunately, I found that God had been right and I had absolutely no problem understanding anyone, despite the fact I didn't speak a word of Japanese. To me it sounded like they were speaking the Queens English and, seeing as I was perfectly understood, I probably sounded like I was speaking Japanese. I couldn't read any of the signs of course, but asking directions wasn't hard.

* * *

It was as I was starting to head home with a full backpack and two handfuls of grocery bags that I discovered the second upgrade God had provided, that of enhanced strength. I'm pretty sure I wasn't superhuman, but I was certainly much stronger than I had been, despite still being incredibly skinny.

I was just about to start heading back home when a teenager walked up to me and handed me a flyer.

"Here, take one," he said.

"Um, thanks," I said, taking the flyer as best I could, "What…"

I trailed off as he walked away. I looked down at the flyer and blinked. It was one of the Occult Research Club flyers, which meant that the teen was probably Issei. Well, that was certainly interesting…

* * *

After arriving back home (inwardly marveling at the fact I was neither out of breath or had sore muscles from the trip) and putting my supplies away, I dropped down into my armchair and examined the flyer.

"So, how exactly does this work?" I muttered, "It must be fairly simple considering some of the idiots who manage to Summon Devils…"

I turned the paper over, as if expecting to find instructions on the back, before dropping it on the coffee table and getting to my feet.

"Right, before I try and figure this thing out, the first job is making some tea," I said and made a beeline for the kitchen.

As I waited for the kettle to boil, I found myself examining my reflection in the oven door. Looking back at me was a tall, rail thin 21 year old with shaggy, dark brown hair and gray eyes nearly hidden behind a pair of grimy brown and orange glasses. Well, nice to see that God hadn't messed with my appearance, although the least he could have done is fixed my eyes. Then again, I could probably do that once I learnt some magic.

Despite the fact that nothing had really changed, I couldn't help but scowl at the sight of my thin body. I had never been a health and exercise freak and I was generally OK with my body, but that was before I got shanghaied by God into being his fixit man. Sure, my strength had been metaphysically enhanced, but I was willing to bet it would increase if I exercised. Plus, I didn't know the first thing about fighting.

"I really need a teacher before I get dragged into a fight," I muttered out loud.

As soon as I did, I jolted forwards as I felt something latch onto...something inside me. There was a flash from the sitting room, followed by a feminine yelp and a crash. I immediately ran through the door, only to be brought up short by the sight of a pink and white spotted knicker covered bottom sticking over the edge of the the arm of my sofa.

"Errr…" was the first thing out of my mouth.

The bottoms owner shifted and pulled her head out of the sofa cushions, revealing a head of short, silver hair in a bob cut, hazel eyes and a very familiar school uniform.

"Well, I guess I did ask for a fighting teacher," I muttered.

Now back on her feet and with her clothing back under control, Koneko turned to me and eyed me up and down. I don't think she really liked what she saw because her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Great, another creep," she muttered under her breath.

I blinked, both at being called a creep, but mostly because I could hear her. Huh, must be another upgrade.

"Right, um, so I take it you're a Devil?" I said, "Or at least I hope so or I really need to see about getting my locks replaced."

Koneko nodded.

"Thats right, I am a Devil," she said, "Koneko Toujou of the house of Gremory."

"And here I thought cats always landed on their feet," I quipped.

I stifled a smirk as her cheeks blushed very slightly, before frowning ever so slightly. That...wasn't like me at all. Don't get me wrong, I love a good exchange of barbs (when its not with my stubborn brat of a brother), but I normally needed to get to know someone before I gained the confidence to do so. Even then, its really for me to make quips like that. Maybe God's messed with my mind more than I thought…

I shook my head to get my mind back on track.

"All joking aside, its nice to meet you Koneko," I said, "I'm Lucas and, well...I was kinda hoping that you could teach me how to fight."

That seemed to catch Koneko off guard and she gave me a flat look.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, I recently came into a...job working for someone pretty powerful," I said, "He informed me of the existence of the supernatural world as part of it, but I quickly realized that I would probably get into a fight at some point in the course of my work. And since I have no idea how to even throw a punch properly, I figured that it would be best if I learnt."

Koneko raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of a person sends an untrained Human into a world of monsters with no training?" she asked.

"A complete troll," I deadpanned.

"Eh?"

"Never mind," I said, "So, can you do it?"

Koneko eyed me up and down for a moment, before nodding.

"I can," she said.

I smiled and nodded.

"Great, unfortunately, I wasn't planning on summoning a Devil today and I literally just moved in, so would it be alright if I summoned you tomorrow to get started?" I asked.

Koneko nodded.

"I'll charge you then," she said, "See ya."

She vanished. I grinned at the idea of learning to fight from the cutest damn character in the show who also happened to be my main wifu, before the smile was wiped off my face as my phone buzzed. Considering that only one person in this world had my number, I was dreading what I was going to see when I checked it, but did anyway. It was a photograph of God giving me the thumbs up.

"Damned perverted old men," I growled as I shoved my phone back into my pocket.

 **And done. Soooo, we got a character based on me (Lucas Redding isn't my real name by the way, I'm not that stupid) more than any of my Outsiders in DXD as God's Fixit man. This...won't end well for someone. Probably me in all honesty.**

 **Lucas possess all of the skills and abilities I have with nothing added, other than what he gains throughout the story and from God. The upgrades provided are the same ones that Touya gets with a few minor adjustments here and there to fit in with the DXD world. Obviously, the magical abilities he possesses fit in with that world rather than IAWWMS.**

 **God is basically the one from In Another World because the old man is fricken awesome and I would genuinely love to have him as my Grandpa. To bad his representatives are all completely amoral arseholes. Expect some humorous moments once it comes out that his boss is God. I plan to do it during the fight with Kokabiel just after he reveals God's supposed 'Death'.**

 **Lucas will NOT be becoming a Devil or an Angel, instead hes something completely different. He also doesn't have a Sacred Gear, but he does have some interesting skills and powers of his own, mostly a result of having a body made up of matter from the Celestial world. I will try to keep him from going to Gary Stu however.**

 **Pairings...at the risk of making this sound like a self congratulatory masterbation, but hes in the damn DXD world! I'd be remiss to not give him a few ladies. The ones I have in mind are Koneko, Irina, either Rias or Sona and possibly Serafall if I can come up with a way of doing it.**

 **Timeline wise...I'm not actually sure yet, although I will have decided by the time it becomes relevant. Its some point between Asia joining the Peerage and Kokabiel's attack though, that much I can say for sure. Yeah, I still got some planning to do on this one…**

 **And I think that'll do. I'm gonna sign out here, so don't forget to leave a review!**


	38. Devils and Divine Chapter 2

Devils and Divine

When I was struck by lightning on the way to work, the very last thing I expected was to end up like a character from my favorite Anime. Of course, unlike him I've ended up, not in a fantasy world, but instead in another awesome Anime...where God is supposedly dead. This...is going to suck.

 **And we're back. Nothing really to say here, so lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

It really is amazing how quickly the utterly bizarre can become normal. For example, I never once believed that getting the crap kicked out of me by a catgirl who barely came up to my chest would ever become a part of my normal day, but thats exactly what happened. On the other hand, while it was a tad humiliating to be tossed across my garden by such a shrimp, I had discovered another of the abilities God had given me. It was called Talent and its exactly what it sounds like.

Basically, it affects my learning and retention skills, allowing me to learn just about anything in record time. Now, that does not mean I could necessarily master it quickly as that required practice, but it did allow me to learn the basics of Koneko's style in a very short time, learn how to cook and even master a few advanced mathematical formulas when I was experimenting with it. That did not mean I was about to become the next Einstein or anything since, while I knew the theory's and could use them, thats all Talent did. No coming up with the secrets of reality for me! After all, theres a difference between learning something and mastering it, which is why I was still getting my arse kicked when Koneko and I sparred. The fact she was much, much stronger than me certainly didn't help though.

* * *

Currently, I was out jogging through the streets early in the morning when it was quite. In my last life, I would never had bothered doing something like this, but since I really needed to get stronger to survive, I decided to make an exception and actually do some exercise. Plus, it was interesting to find out just how much God's upgrades had changed about me. The answer to that was apparently quite a bit. Near as I could tell from my experiments thus far, my body was physically superior to a normal Humans. I wasn't Captain America strong, but I was stronger, faster and had more stamina than a normal Human at peak condition. When I asked God, he told me that my physical powers were currently at a similar level to a recently reincarnated Devil and would increase as I continued to train and improve.

* * *

The sky was turning from gray to blue as I reached the local park and slowed to a stop. I bent over, planting my hands on my knees as I caught my breath. I wasn't gasping, but the run had winded me slightly. After a moment, I straightened and took a long pull on the water bottle that was strapped to my belt to keep my hands free. I made my way slowly through the park to give myself some time to recover from the exercise. As I approached the area where the playground was, the sound of a teenaged boy screaming in pain reached my ears, just in time for me to see Rias bend Issei over. Hmm, maybe I should have worded that differently...I think the Ecchi logic of this world might be affecting me.

I lent against a nearby tree to watch, sipping on my water as the wind carried their conversation to my sensitive ears. Apparently I'd just walked into Issei's very first training session as Rias was telling him how strength was more important that wit in the Devil world. She really needed to learn the meaning of subtlety…

"U-um, hello?" said a voice from behind me carrying a rather adorable Italian accent.

I turned and was completely unsurprised by the sight of Asia stood there in her Habit, eyeing me with a look of confusion.

"Oh, hello, am I in your way?" I asked with a slight smile.

"Um, no, not at all," she said, "Its just...you feel...strange."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Strange how?" I asked.

Asia hesitated.

"L-like...I don't know, the only way I can describe it is how I feel...felt when I entered a church," she said.

"Is that so?" I asked, "Hmm, interesting…"

Apparently God's messing with me might have had some slight side effects. I wonder if other people would be able to sense that something was different about me...

"Oh, Asia, there you are," said Rias' voice as she spotted the former Nun and headed over with Issei, "And, you are…?"

I blinked and shook myself out of my contemplation.

"Oh, sorry," I said, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment, "I'm Lucas and, unless I'm very much mistaken, your Rias Gremory, correct?"

I hid a smirk as Rias' eyes widened in surprise.

"I am, but how did you know that?" she asked.

"My boss had me learn all the movers and shakers in the Mythical world," I said, "Plus the local folks to watch out for. I also happen to be one of Koneko's clients."

Rias blinked.

"Wait, you're the guy who Koneko's been training?" she asked.

I winced and rubbed my shoulder as it twidged.

"Thats me," I said.

Rias frowned and eyed me up and down.

"So...your a Human?" she asked.

"Yes, why?"

Rias frowned again.

"Its just...never mind, its not important," she said, "Thank your for your patronage, I hope that Koneko is living up to your expectations."

"Would I keep summoning her if she wasn't?" I asked with a smile.

"Good point."

"Anyway, I gotta go," I said, "It was nice meeting you kids."

I waved and jogged off in the direction of home.

* * *

When I got home, it was to find a large parcel on my kitchen table with a note attached.

"OK, looks like something from God," I muttered as I opened the note.

 _Hey there Lucas!_

 _Heres your first payment to help get started on your mission. The box contains some useful items that should help out and some information that will help you learn some magic. I'm sure they'll be very helpful_

 _God_

 _PS, nice job with Rias, you lucky sod._

My eye twitched and I crushed the note in my fist.

"If I didn't know better, I would have thought that ass was the Devil," I growled as I reached for a knife.

I quickly cut the box open and pushed back the top, reaching inside to pull out...a hooded long coat? It gray and made fabric I hadn't seen before. Splashed across the back was a large, golden yellow bird symbol that looked oddly familiar, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out where I'd seen it before.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to be best pleased when I figure this out?" I muttered, "At least its cool…"

I shrugged and reached into the box again, this time pulling out what looked like a wallet for ID cards. However, all that was inside was a blank piece of paper.

"Um, what am I supposed to do with this?" I muttered as I examined the paper.

At that moment, words suddenly appeared on it, nearly making me drop the wallet in surprise.

"This paper is psychic," I read, "It can appear as anything you need should you need to sneak into somewhere or deflect suspicion."

I raised an eyebrow.

"OK, so I now apparently have the Doctor's psychic paper," I said, "Fair enough."

I paused as a rather unpleasant thought passed through my mind.

"Um, I'm not going to end up having to face down stone angels or anything, am I?"

The words on the paper changed.

"Nope, I just thought this might be handy."

My eye twitched. Great, another way for God to annoy me.

* * *

The next morning, after a good nights sleep and a good stretching to work out the kinks from my training session the night before, I headed downstairs to have breakfast and grab the morning paper. To my surprise, I also had a letter. Considering that no one had lived here for at least a year before I moved in, I only got papers because I stopped by the newsagents the day before, so there was no one who knew my address to post anything. A quick check however revealed that the letter was sealed with the Gremory family crest.

"Huh, guess I made more of an impression than I thought," I muttered as I broke the seal, "Lets see what Rias wants…"

I skimmed the note. Apparently, Rias had sensed that there was something off about me and now she and Sona wanted to speak to me in person. As such, I had been invited to drop by the ORC clubroom in a couple of days.

"That ought to be fun," I groused as I took a sip of tea, "I wonder why they want me in a few days though? Eh, I'll ask Koneko later."

I set the letter aside and reached for the book that had been in the box I'd received yesterday. I hadn't had chance to look through it yet, so I figured I might as well do it now. As it turned out, it was a beginers guide to magic, which immediately had me salivating, although I wasn't 100% sure how this was going to work. The book seemed to be describing Devil magic, which Humans couldn't use. Then again, things were starting to point to the fact that I may not be Human anymore. Besides, as annoying as God could be, I don't think he'd send me something useless.

"Hmm, I wonder if I can actually use this," I muttered as I flexed my fingers idly, "So I just have to will it?"

I flexed my fingers again...and nearly blinded myself as a brilliant, white light erupted from my fingers.

"OUCH!"

I blinked and rubbed my eyes as I tried to clear my vision with my free hand as the light faded into a glowing orb of light the size of my fist floating above my hand.

"Well, that was easier than I was expecting," I said as I stared at the orb of light.

It was pure white and seemed to be crackling like lightning, flickering like fire and swirling like a whirlpool all at the same time, despite being completely still. Just from being near it, I could feel the skin of the palm of my hand tingling as if a current was flowing through me. After a moment studying the light, I let it dissipate and turned back to the book.

 _For those who use the Light, the powers available to them come in many forms._

The book said.

 _For most, the use of Light is primarily used for forming weapons, such as Spears and swords, but others use their power to form lightning, fire and so on. All of these are useful and extremely effective, however, no Angel has ever been able to grasp the true nature of Light._

 _While powerful in its raw form, Light can be refined and split into different elements. In doing so, control becomes more difficult, but the power grows dramatically due to the new level of focus within the power. These three elements are:_

 _The Devouring Void_

 _The Burning Sol_

 _And the Surging Arc_

 _By mastering these three, a wielder of Light can bend the very fabric of reality to their will and affect Creation itself._

My eye twitched. Well, this was an interesting turnout for the books. Does that mean that God was the Traveler? If so, then what on earth was the Darkness? Trihexa maybe? Eh, whatever, so long as I don't end up having to face off against time traveling robots or something, I don't care.

"Right, lets see what I have to do to turn myself into a Warlock," I muttered as I turned the page.

The first section was on the manipulation of Void Light, high in raw power, but lacking in defence and potentially very dangerous. Calling it the Devourer was pretty damn accurate too as, according to the book, its main attribute was that it basically consumed and destroyed anything it came into contact with, even its user. It was the power of the Void between stars, the Darkness that came before Creation. That may seem contradictory, but bare in mind that all of creation is continually moving towards Chaos or, to put it more plainly, back towards the Darkness. Light was Creation and it had to follow the laws of reality that state that all things must come to an end.

The next section was on Sol, the opposite of Void. While Void was Darkness and Chaos, Sol was Light and Order. Where Void was cold death, Sol was the burning heat of life. To control it, all one had to do was embrace the light and warmth of light and it would obey gladly. In terms of power, not even the flames of the Phenix could match its raw heat. After all, it was basically the power of the Sun and was able to burn away any darkness, even that of the Void.

Finally, there was Arc, the balance between the two. In order to master the unstable element, one had to be in perfect harmony between Light and Darkness, Creation and Destruction. You had to be the calm eye of the storm as raw devastation roared around you. Harmony within, hurricane without. Attempting to use Arc without harmony was basically suicide and would result in the user being obliterated and turned into raw energy.

The book went on to explain how to use Light to basically master all three Subclasses of all three classes in Destiny. I skimmed through the sections on Titans and Hunters, before flipping straight to the section on Warlocks. Being a Titan didn't suit me, I was never the type to act as a tank and I certainly wasn't a sniper. Besides, who wouldn't want to master Space Magic? I spent the rest of the day carefully reading through the basics of each subclass, ready to start practicing tomorrow.

 **And done. Sorry for the weak ending, but thats as good a place as any to end it.**

 **So, more information on his inborn abilities. Just to be perfectly clear, Talent only increases his learning abilities, so he still needs practice to truly master what hes learnt.**

 **Hmm, apparently people can tell that theres something off about him, but only those who are strong in magic or familiar with how Holy places feel. That could be rather interesting.**

 **I'm not entirely sure where the Doctors psychic paper came from considering I'm not a fan of Doctor Who. I think it might have been based on the idea that I had of Sona being a big fan of British TV… eh, still could be fun.**

 **Yep, Lucas is indeed going to be learning to become a Warlock. No, this does not mean hes immortal or that any of the baddies from Destiny will be making an appearance. I just wanted to give a character Destiny powers for a while and it was either this or a Replacement Soul in Star Wars as Anakin. Or Mass Effect as Shepard. Hey, now theres an idea...**

 **He might learn some other skills from the other classes later, but for now hes raw Warlock.**

 **And with that, I'm signing off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	39. Thats so Wrong Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Thats So Wrong

Getting reborn into the world of Harry Potter is...interesting. I'm sure that many reading would think that it'd be great, but what if you were Harry's sibling in a WBWL story? Yeah, thats me. Now I have to deal with annoying parents, gold diggers and annoying 'friends'. Still, its not all bad. At least all I need to do is make a Deal with a Devil.

 **And we are back with another HP idea, although this time our protagonist is the WBWL and Harry is off getting stupidly strong. This idea has been knocking around in my head for a while, but I recently had an idea that I can add to it. What is that idea? Well, you'll have to wait and see. Expect Potter, Weasley and possible Hermione bashing in the future. Not sure about the last one though. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, I often wonder if maybe I pissed someone off last time through. Then I look at my friends and realize that no, I most definitely didn't. Sorry, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself. Lets back up a bit and start from the beginning. It all started after I died from having a shelf full of Harry Potter merchandise fall on me. Not the most grandiose of deaths, although it does make me think that maybe Death has a sense of humor considering where I woke up. Anyway, after I ied from blunt force trauma, I woke up again in the body of a baby. Not what I was expecting. But lets roll with it. What I can't roll with is the fact that someone upstairs seems to be having a laugh at my expense. What makes me say that? Well, my Father can turn into a stag, my mother is known for a fiery temper and green eyes and my Godfather is literally a mutt. I am fucking screwed! Oh, and you know the worst part? I'm not Harry. Oh no, I've been reborn as his twin brother, Brandon Potter. Something tells me that is is gonna end badly…

* * *

I WAS FUCKING RIGHT! The attack happened pretty much exactly as I was expecting, with Voldie barging into Harry and my room, killed Mum in front of our crib, before shooting the Killing Curse at Harry. I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but whatever it was resulted in the Curse being reflected straight back at Voldemort with far more force, blowing the Dark Lord to bits and carving a pair of horizontal lines into my cheek with the backlash. You can probably guess what happened next.

Dumbledore showed up, declared me the BWL and then did something that resulted in Harry getting dumped somewhere, probably the Dursley's front doorstep. And all I could do was sit there and watch, completely unable to do anything to stop it! Aww well, knowing worlds like this, hes probably going to end up in a MUCH better place. Probably with a bunch of hot girls while hes at it.

I on the other hand grew up surrounded by praise, luxury and with the best education money can buy. And you know what? I loathed every minute of it. I hated the attention, I hated the blatantly biased bullshit I was spoonfed and, more than anything, I hated the sycophants who sucked up to me. The worst of the lot was Ron and Ginny, the former who had somehow gotten it into his head that I was his best mate and the latter couldn't be in the same room as me for more than a minute without embarrassing herself To make matters worse, Molly and my Father seemed to be trying to push us together, despite our young age. I once overheard something about waiting to make sure I had a proper Light side wife when I grew up and Ginny was the best choice because she had red hair or some other inane reason.

Father seemed to be shoving his head further and further up his arse with each passing day. It had got to the point where he considered everyone who wasn't firmly in the Light to be Dark and worthy of suspicion at best and outright hostility at worst. That meant he had managed to alienate over a third of the Wizengamot and the only reason the Light side ever won anything these days was thanks to Sirius much more effective politicking.

As a result of my Fathers actions, I had ended up being slapped with a similar label and basically everyone I met who wasn't glued firmly to my Father's ass treated me with a detached politeness at best and veiled hostility at worst. It was apparent that most everyone expected me to be an arrogant, self centered, Light side moron and never gave me chance to prove otherwise. Mostly because my Father was usually hovering in the background, glowering at them. Bastard.

Still, it wasn't all bad. Despite the fact that my Father seemed insistent on completely neglecting to teach me anything in the form of proper manners in the Wizarding World, I managed to learn what I need to from the library and the paintings of my ancestors, many of whom were not best pleased by how James was acting. Oh, don't get me wrong, I wasn't too keen on how stuffy most of the Pureblood traditions were, but knowing them would help me get a good many people off my back and keep me from making unnecessary enemies.

Still, it wasn't all bad. I might think that the younger Weasleys are annoying little brats, but the Twins were a ton of fun to hang around with, Neville was a nice guy and having proper friends meant that he wasn't quite as shy and Susan Bones was a good friend, although recently Father had been getting shirty about me hanging around with her as the Bones had finally had enough of his antics and switched to the Gray faction, lead by the Greengrass house.

Speaking of House Greengrass, they were a rather odd bunch. Not in the Lovegood sense, but rather in their history and how they interacted with the Wizarding World. Despite being a Pureblood house as old and powerful as the Blacks, they had never once flaunted their wealth around and their political power was usually limited to around 15 families who made up the Neutral block and served as a buffer for preventing the more self destructive or downright strange laws being passed. I also found that their lifespans were unusually long, even for Wizards, and they had a tendency of either naming their children after themselves or taking up the name of the previous head. Or at least, that's what it appeared on the surface. I'd done some digging after they caught my attention and found that the current head, Cyrus, had apparently been the Greengrass Lord for the past three centuries at least. That was impossible, even for Wizards. While it was true that powerful magicals tended to live longer than Muggles, the absolute maximum without doing something to extend ones lifespan was about 175. That meant that either Lord Greengrass had performed some really nasty Dark Rituals (unlikely since such things tended to leave physical tells on the body), he had access to a Philosophers stone or the Greengrasses weren't Human. Frankly, I'm not sure which is more likely, although natural gray hair isn't exactly normal and both Greengrass sisters had hair that colour. Then again, my hair was crimson, so I guess I can't really talk on the subject of unusual hair colours. Not normal red hair or the Weasley fiery red, actually crimson, the exact same colour normally only seen on a certain family of Devils.

* * *

Anyway, getting off the subject of me growing up surrounded by sycophants and the constant battle with migraines as a result of it and onto the first event that would cause me even more headaches...but still put me in a much, much better position than I was before. It was the big day, I'd got my Hogwarts letter a few days before (heralding a party that I felt was frankly overkill) and Father and Sirius took me to Diagon alley to get my things. In order to speed things up, we split up after Father gave me some spending money and my first stop was Madam Malkin's.

The second I entered, Malkin immediately swept me onto a stool, babbling about how much of an honour it was to serve me, which I ignored. As I stood there waiting for Madam Malkin to finish, the shop door opened again and two girls entered the shop. The first girl was slightly shorter than average and carried herself with the air of a proper Pureblood princess. She had cold, gray eyes and hip length hair that could be mistaken for ash blonde but was actually gray and fair skin. She was wearing high quality, black and gold robes that I'm pretty sure were made of Acromantula silk.

Her companion was taller, with long, flame red hair tied into pigtails, light brown eyes and lightly tanned skin. She was wearing a red and yellow sundress that made it look like she was on fire. Unlike her companion, she had a slight smile and her eyes showed more emotion. Well, they did until they saw me, then both girls icy masks snapped up faster than I could blink. I suppressed the urge to sigh and roll my eyes.

"Heir Potter," said the gray haired girl with a curt nod.

"Please drop the formalities," I said, "Seriously, we're gonna be classmates this year, I really don't want to have a stick rammed up my arse all year."

Both girls looked rather taken aback.

"With that in mind, lets start this conversation again," I said with a smirk at the looks on their faces, "Hi Daphne, Tracey, are you looking forwards to Hogwarts?"

Tracey blinked and smirked back.

"Well, your certainly not what we were expecting," she said, "After how you acted towards Malfoy at the Minister's Yule Ball last year…"

"That was because he was being a right little toerag," I said, "Unlike some people, I prefer to actually get to know people as, well, people instead of basing my opinion of them on which side of the Wizengamot they sit on or the colour of their tie."

Malkin nudged me off the stool and took the fitted robes off to create the robes in the sizes I need. It took about five minutes before I was paying her and heading out the door.

"I'll see you ladies at school!" I called back as I left.

Little did I know that that little interaction would be the catalyst that would change my life.

* * *

After that, life continued as normal, right up until the Sorting. No, really, absolutely nothing of interest happened. The only difference is that Ron ended up in my Compartment from the start (Bastard), Neville decided to stick around and Malfoy knew better than to try and engaged in a battle of wits armed only with what amounted to a wet breadstick. Hermione dropped by at one point and managed to immediately get on my bad side upon finding out who I was and listing all of the books I was mentioned in.

Now, despite that, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt...right up until she blew any chance of me ever doing more than putting up with her out of the water, but thats for later.

The interesting event started at the Sorting. Naturally, I was already under a lot of scrutiny, despite still being in the middle of a massive crowd of other firsties. After all, unlike Harry, virtually everyone already knew what I looked like, no thanks to my Father pushing my fame at every opportunity, and my crimson hair was rather eye catching.

Anyway, after a bunch of students (Including Daphne and Tracey who ended up in Slytherin) were sorted, it was my turn and I stepped up to the plate, ignoring the whispers that erupted behind me as the had was placed on my head and dropped over my eyes. For a moment, all I could see was black. Then the Hat burst out laughing.

 _"Found something interesting?"_ I thought.

"Oh, yes indeed Mr Potter," said the Hat, "Very interesting indeed. You certainly do have a lot of interesting knowledge about this world...oh, whats this?"

There was a watery sensation and the Hat snorted again.

"Oh, thats just perfect!" he chuckled, "My my Mr Potter, you really are going to mess up the Status Quo."

" _Whats that supposed to mean?"_

"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you that," said the Hat, "However, I can give you some advice. Your comparison of your hair colour to the Gremory Family was much more accurate than you think."

" _Huh?"_

"Now, lets get you sorted," said the Hat, completely ignoring me, "Considering your attitude, Hufflepuff is right out. You're smart enough for Ravenclaw, although how much is actual intelligence and how much is from two runs through life is up for debate. You have the cunning and ambition for Slytherin, but I get the distinct impression that if I put you there you'll have killed Mr Malfoy before the weeks out. Plus, you're more likely to take any plans you have and use them as a battering ram to beat down whoever gets in your way...good god, its like Godric all over again! Theres no doubt about it, you'd be best suited for…"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I ignored the cheers from the red table as I took of the Hat and headed over to join my table. I absently returned Percy's handshake as I sat down across from Hermione and glanced up at the Head table. As I did, I met Dumbledores eyes and immediately felt a slight pressure on my Occlumency shields. I immediately shoved back, hard, making the old geezers head jerk back. That done, I turned back to the table and the mouth watering spread on display. I'd deal with the old man later, right now I was more interested in filling my belly.

As I ate, I scanned the room, noting that the Slytherin First Years already seemed to be creating their power bases. Malfoy was sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Zabini, while Daphne seemed to be holding court with Tracey, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, as well as Cedric Diggory and Susan Bones who were sitting close enough to comfortably talk at the Hufflepuff table. Not really surprising considering that everyone there was part of the Gray faction, with the Parkinson and Bulstrodes having been recent additions following the deaths of their Lords and leaving their seats to their wives.

I frowned. Something was going on here. I'm not sure what it was, but there was more to Daphnes's gathering than just the standard Pure Blood alliance gathering. Every instinct I had was screaming at me that there was more to it than that, not helped in the least by what the Hat had said to me. I'm pretty sure he only picked up the name Gremory from my head, but the way he'd said it...ARGGG, this is so frustrating!

* * *

That thought continued to eat at me for weeks after the start of school, adding to the pulsing headache my fellow students were causing for me. Ron was easily one of the worst, constantly trying to pull me away from my homework to mess around and waste time with him. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for having fun, but Ron annoys me at the best of times and I really didn't want to fall behind in my schoolwork. Eventually, I got sick of his interruptions, took up his offer of playing chess and kicked his arse within six moves. I left him staring at his shattered King in disbelief as I went back to my Potions essay.

Speaking of Potions, Snape was...well, Snape. He made absolutely no attempt to hide the fact he hated my guts and was always looking for an excuse to take points or stick me in detention. My response was to act like a model student around him and smile whenever he started up, much to Ron's confusion and Snapes ire. Every time I did it, Snape went a very interesting shade of purple and I was expecting to give him an aneurysm by the end of the year.

* * *

Anyway, time marched on and before long Halloween rolled around and with it, the inevitable fight with the Troll. Naturally, its started like you'd expect, with Hermione trying to help Ron and then running off to the loo for a full day after he insulted her. Now, heres the thing, I could have stepped in to help, but Hermione was quickly proving to be a right pain in the neck. Between spewing information verbatim from the coursebooks to answer questions, a seemingly compulsive need to be top of the class and a horrible habit of nagging everyone in Gryffindor to study nearly 24/7, she was in dire need of a scare to set her straight.

Still, I wasn't about to let her get hurt, so when Quirrel showed up yelling about the Troll, I swiftly headed up to the Third Floor after giving Percy the slip. My intention was to get Hermione out of the bathroom before the troll arrived. Unfortunately, it seems that I was to late as a truly foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. I turned the corner, just in time to see the Troll stump past the end of the corridor and into the girls bathroom. It was a horrible sight which, like many other things I'd experienced, was on a completely different level to how it appeared in the film or books. Maybe it was because I could smell the damn thing as well?

Anyway, I ran down the hall and reached the bathroom, just in time to hear a terrified scream. I kicked the door down and ran inside, pulling out my wand as I went. Inside I found Hermione cowering against the wall opposite, looking scared out of her wits as the troll advanced on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.

"Tch, I think I should have brought some help…" I muttered, "Well, I'm here now, so…."

I took a deep breath and pointed my wand at the Trolls head.

"HEY UGLY!" I yelled, "CONFRINGO!"

The blasting curse slammed into the back of the Troll's noggin with the force of a Bludger...and did precisely no damage whatsoever. It did however get the Troll's attention and thats exactly what I was going for. The Troll grunted and turned to me, hefting its massive club above its head. I gulped and took a step back as the massive beast loomed above me. Hmm, maybe I should have thought this through…

I dove out of the way as the Troll swung at me, demolishing another toilet.

"HERMIONE, GET OUT OF HERE!" I yelled at the girl as I ducked under another swing.

Unfortunately, it looked like Hermione was frozen in terror in her little corner. I'm not even sure that she heard me.

"Tch…"

I pointed my wand at the floor under the Troll's feet and cast a Glasius. Instantly, the water that covered the floor from the broken toilets and sinks froze, dropping the Troll on his behind with a loud crash. I ran around it and grabbed Hermione by the back of the robes, hauling her to her feet and frog marching her towards the door, snapping her out of her daze in the process.

"Wha…"

"Come on now, time to go, quickly now before…"

I was cut off by a loud crash as the Troll finally regained its feet, let out a roar and swung its club at us. There was no time to dodge, so I shoved Hermione away, out of the path of the club. I'd died once already after all and, annoying or no, Hermione was still just a kid with her whole life ahead of her. I turned to face the Troll and, rather pointlessly, crossed my arms in front of my face as if to block the strike

"BRANDON!" screamed Hermione as the club slammed down onto me.

GONG!

There was a sound like a bell and a rush of energy shot through me, focused around my arms. The next instant, there was a loud crunching sound and the Troll let out a roar of agony as its club shattered into pieces, followed by its arm and ribcage and it was sent flying back through the wall and into the night.

"Wha…" I gasped as I stared at the brand new hole in the wall, wide eyed as the dust from the blast floated down around me.

Before I could even think about asking more however, the sound of running footsteps reached my ears and Snape, Mcgonagall and Quirrell burst into the room.

* * *

Third Person POV

"Hmm, so, what do you think?" asked Daphne Greengrass as the crystal ball sat on the table in front of her faded.

The ball had, up until a moment ago, been showing the bathroom where Brandon Potter had been fighting the Troll.

"Well, hes certainly an interesting boy," said Tracey, "And nothing like his Father or how many people believe him to be."

"Indeed," said Daphne, "And then theres that ability he just used...a Sacred Gear do you think?"

"Oh, I think that much is obvious," said Tracey, "So, are you going to recruit him?"

Daphne hummed in thought as she idly plucked a Knight from the chessboard in front of her and rolled it between her fingers.

"Not yet," she said eventually, "I want to be sure before I extend the offer. Have everyone else keep an eye on him."

"Of course," said Tracey and left to do just that.

 **And thats where I'll end it. Kinda weak, but hey, thats half the fun. I know this has been a little lacking in details, but the meat of the story won't be starting until the Fourth Year. As such, years one through three will be skipped over with only the important bits being highlighted.**

 **So, I don't think I'm providing spoilers when I say that Daphne's a Devil, am I? Nah, that much is obvious. And yes, she will be recruiting Bran.**

 **Hmm, I wonder what Bran's Sacred Gear could be? Heres a hint, Harry possesses one very similar, which is what allowed him to deflect Voldie's Killing Curse with twice the power.**

 **Now then, Hermione's fate is in your hands. On one hand, this little rescue could have been the shakeup she needed to get out of her negative attributes or, alternatively, she could rapidly become much worse. I admit, I am a little weary of writing her like that seeing as I really like Hermione and don't tend to like it when she's bashed. On the other hand, it could be fun to give it a try. She won't be becoming a Devil though, mainly because Daphne's the only High Class and I already have her entire Peerage planned out.**

 **Pearings...haven't a clue. I currently don't have any planned, so feel free to hit me with em. Well actually, that isn't entirely true, I do have one planned. However, that is a spoiler, so I'll keep it to myself. Its also not set in stone, so I could be convinced to change it.**

 **And with that, this one is done. Next time, wrapping up first year and moving onto second. Not sure if I'll make it into third in that one though. Either way, the fight with the massive snake should be fun to do! Don't forget to leave a review!**


	40. Thats so Wrong Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Thats So Wrong

Getting reborn into the world of Harry Potter is...interesting. I'm sure that many reading would think that it'd be great, but what if you were Harry's sibling in a WBWL story? Yeah, thats me. Now I have to deal with annoying parents, gold diggers and annoying 'friends'. Still, its not all bad. At least all I need to do is make a Deal with a Devil.

 **And we are back! Before we begin, you lot should know that I've made my decision and Hermione lovers can breathe a sigh of relief as she won't be bashed! Well, after getting a good kick to the authority worship that is. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

After the Troll incident, things mostly calmed down for the rest of the year. I'm pretty sure that Dumbledore kept trying to steer me towards either the room with the Mirror in or the Third Floor corridor due to the sheer number of times I somehow ended up in the vicinity of the latter due to the stairs moving and the fact I somehow ended up in the mirror room after a days studying at the library. Admittedly, I was a little curious as to what I'd see in the mirror anyway, so I decided to take a peek when I did arrive.

Looking back at me from the enchanted glass was an older version of me wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a pool cue in one hand and a pint in the other while on the other side of the projected pool table, an older looking Harry was lining up his shot. Both adults were clearly talking and laughing, although there was no sound. I snorted. Interesting image, but it got the idea across. My greatest desire was to be able to reconcile and actually build a relationship with Harry. I'm not entirely sure why the mirror depicted that as us playing pool at a bar though.

I shook my head and left the room, ignoring the slight shimmer that was near the door. Dumbledore could pull the strings however he wanted, but I'd already severed mine. I wouldn't dance to his tune unless it benefited me and going after the stone was one thing I wouldn't be doing. Ever.

* * *

Unfortunately, some people were making it rather hard to keep to that intent. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but Ron seemed insistent on trying to figure out what Fluffy was guarding. Apparently the idiot had ended up in the mutts room after nearly getting caught by Filch after stumbling into the Forbidden Corridor. It didn't help that he was also trying to convince me to help him get rid of Norbert the Dragon. Hermione wasn't helping matters as she was insistent on trying to figure out who Flamel was and kept asking for my help. Eventually, I just told her who he was, resulting in Ron and Hermione pooling their knowledge and coming to the conclusion that someone was trying to steal the Stone and that it was hidden on the Third Floor. Ron tried to convince me that we should go and stop whoever it was, but I decided to go talk to Flitwick instead.

I would have gone to Mcgonagall, but she was likely to brush us off and not listen. Flitwick at least heard us out and agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry, especially since we managed to figure it out based on the clues provided. With my good deed for the day done, I went to sleep with my curtains charmed to shock anyone who tried to open them before sun up. Considering Ron's hair was stood on end the next day and he kept glaring at me, I have a feeling that he might have tried to wake me up at some point.

In other news, apparently Flitwick had cranked up the defences without telling Dumbledore and, as a result, had caught the big fish, resulting in Voldies shade fleeing and leaving Quirril to die a horrible and painful death.

And with that, the first year came to an end with me acing most of the exams, with the exception of Potions and History, but that wasn't really that big a loss. I did have to wonder how much my refusal to dance to Dumbles tune had annoyed the old geezer though…

* * *

Third Person POV, Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore was annoyed. After all his hard work, all of his plans for this year had fallen apart and it was all thanks to the person who was supposed to be his greatest pawn. Brandon Potter was incredibly savvy, far more so than he should have been considering the lack of education James should have given him, and somehow managed to avoid moving like he was supposed to at every turn. The old man had planned to force a confrontation between Brandon and Tom in the forest by using a detention as an excuse, but the brat refused to do anything that would warrant such a punishment! Hell, he was practically a model student! This wasn't how the son of James Potter was supposed to act!

He was supposed to be just like his Father, irreverent, charismatic and always getting into trouble, not attentive and antisocial! Hell, he didn't even take the bait and go after the Stone like Dumbledore had expected, instead choosing to go to the one person on the staff who could have changed the traps without alerting him. Dumbledore wasn't very pleased about what Flitwick had done, but the half Goblin had completely ignored his disappointed Grandfather routine and instead had told him that if he wanted to keep a dangerous items in a school, hed better make damned sure that they were properly secured. To make matters worse, it appeared that Flitwick had written to Flamal and the old Alchemist had shown up in a towering rage that Dumbledore would take the Stone and stick it in a school of all places. Yeah, the old man never did get permission to move the Stone, but since when had that stopped Dumbledore? It was for the Greater Good after all.

So yeah, now Dumbledore was down a Philosopher's Stone, his plans for first year was in tatters and he still had to find a new DADA professor for next year. It was safe to say that he was not a happy bunny.

* * *

Back to Bran

Finally, the summer had arrived and with it, a chance to get well away from Ron and Hermione for a bit. Now, don't get me wrong, Hermione at least had enough brains in her skull to realize I absolutely hated my fame, but she was annoying for entirely different reasons, mainly her study habits and the fact she put far too much stock in books and authority figures for my liking. Plus, for some reason they were under the impression that we always needed to be together and tended to get upset whenever I disappeared to do my own thing, usually a run around the Great Lake to keep in shape. Plus, it meant that I could get back to my favourite hobby, fencing.

Yep, I was a fencer and a pretty good one too. At some point in the past, one of the Potter family heads had been a keen Fencer and had set up a room for it, complete with padded floors, mirrored walls and enchanted dummies to serve as opponents with settings that ran the gambit from beginner to what had to be Olympic level fencing, along with more combat ready settings to teach how to use a sword in real combat. It also helps that fencing skills carry over into Dueling with wands. As an added bonus, over time, the room had been upgraded to hold a multitude of other weapons and settings for the dummies, allowing me to learn how to use everything from a Fencing Foil to a spear.

I'd stumbled on the room when I was five during a boredom induced exploration of the extensive Potter mansion and had been using it ever since to blow off steam. It helped that my Father and Sirius had no idea it even existed. Yeah, the Potter mansion was that bloody large.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time in my little hide away that summer, both to avoid my Father, who seemed rather put out by something, and to ensure that my skills with a sword were up to scratch. I'd need them this year after all. Yes, I did indeed plan to deal with the Basilisk, even if Ginny did end up being the one snatched. Why? For the same reason I helped Hermione, despite finding her annoying. Shes a kid. Until I find concrete proof that I'm being potioned or something and she knows about it, I'm not going to leave her to die in a hole.

Of course, it would be nice if I could prevent it in the first place, but that was basically impossible. I had no real way of getting at the Diary at the moment since, even if I were to swallow my pride and visit the Weasleys, I'd have no reason to go snooping around Ginny's room. Hell, we even went to the Alley at different times, mostly due to the fact that my Father was busy with work on the day that Lockhart was there and the Weasleys would be going. Besides, even if I could get my hands on the Diary, what would I do with it? I wasn't powerful enough to cast Fiendfyre and even if I was, I wasn't dumb enough to try, and I was fresh out of Basilisk Venom. I suppose I could hand it over to the Unspeakables, but I really didn't want to go anywhere near those nutjobs. If they found out I was a reincarnated soul, they'd have me on a dissection slab before you can as Vivisection. With that in mind, I really didn't have a choice but to wait it out and go into the Chamber prepared and ready. Well, just as soon as I figured out how to enter it without being able to speak Parseltongue.

* * *

Moving on, the next interesting thing that happened was when I went shopping for my Second Year supplies and ran into Luna. It was...rather odd to say the least.

I was enjoying an icecream at Fortescue's after finishing my shopping and let go by Father to do my own thing, when someone plonked a large bowl of pudding flavored ice cream down across from me and plunked themselves down in the seat. I looked up with a raised eyebrow to see none other than Luna Lovegood sat across from me.

"Hello Brandon Potter," she said in a dreamy voice.

"Errrr, can I help you?" I asked, feeling rather confused about this state of affairs.

I'd never actually met Luna in person before, both because she was a year younger and because the Lovegoods had switched to the Gray block after Selene Lovegood nearly died in an accident, resulting in Father throwing a temper tantrum and cutting off all ties with them. It really didn't help that the Lovegood reputation of being completely and utterly around the twist was even worse with three of them.

"Oh, my boss wanted to know what I thought of you, so I thought I should get to know you," said Luna airily as she dug into her ice cream.

"Um, and your boss is who exactly?" I asked.

"Hmm, you'll see," she said.

My eye twitched. Oh, it was one of THOSE Luna's.

"So, what do you think of me?" I asked.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," said Luna, "I think I need to observe more. I'll see you at school."

She stood and skipped away with her ice cream, leaving me with a pounding head and a twitching eye. Something tells me shes going to be a pain this year…

* * *

After my encounter with Luna, nothing much happened for a while. Dobby never showed up and, as a result, no one got stuck outside the Barrier, so that was relatively boring. When we got to Hogwarts, classes started up, including Lockharts unfortunately. The man was nauseating to be around at best and I regularly found myself contemplating figuring out a way to feed him to the Basilisk.

Speaking of the oversized garden snake, Halloween rolled around before I knew it, bringing with it the petrification of Mrs Norris...which I was nowhere near, thank god. Frankly, I'd like to see anyone try to pin the Heir of Slytherin title on me considering I couldn't speak Parseltongue.

* * *

After that, the next big event was the Dueling club, which I only attended because A, Hermione wouldn't shut up about it (she'd been driving me barmy gushing over the ponce all year up until that point) and I really, really wanted to show off some. Sure, I may not like the fame of being the BWL (fake as it was), but one thing I was aiming for was the title of Duelist Champion once I became old enough to enter.

As I said before, Wizard Duels and Fencing were very similar, so similar in fact that they actually had a common ancestor. Back in the Founders Era and up until the Renaissance, it wasn't at all uncommon for Wizarding Nobles and those who fought to use specially designed swords that held their wands and acted as both a weapon and a focus for magic, even providing a boost in the speed and accuracy behind certain spells. They'd fallen out of use in recent years, but they were still very much allowed in the professional dueling circuit and I fully intended to make use of that and the high quality Wizard Saber I'd found in the fencing room back at the manor.

"Whats in the box Bran?" asked Hermione she and Ron entered the Hall and walked up to me where I was leaning against the wall waiting for the 'lesson' to begin.

The box in question was the length of my arm and made of black, lacquered wood with the Potter crest on the lid. It had also been garnering a lot of curious looks from the gathered students, although no one had asked about it yet. I smiled at the question and patted the top of the box.

"Oh, you'll see," I said.

Hermione looked like she was going to push, but Ron cut her off.

"So, who do you think will be running it?" he asked.

"Preferably Flitwick since hes an actual professional Duelist, but I have a feeling its gonna be…" I said, before I was cut off by the squeals of girls as Lockhart flounced onto the strip, grinning widely, "Yep, him."

Lockhart waved an arm for silence.

"Gather round, gather round!" he called, "Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works."

He gave a blinding smile and I rolled my eyes in disgust. I could already see some people heading for the door.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile, "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in my ear.

I nodded absently in agreement, more interested in analyzing the stances of the two Duelists. I'd learnt Dueling from one of the Paintings of my ancestors, specifically the man who was responsible for creating the Dueling room, Lord Salvatori Potter. He was an...interesting fellow, a complete and utter idiot in just about everything short of Dueling. In his day, he had been the top Duelist in the world and he'd taught me a lot. Those lessons were coming in handy now as I examined the two teachers. Right off the bat I could tell that neither of them were actual Duelists and both would be creamed in moments on the Circuit. However, Snape was clearly an experienced fighter, as indicated from the tensing of his muscles and the way he was watching Lockharts every movement. Lockhart on the other hand...well, his stance was flashy, there was way too many wasted movements and he was practically shouting his first move to the rafters. In short, exactly like I was expecting.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart said and I immediately stifled a snort.

That stance would see him laughed out of the little league Dueling Circuit.

"On the count of three, we will cast our first spells," continued the ponce, "Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't bet on that," I muttered, watching Snape baring his teeth.

"One — two — three —"

Both of teachers (and I use the term very loosly) swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent.

An instant later, there was a flash of light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes, as were a number of other girls.

"Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.

I was too busy grumbling about the lack of proper Dueling wards to respond. Seriously, if you're going to teach us how to duel, at least do it properly!

"Well, there you have it!" said Lockhart, tottering back onto the platform, "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see . . ."

He trailed off when he caught Snapes murderous glare. Apparently he wasn't totally without survival instincts.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students how to block unfriendly spells," sneered Snape.

"A-ah yes, an excellent idea," said Lockhart, "Lets have a volunteer pair...Potter, Weasley, come on up."

"Forgive me Professor, but I feel that it would be best to chose someone who actually knows which end of the wand is which," said Snape, making Ron glare at him, "May I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy for instance?"

He turned away and indicated for Malfoy to clamber up onto the stage as I did the same with my box in hand.

"Potter, what do you have there?" sneered Snape, "You only need your wand."

"Hold your horses Professor," I said as I opened the box and pulled out the sword contained within.

It was an Italian style broadsword made of a mixture of silver and titanium, which was an excellent magical conductor and had been used by Magicals for far longer than Muggles, although for far fewer and more expensive items. They also had a different name for it. Mithril. Yep, the legendary magical material is the same stuff we use to make jets and replacement hips. Isn't realty grand? The basket hilt of the sword was composed of the same material and painted gold, with the Potter family crest stamped onto the top of the guard with the blade emerging out of the center.

At the sight of the sword, Malfoy let out a scoff.

"A sword Potter?" he sneered, "Aren't you Wizard enough to take me with your wand?"

"Of course I am Malfoy," I said cheerfully, "This is a Wizard Saber designed for dueling. I slot my wand in here…"

I slid my wand into the hollow hilt of the sword and closed the pommel. The moment it snapped into place, a shower of gold and red sparks shot up the blade of the sword and flew out the end.

"And the sword becomes my wand," I finished as I straightened and stepped fully onto the dueling strip.

A low murmur erupted from the crowd and both Snape and Malfoy looked like they'd just eaten something sour. As a Pureblood, Malfoy knew exactly what Magic Sabers were and that they were permitted on the strip unless specifically banned and Snape likely knew the same.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" asked Malfoy.

"Would I risk using it if I didn't?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, thats enough you two," said Lockhart, "Lets begin. Wands at the ready!"

Malfoy and I both saluted, although mine looked so much more impressive thanks to the highly polished blade.

"When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to dis-

arm them — we don't want any accidents — one . . . two . . .three —"

I flicked my sword, deflecting the spell Malfoy had sent my way on two and responded with my own with a second flick. A bolt of crimson light shot out with the speed of a bullet and caught Malfoy full in the face, sending him shooting back up the other end of the strip as his wand went in the other direction.

"Impressive, you cheated and still couldn't hit me," I drawled as I leant on my sword.

Malfoy scowled and snatched his wand back from Snape as he scrambled to his feet.

"Serpensortia!"

The end of his wand exploded and I stilled as a large, gray snake erupted from the tip. The snake hissed angrily as it hit the floor with a thud and raised itself up. As it did, I caught sight of the inside of its mouth and paled.

"Are you mad!?" I spluttered, "Of all the snakes you could have conjured, you went with a Black Mamba?!"

Malfoy's face lit up at the slight tremor in my tone.

"Whats the matter Potter, scared?" he sneered.

"As a matter of fact, I am," I said, keeping very still as I kept both eyes on the angry snake.

I also noticed that a lot of Muggleborns and halfbloods looked equally wary.

"The Black Mamba is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world," I continued, "And I'm including Magical snakes in there as well. Its fast, aggressive and with a venom so potent that if it bit someone in this room, I highly doubt that they'd survive long enough to get treatment."

"I find that hard to believe Potter," sneered Snape, "I have plenty of antidotes available."

"You really want to risk it?" I asked.

There was a moment's silence, before Snape gave a jerky nod.

"Very well Potter, you've made your point," he said, almost spitting the words as if they tasted sour, "I'll get rid of it…"

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart.

He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang as it flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged and hissing furiously, it coiled itself up and launched itself at the nearest student.

Without thinking, I darted forwards and planted myself between the snake and the Slytherin, just in time to catch the snake on my forearm. However, instead of penetrating my skin, there was a rush of energy and the sound of a bell being struck as the snakes momentum was abruptly reversed and its fangs were somehow shot straight through the back of its head to embed themselves in the floor next to Malfoy's feet.

The mangled body fell to the floor with a soft thump as I turned to the snakes would-be target to make sure they were alright. Much to my surprise, I found myself looking into the misty eyes of Luna Lovegood, who was eyeing me with some amusement.

"I think I've made my decision," said the odd girl, "I think you'll make an excellent addition to our group."

Before I could ask what in the hell she was talking about, the dotty girl turned and skipped towards the doors, humming quietly to herself as if she hadn't just nearly had a close encounter with an angry snake.

 **And you know what? I'm gonna end this here. I hope you liked this entry and the introduction of Luna. Yes, shes a half baked Seer and her Mother is still very much alive. I think you can probably guess how that happened and who Luna's boss is.**

 **Oh, before I forget, Harry and Brandon's Sacred Gears are original, although they are based on a certain pair of estranged Demonic brothers. And no, they are not from either Inuyasha or DMC.**

 **Not entirely sure why Bran saw him and Harry in a bar for his desire of reconciliation, but it may have something to do with the fact thats what I think of when I think camradory. Strange considering I can't play pool and I don't drink.**

 **Little bit from Dumbledores point of view. Hes a MoB, no surprises there.**

 **Yes, Bran's skills with a sword and other weapons will play a part later and you'll probably be able to guess what Piece he'll have. However, I bet no one will be able to guess what swords I plan to give Harry and Bran. Heres some clues. They are sister swords, belong to rival Knights in the anime their from and Harry's possesses a form that is perfect considering its previous owner. Oh, and both have forms that Devils should NOT be able to use. Final clue, they also appear in another fic I've recently been working on. Get them right and I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter and you can provide some OC's that Bran can duel in the Tornament Arc coming up in the Third Year.**

 **Magic Sabers will be making another appearance in the Third year since I'll have to come up with something to happen. As such, it will be the first proper arc involving a Dueling tournament. Should be fun.**

 **The Mithril as Titanium thing was mostly done on a whim and means little in the long run. Its just one of those things that I think makes the Wizarding World seem that little bit more real. Basically, Titanium is extremely receptive to magic, allowing it to be heavily enchanted to the point where its nearly** **indestructible. Naturally, only the Goblins really know how to do that, but Wizards can still work with it to make things like Wizard Sabers.**

 **And with that, I am done. Please leave a review on the way out!**


	41. Sins of a Fairy

Outsider Chronicles: Sins of a Fairy

When I died, I wasn't expecting to get reborn into a world of fantasy and Magic. Well, actually, the last thing I was expecting was for my home to be destroyed by a Demon with me as the only survivor. What? Thats not the least of it? Oh no, now I'm learning Magic from a Demon...in a land where the Holy Knights rule. This is going to be rather strange.

 **And here we go again. This idea was spawned while I was watching the Vaizel Fighting Festival and the thought of how team Natsu would act if they were involved. My original idea had our protagonist as a Fire Devil Slayer, but I've had a better idea since then. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I died, the last thing I was expecting was to open my eyes again. However, thats exactly what happened. Of course, I wasn't in the same place as I closed them, nor was I in the same body. In fact, I was in the body of a baby. Yay me.

As for my new location, well, lets just say I might be in trouble. Why? Well, the world I've been reborn into was one of magic, demons and insanely powerful Holy Knights. It also happened to be called Danafor. Yep, the Kingdom Meliodas destroyed to earn the Sin of Wrath. I think this life is gonna be rather short…

* * *

Yeahhhh, no, thats so not cool! I was currently four years old and apparently blessed with the luck of the gods (or should that be Goddesses) as I was the sole survivor of the destruction wrought by Meliodas and Fraudrin.

"How in the world did I get into this situation?" I grumbled as I walked through the ruins, "Actually, more to the point, how in the world did I survive that?"

"How indeed?"

"GAH!"

I spun around to see a tall man with a mane of jet black hair that moved like smoke and black eyes stood a short distance away. He was wearing black robes under a silver breastplate with matching gauntlets and sabatons. He also had black markings emerging from his collar and up onto his cheeks and a Demon clan mark on his forehead. I swallowed and took a step back as the Demon crouched down in front of me.

"Hmm, how could a child like you possibly have survived this destruction?" he mused, "You must have incredible potential...yes, I think you'll do nicely."

"Do nicely for what?" I asked.

"My name is Samiel," said the Demon, "And I have an offer for you child. Would you like to learn how to kill the monsters that are responsible for destroying your home?"

I blinked.

"Why would a Demon want to teach me how to kill his own kind?" I asked.

Samiel chuckled.

"Oh, so you noticed?" he said, "I suppose I shouldn't be totally shocked. As for why, well, lets just say that some Demons don't approve of what my kind attempted to do. We aren't common, I'll grant you that, but we do exist. So, what do you say?"

I stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what his game was. After a moment, I nodded slowly.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" I asked.

Samiel smiled.

"Before my Clan was defeated and Sealed, I left Britannia in an attempt to develop or discover some way of stopping my kin," he said, "I knew that the magic of these lands wouldn't work, so I went abroad. There I encountered a man who knew and understood the secrets of Magic in ways I could never hope to. He aided me in creating a style of Magic designed to slay Demons by turning their own powers against them. I later found more Demons with a similar outlook to me and aided them in developing their own. However, the Magic I intend to teach you is the most basic of all the Devil Slayer arts, the Shadow Devil Slayer style! With this magic, the Darkness itself will become your weapon and your armour."

Samiel looked down and met my eyes.

"However, in learning this art, you will be forced to embrace the Darkness that dwells within all Demons. Should to falter against it, you will lose your Humanity and become the very thing you hunt. With that in mind, will you take the risk?"

I stared at him in disbelief. That...sounded like something out of Fairy Tail, not Seven Deadly Sins! Then again, who am I to say what is and what isn't Magic that can exist in this world? Either way, power like that will come in handy. I'll just have to be careful not to overextend and I can always learn more Magic to supplement it. Right?

"Alright, I'll do it," I said, "Teach me everything you know...Teacher."

Samiel smiled.

"In that case, come with me," he said, "From this moment, you are the Shadow Devil Slayer and my student."

I nodded and fell into step behind the Demon as he led me away from the ruined remains of my home.

* * *

Yeahhh, you know how I said that Devil Slayer Magic sounded like it was from Fairy Tail? Turns out...it kinda is. After he took me from the ruins of Danafor, Samiel took me down to the coast where we boarded a ship that, a few days later, docked in Hargion. As it turned out, the main reason why Samiel hadn't been sealed with the rest of the Demons was that he was traveling at the time. Literally. Apparently, Samiel's personal power was the ability to control time, allowing him to transfer his spirit through time. He couldn't interact with anything while doing so, but it allowed him to see possible futures, one of which convinced him to turn against his Clan. He also used the trick to learn the basics of Dragon Slayer Magic to turn into his own Devil Slayer Magic. Yeah, this was all very confusing, but at least there was no paradoxes like Dragon Slayer Magic being based on Devil Slayer or something.

Speaking of which, my training was understandably hellish. Not only did Samiel teach me how to use Shadow Devil Slayer, he also taught me how to fight without Magic, both with and without weapons, and the Demon variation of Fire Magic, Fiendfyre. It was basically the Hellblaze Meliodas could use, only I could use it like any other form of Fire Magic. It served as a useful supplement since Devil Slayer magic was rather hard on the body.

* * *

For five years I trained with Samiel, increasing in strength every day, until one day, I woke up to find my teacher and Father figure sat on the porch that surrounded our little cabin in the woods, looking up at the clouds with a melancholy look on his face.

"Master, is something wrong?" I asked.

"Hmm, oh no, I was just thinking," he said.

"About?"

Samiel opened his eyes and smiled up at me.

"That, even with my power to see through time, I never once imagined that I would find myself here," he said.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Samiel coughed into his hand. He seemed to have been doing that a lot lately, but brushed off any questions I asked of him.

"Lance, do you know why I was looking for an apprentice?" he asked.

"You said you wanted someone to pass your Magic onto," I said.

"Indeed, but I didn't tell you everything," said Samiel, "The truth is, I'm dieing. You see, after I mastered my Magic, I went after the Demon King and...he defeated me easily. I got cocky, believing that my Magic would be enough to win. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account the fact that, as my King, he held power over me. He froze me in place and nearly killed me, but I managed to escape at the last minute by throwing myself into the Timestream. In truth, when we met, I had only just managed to recover from my injuries after finding myself in this part of the timeline. Even so, I never fully recovered from my injuries. Now, they've finally caught up with me."

He coughed again, this time coughing up enough blood that it spurted over his fingers and splattered to the ground.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" I gasped as I felt my eyes well up.

Over the past eight years, the old Demon had become far more than a teacher for me, hed become a father figure. Rather odd for a Demon, but hey.

"Thats why," said Samiel, "I never thought it was possible, but I guess that even Demons have room in their hearts to find a family. Guess now I know why Meliodas left…"

He doubled over as his body was wracked by another coughing fit.

"Ahhh, I don't have much longer," he groaned as he sat back, "But first, I have one last gift for you."

I looked up at him and he beckoned me closer. I stepped up and knelt beside his chair.

"Like all Slayer Magic, Devil Slayer Magic comes with a price," he said, "Eventually, all users will transform into a Demon and loose themselves. I admit, when I first met you, I intended to set you on a path to destroy the Demon King, regardless of the consequences, but now, thats the last thing I want. I want you to live your own life. With that in mind, I leave you this."

He reached out and pressed his hand to my chest.

"Live well, my student," he said with a bloody smile, "And don't let the Darkness within you take over. Demon Soul Transfer!"

"Wha...AHH!"

My eyes widened as a brilliant, purple glow erupted from where he was touching me, forcing me to close my eyes. I felt a rush of power enter my body, making my Magic Core burn and twist as the familiar burning sensation of the black markings of my Magic spread throughout my body.

"RAAGGGGGG!"

FZAPP!

With a final blast of energy, the light and energy vanished, leaving me to crumple to the ground as my Masters clothes floated to the ground, their occupant completely gone.

"What the hell did he do?" I groaned as I looked down at my chest, which was still tingling, "Was that the same thing as what the Dragons did?"

I hesitantly flexed my magic, the swirling, black markings covering my hands and forearms spreading into solid black coverings that reached my shoulders and onto my cheeks as the Demon mark appeared on the left side of my forehead and my normally blue eyes turned black. Normally while in this state, I could feel the sensation of the Demonic Power scratching at my mind, always there and waiting for the opportunity to send me over the edge, but now that feeling was gone. In fact, summoning my Darkness was even easier now that it ever had been before.

"I guess he did," I muttered as I let my Darkness receded, "Master…"

I closed my eyes and clenched my fists as tears welled in my eyes.

"Heh, well, isnt this an odd occurrence," I muttered once my tears had run dry as I sat back and looked up at the sky, "Never thought I'd be crying for a Demon of all things…"

I sniffed and scrubbed my eyes, before getting to my feet.

"Well, I can't sit here crying all day. Now I'm on my own, I guess I should head out...only question is, where should I go?"

That was an excellent question. I had a few options, ranging from heading back to Britannia to see about helping with the Holy War...which wouldn't be happening for another eleven years or so, so that was flat out. Theres no way I'm going anywhere near Leonus until the Sins start causing chaos lest I attract more attention than I can handle. Other than that, my other options were to become an Independent Mage, or…

"Hmm, I wonder if I could join a Guild?" I muttered, "I know how to fight and my Magic is powerful enough that just about any Guild would likely be happy to add me to their roster. Heh, with my Darkness Magic, I'd probably fit right in at Phantom Lord...Nah, don't feel like working for that nut Jose."

I sighed and looked up at the sky.

"Guess I'm going to be wandering around for a while."

I smirked.

"Could be fun."

 **And done. I know its a tad short, but what else could I do here? Anyway, what do you think? Interesting idea, no?**

 **In case your wondering, the first part of the story will likely be focused on Fairy Tail, before Lance heads off to Britannia to see about helping out with the Holy War. He is armed for it after all.**

 **Power levels, well, Mages from Fairy Tail are as strong as Holy Knights, so figure it out from there. S-ranked Mages are powerful enough to hold their own against upper class Holy Knights, which basically means that most members of Team Natsu could fight on par with the Sins. In terms of power at least, they'd naturally have no real way around Ban's immortality or Meliodas Full Counter, but considering how most fights go in Fairy Tail, they'd eventually figure it out because plot armour. Not that they'll be fighting any time soon, that was just an example.**

 **Timeline wise, it is currently about 11 years before the start of the SSS canon and nine before the start of Fairy Tail. Alternatively, I may start playing around with the timeline somewhat until its set in stone.**

 **Before anyone says anything, yes I know there was an official crossover, but I haven't read it so I'm doing my own thing.**

 **And with that, its time for me to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!**


	42. Overlord Rising Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Overlord Rising

Not all Outsiders are reborn as babys. Most are, but there are many ways to be reborn. I am one of those who was not reborn in the conventional sense. However, that does not mean that I am still who I once was. After all...Evil will always find a way...

 **Overlord is a game I greatly enjoyed. Its also an excellent starting point for an OC in a fantasy world. Lets see where this goes, shall we? Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I awoke in darkness. The last thing I remembered was the building I was in starting to shake, falling and then a sharp pain in my stomach. Then, nothing. I looked around, but I couldn't see a thing. I reached out, but I was quickly bet by a solid surface. It was at that point that I came to a rather worrying realization. I was in a coffin. Judging from what I could feel, the coffin was made of stone, but that wasn't something I really cared about at the moment. What I cared about was the fact I WAS IN A COFFIN!

I immediately started banging on the stone.

"LET ME OUT!" I shouted, "I'M ALIVE IN HERE!"

There was a skittering sound outside.

"Mastah?"

Some part of me paused at that as it sounded oddly familiar. However, it was quickly drowned out by the rest of me screaming at the top of its lungs.

"GET ME OUTTA HERE!" I shouted.

"Mastah Mastah!" squealed the creature on the other side, "Go get Gnarl!"

I heard it start to move away and frantically banged on the stone some more.

"NO, GET ME OUT!" I shouted.

Too late, the creature had already left. I was just about to start panicking for real when I heard some more skittering outside, this time it sounded like there was more than one.

"Are you sure Giblet?" asked a croaky voice.

"Yes, its da Mastah!" said the voice I'd heard before.

"Well, I hope you're right this time," said the old voice, "Honestly, its been far too long and your false alarms are beginning to grate."

"Here, here!" said Giblets voice.

"Alright, but if you're wrong again, I will kick you off the tower," said the second voice, "Oi, get this coffin open!"

There was a chorus of agreements and skittering, before the top of the coffin started shifting letting in blessed light and fresh air.

"Well, what do you know, you were right for once!" said the old voice, "Put your back into it you lot! Oh, it'll be so nice to have a Master again!"

Finally, the coffin was open, letting in enough light to blind me. As I blinked away the spots, I saw some vague shapes moving around in my field of vision that was oddly blurred, as if my eyes hadn't been used for a while.

"Rub some acid in his eyes, that'll freshen him up," said the old voice.

"Ah, that won't be necessary," I said, stopping the hand holding the cloth that was coming towards my face, "I'm fresh enough as is."

"Oh? Well, thats good to hear Master," said the voice.

By this point, my vision had cleared enough that I could see, so I looked at the source, only to stop and stare in complete disbelief. I was in what appeared to be a cave or crypt of some kind, sitting in a stone coffin in the center of the room. Surrounding me was a small group of six, small brown, goblin like creatures with long ears, sharp teeth and glowing, yellow eyes. Most were identical, but one was wearing a leather smock and what looked like a welding mask and the last one, this one appearing far older than any of his fellows, had gray skin, sparse, gray hair and dull yellow eyes. He was wearing rags stitched crudely into robes, and a stick with a glowing crystal tied to the end.

"Greetings Master," said the old one with a bow, "It gives me great pleasure to meet you. I am Gnarl, Minion Master and devoted servant of Evil."

"Errr," was my very intelligent response.

Gnarls smile faltered.

"Oh dear, it seems that the Tower has chosen a dullard," he said, "Well, I suppose we can make do…"

"Oi, I'm not a dullard!" I protested, "I'm just not sure how to react to this! Where am I?!"

"Oh, that's a relief," said Gnarl, "I was worried that we'd been waiting for so many years to have a fool as a leader. As for where you are, you are in the crypt below the Dark Tower...or whats left of it at least."

I blinked a few times, shook my head, then blinked a few more. How in the world was I supposed to react to this? I mean, I'd played the Overlord Games, but to suddenly find myself in the Dark Lords armoured boots? It was too much! I wasn't evil, hell, I couldn't even fight!

"Now, lets see what we have here," said Gnarl, reaching into a pouch at his side and pulling out a roll of parchment.

"Pardon?" I asked, "Whats that?"

"Oh, the Tower provides me with a bit of information about our new Overlord," said Gnarl, "Its a feature that was added by the Fifth when he created the system by which new Masters would be chosen."

Huh, well, that was somewhat of a relief. At least I wouldn't have to worry about the Second or the magic hating Empire breathing down my neck. Wait, what was I saying?!

"Hmm, Drake Blackwood, interesting name, an…" he paused and looked up at me, "Author?"

I shifted uncomfortably.

"Hmm, skills...oh dear."

Gnarl sighed.

"We've been sent a useless Overlord," he said, "You have no real combat skills, no magic and you're not even Evil according to this. You're just a… 'gamer' from another world."

My eye twitched.  
"Well excuse me!" I growled, "Its not like I asked to be here! I don't even know how I got here, all I know is that I'm pretty sure I died! I know I'm not evil and that I don't have any skills! Sure, I might have thought it was fun to play the games back in my world, but I never thought I'd end up in this situation!"

I threw out my arms in frustration, only to nearly jump out of my skin as lightning bolts lept out of my fingers and blasted some nearby rocks to pieces. Gnarl and I stared at the smouldering rocks in surprise as the other Minions looked vacant.

"Well, that explains a lot," said Gnarl, "It seems that you have a remarkably strong connection to the Tower Heart. Hmm, you might make a good Overlord after all…"

"Still not Evil," I said.

"Perhaps not, but at this point, I'm willing to accept anything," said Gnarl, "We've been without a Master for far too long. Hell, the Greens and Blues have wandered off and I'm pretty sure the Reds are also planning on leaving!"

My eye twitched.

"And I'm going to have to go after them, aren't I?"

Gnarl just smirked at me. I sighed.

"Fine, since I don't have anything better to do," I said, "Besides, I guess it could be fun…"

"Excellent!" said Gnarl, clapping his bony hands, "Come, let us get you suited up."

I followed the aged Minion as he led the way out of the crypt and through a cave with a few smaller ones leading off containing various small areas for the Minions to live. Only the Brown and Red Hives was there though, the others were conspicuously absent. Still, the Tower Heart was there, floating in the center of the room, so I wouldn't have to find that. I followed Gnarl up the stairs and into the Tower proper. The first room we came to was the Throne Room. It looked like the Tower Throne Room from the first game and was in shambles, with numerous fallen pillars and worn stone.

"This place is a dump," I said.

"Yes, well, its been a very long time since the Tower was in use," said Gnarl, "We Minions don't really need very much, so there was no need to keep it in good condition. Still, at least it wasn't destroyed by a battle, so it shouldn't take long to repair."

"Thats good...I guess," I said.

Gnarl led me through an archway off the Throne Room and into the Armoury/Forge where a number of Minions were scurrying around a mannequin.

"Here we are," said Gnarl, "This will be your armour."

I raised an eyebrow as I examined it. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. Rather than heavy plate, it appeared to be made up a series of interlocking plates made for freedom of movement, with clawed gauntlets, the left of which had the yellow control gem in it, and a red cloak wrapped around the shoulders. The weapon was a vicious looking, curved sword that gleamed wickedly in the light of the forge.

"Ohhh, now thats cool," I said as I picked up the weapon.

"Isn't it just?" said Gnarl, "Giblet worked very hard on that. I believe that the Tower might have guided him in its creation, along with the armour. Now, why don't we get you into it?"

I nodded eagerly and moved to where Gnarl told me to, allowing the Minions to put the armour onto me. It fit perfectly and was surprisingly light all things considered. The cloak came with a hood that, when pulled up, would throw my face into shadow. Once I was suited up, I stepped in front of the mirror Gnarl provided.

The first thing I noticed wasn't the armour, it was the fact that I didn't look quite the same as I did before I arrived. My face seemed...different, like all the imperfections had been smoothed out, and I couldn't help but notice that my ears appeared slightly pointed. My eyes had also changed, the former light brown changing to a pale shade of ice blue that, unless I was very much mistaken, were glowing faintly. I flipped up my hood and, sure enough, my eyes were indeed glowing. My hair had also changed slightly, changing from a normal dark brown to the same black as the void and reflected the light like a ravens wing. Combine that with my armour and sword and I cut a very intimidating figure. Actually, now I took a proper look at the armour, it looked like the Ebony set from Skyrim and the sword definitely resembled a Daedric sword.

"Very nice," I said, "What now?"

"Now sire, we plan," said Gnarl, "If you are to be the Overlord, we must first reclaim that which is missing from the Tower. The lost Minion tribes and the Spells they took with them."

"Great, busy work," I drawled.

"Oh, do perk up Master," said Gnarl, "Its not all bad. This world is quite different than the one you know and indeed expect."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Gnarl smiled and beckoned for me to follow. I did as bid and he led me into the Throne Room and through a door behind the throne. This door led to a room unlike anything I'd seen in the games. It was a map room, circular in shape, and paneled with wood, although it was in dire need of repair. Numerous shelves lined the walls, each holding ragged looking scrolls at best or dust at worst.

"What a mess," I said.

"Fear not Master, we shall endeavor to repair your Tower post haste," said Gnarl, "For now, take a look."

I stepped up to the table and leant on its edge. The table was blank, but that quickly changed as it rippled and changed to show a map of the world.

"Ohh, impressive," I said.

"This map table is a very powerful artifact," said Gnarl, "One of your predecessors claimed it from a powerful Wizard who enchanted it to be able to show its master anything on this world. Now its connected to the Tower Heart, it's power can span the entire planet."

I leaned over the table and examined the table, running my fingers over the names of the nations and contents listed.

"Albion, Aurora, Thedas, the Elemental Nations and the New World," I breathed, "This world…"

"Is one of magic and Power," said Gnarl, "And it is yours for the taking sire, if you so wish it."

I stared down at the map. It was hard to believe, but there it was. In the center of the map was the land my Tower was located in, the Kingdom of Albion.

"Fable," I muttered, moving my hand to the lands to the west, "Dragon Age."

I moved my hand to the large content to the south.

"This one I don't know," I said.

The map rippled and seemed to zoom in on it. This time, it also showed the borders of the kingdoms that made up the land.

"Ah, Overlord, how ironic," I said upon seeing the names of the Kingdoms.

I moved my hand to the land labeled as the Elemental Nations and the map moved with me, showing the lands there.

"Naruto...that should be fun" I muttered, "Amazing, this really is a world of wonders…and horrors."

I pulled back my hand and the map once again moved out to show the whole world.

"A whole world of magic. I don't think I can resist."

I grinned.

"Gnarl, what is happening in Albion at this moment?"

"Hmm, I believe that they are currently suffering under the cruel reign of King Logan," said the Minion Master, "An interesting man to be sure."

"So, Fable 3 then," I mused, "I can work with that."

I grinned.  
"Who knows, maybe I can take over without having to spill any blood."

"Ohhh, I do like the way you think Master," said Gnarl, "Truly, a plan worthy of the Lord of all Evil."

I blinked as I realized that I was planning to take over a nation. Interesting...eh, why not? The Tower Heart had chosen me, might as well live up to the title.

"I suppose it is," I said, "But first, we need to repair the Tower and find the other Minion Tribes. I can't very well take over the world without my armies, now can I?"

Gnarl cackled evilly.

"Oh Master, I think we're going to get along famously!" he said, "Now, let us begin."

 **And so here in ends the first chapter of my first 'dark' Outsider story, if it can really be called that considering. The Overlord games tend to paint you as the lesser of two evils after all.**

 **So, we've seen some of the potential places for Drake to take over. He probably won't go to all of them, but they all exist within this world. I may add others later. For now though, the first stop will be Albion.**

 **And now for a question for my beloved readers. Since Overlords are evil and all that, it obviously means they have a number of Mistresses. I have a few in mind, but I'd like to hear who you lot would like to see end up in the Tower from the worlds listed. Lets see what you come up with.**

 **And with that, its time to sign out. I hope you enjoyed and make sure to leave a review!**


	43. Overlord Rising Chapter 2

**Before we begin, beware of bad language in this entry.**

Outsider Chronicles: Overlord Rising

Not all Outsiders are reborn as babys. Most are, but there are many ways to be reborn. I am one of those who was not reborn in the conventional sense. However, that does not mean that I am still who I once was. After all...Evil will always find a way...

 **Nothing to say, lets dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"This place is fucking cold!" I growled as I appeared through the Tower Gate into a snow covered forest.

"Oh do stop complaining Master," said Gnarl through our connection, "You're the one who said he wanted to explore his new domain."

"I didn't know it was so fucking cold out here!" I yelled, "Oh never mind."

"Since you're there, you might as well explore a bit," said Gnarl, "Oh, and you can think your responses and I'll hear them. Wouldn't do for your future subjects to think your mad, would it?"

I blinked.

"Like this?" I asked in my head.

"Exactly Master," said Gnarl, sounding more than a little condescending.

"So, Minions?" I asked.

"Summoning pool active right about...now."

I glanced to the side as a Summoning pool appeared next to the portal.

"You won't be able to control many Minions for now," said Gnarl, "But that will change as you grow in strength."

"Fair enough," I said as I lifted my hand towards the Pool and flexed my will.

The pool immediately spat out a group of 20 Minions. More than I was expecting, but I guess I wasn't limited by game mechanics.

"MASTAH!" squealed one of the little buggers as he hugged me around the legs.

"Get off," I said, kicking him off, "Now, lets go."

I hopped off the shallow dius that the Gate was and headed towards the forest in the direction of Brightwall with my tiny, brown entourage scurrying at my feet. I had barely reached the treeline when a group of Mercenaries decided to jump me.

"Alright mate, just drop all yeh valuables and no one gets hurt," said the leader.

I just gave him a flat look and snapped my fingers. The undergrowth exploded as my Minions, who were so short that they couldn't be seen among the foliage, not helped by their brown skin, pounced at the idiots and started wailing on them with their clubs. The Bandits immediately panicked and started running around, trying to dislodge the Minions. I watched, nonplussed as a Bandit staggered past, a Minion clinging to his back as it hit him repeatedly over the head with its club.

"Master, perhaps you should find out where these morons came from," said Gnarl in my ear.

"Why?"

"Because you could use some proper Human muscle. The time when an Overlord could make do with just his Minions is long gone I'm afraid."

"You're not suggesting I hire them, are you?" I asked, "Because unless I'm very much mistaken, we're currently broke."

Gnarl scoffed.

"Of course not, no self respecting Dark Lord would be caught dead paying scum like that," he said, "No, just Dominate them and turn them into your puppets."

"I can do that?"

"Yep. I suggest you practice first. Wouldn't want to fry the leaders brain after all."

"Hmmm."

I waved my hand and the Minions quickly returned to my side, dragging the dazed Mercenaries with them as they did. I took a deep breath and held out my hand. The gem on the back of my gauntlet flashed and the bandit I was pointing out was struck by a bolt of lighting...and turned into a sheep.

"The hell?"

"Oh dear, this might take a while," said Gnarl, "You use your Polymorph spell."

I perked up.

"Wait, I have a Polymorph spell?"

"Thats what I said."

"Awsome!"

CRUNCH!

I looked up to see the sheep pop back into a human form with a newly caved in skull.

"Die sheepie!" said the Minion who had killed him as it pulled its club out of its head and grabbed the chunk of Life Force that had emerged, "For da Mastah!"

I rolled my eyes as the orb was absorbed into my gauntlet and turned to the next Bandit, who looked scared out of his wits.

"W-wait, no don't!" He shouted, right before he was hit by another lightning bolt.

He slumped to the ground, black flecked ooze leaking from his ears.

It took another fifteen bandits before I managed to get it right without melting the poor schmucks brain.

"Well, its about time you got it," said Gnarl.

"Screw you, I'm completely new at this!" I yelled, ignoring the Dominated Bandit as he drooled on himself, "Seriously though, you really think that reducing the bandit leader to this will be in any way useful?"

"Not really, but the spell can be used to reprogram someone to serve you loyally or be reduced to a mindless slave," said Gnarl.

"Thats scary."

"We're evil."

"Good point."

I sighed and waved a hand at the drooling bandit as I turned away, ignoring the crunch of bone as the Minion behind him clobbered him with a metal club.

"Well, lets go find more bandits to practice on!"

* * *

Third Person POV

Crown Princess Laura of Albion was cold. She was also hungry, sore and pissed. Nothing seemed to have gone right for her over the past few days. It had started when her brother, the 'Honorable' King Logan, had forced her to chose between her childhood friend, Elliot, and a group of peasants who had offended him in some way. Naturally, she had chosen her friend, despite Elliot's protests, leading to her friend (and secret crush) storming off afterwards. He'd even had the gall to call her a 'heartless monster, just as bad as her brother'. Needless to say, she had cried herself to sleep that night. Unfortunately, she didn't even have time to sleep on her misery as Walter, her long time mentor and fencing teacher, had roused her and her dog, a border collie by the name of Theresa, from their slumber and ushered them out of the castle and through a secret tunnel to escape the Castle and start a revolution. She didn't even want to start a revolution!

However, her protests fell on deaf ears as she found herself flung head first onto the Road to Rule, a metaphysical journey created by her ancestor and namesake of her dog, Theresa the blind seeress. Now here she was, hunting down a bandit by the name of Captain Saker in order to 'prove herself' to some grumpy old man who Walter was sure could help.

"Stupid old farts, don't even bother asking what I want," she grumbled as she kicked a stone into some bushes.

"OWWW!"

She jumped at the high pitched yelp of pain. She drew her sword and took a ready stance as Theresa bared her teeth and growled. A moment later, the source of the yelp of pain came stumbling out of the undergrowth, revealing it to be a small, brown creature with big ears and glowing yellow eyes. It had a comically large lump on its head, clearly from the stone she'd kicked.

"Hooo, pretty birdies," slurred the creature as it stumbled around in circles.

Laura and Teresa glanced at one another in shared confusion, not sure what to make of the odd creature. The Brown shook its head rapidly as the bump vanished and blinked up at Laura.

"Pretty lady!" said the little creature with a toothy grin.

It stepped forward, only to flinch back as the point of Laura's sword appeared between his eyes.

"Who...or rather what, are you?" she growled.

"Gubbins is a Brown!" chirped the odd little creature, "Gubbins serves da Mastah!"

"Mastah? Who's Mastah?" asked Laura.

"Mastah is da Overlord!" said Gubbins.

Laura's eyes narrowed. She'd heard stories of a being with that title. Her old Nanny had told her many a tale of a towering figure in black armour, eyes ablaze with the fires of hell, surrounded by his Hellspawn Minions. She had always dismissed them as meer scary stories, meant to scare her into going to bed on time. Then again, she had also believed that the stories about the Guild and Heroes of old were meer stories as well and yet here she was with a Will gauntlet, so perhaps…

CLANG!

"OUCH!"

She jumped at the sound of a tree branch hitting something metal and the slightly echoed voice as something came crashing through the undergrowth. Gubbins ears perked up and he immediately turned around.

"Mastah!"

"Stupid fucking...oh, screw this!"

Laura nearly jumped out of her skin as the trees suddenly erupted into flames the colour of blood and quickly burnt to ashes. Laura stared in awe as the flames parted, allowing their creator to step forth, her sword slipping from her fingers. Clad from head to toe in black armour, the same colour as the smoke from the fire that burnt around his form, looking for all the world like a cloak emerging from the back of the monster that would burn the world. His eyes burned from the depths of his hood like cold fire and a black blade rested in his hand, wicked and curved like the fang of a mighty dragon. Scurrying at his feet, with eyes like lanterns were more Minions, the shadows making them appear far more sinister than the silly little creature she'd met.

The line of William Black is capable of many things. They may be called Heroes, but in truth they are just as capable of Evil as any other man, as the rulers of the Archon had proved so many generations ago. It was pure luck, and in no small part due to the machinations of Theresa, that the Hero of Oakvale and previous king had been good men. In truth, had she not met the Overlord that day, Laura herself would likely have gone on to be a great and noble ruler. Alas, in that moment, something inside the Princess snapped into, or perhaps out of, place and Albion was doomed to Darkness. Well, sort of. After all, while the Overlord is considered to be the Ruler of Evil, he's usually ends up fixing the problems caused by the so called 'heroes' in the first place.

"Mastah, Mastah!" chirped Gubbins, bouncing towards the figure.

"So, this is where you disappeared to," he said.

Laura couldn't help the shiver that shot down her spine at the sound of his voice. As she had noticed before, there was a faint, echoing sound to it and it rolled like thunder in the distance. The Blood of the Hero in her reacted, practically roaring to her that the figure before her was powerful in a way unlike anything she had ever seen. That sort of power was intoxicating to her. Theresa and Walter were right about one thing. Logan was a pretender to the throne. Compared to this Dark Ruler, he was nothing more than a child playing at being king. This man, this Dark Lord was the only one that could claim to be King in her eyes.

* * *

Drake's POV

I admit, I hadn't quite expected that spell to do that much damage to the forest, I just wanted to get them out of my way before one took out my eye. At least the magical flames were under my control so they didn't start a forest fire. That would be bad since I currently didn't have any Reds with me to extinguish it and my water based spells would probably flood the entire area if all the other attempts over the past few hours were anything to go by.

I extinguished the blaze with an idle wave of my hand as I turned my gaze on the girl stood before me, a simple longsword at her feet where she'd dropped it and a dog cowering behind her legs. She was a beautiful girl, with long, silky black hair tied into a tight braid and deep, dark blue eyes. Her skin was milky white, suggesting that she hadn't spent much time in the sun and her choice of outfit, a practical looking shirt and leggings with a leather corset, did an excellent job of showing off the fact that she was very well developed.

"Should I have the Minions clean out the Mistress Quarters Master?" said Gnarl.

I could practically hear the amusement in the old bastards tone.

"Shut up," I growled under my breath, "I'm not just going to kidnap some random girl this early in my career!"

"Suit yourself, but I don't think that'll be necessary," said Gnarl.

"What do you…?"

I trailed off when I took a good look at the girl and noticed that her cheeks were flushed and she seemed to be breathing heavily.

"The hell?"

"Some people are attracted to power and darkness," said Gnarl, "Its only natural that they would be drawn to you. Its happened in the past, although never to this extent…Wait, I think I know her."

"Really? I thought you never left the tower?"

"I don't, but I have been keeping an eye on the Lands around the tower, so I know most of the important people. AH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden exclamation.

"I DO KNOW HER, SHES THE PRINCESS!"

"WILL YOU PIPE DOWN!" I roared, "You're giving me a headache!"

Then what he said sank in.

"Wait, shes the Princess?!" I spluttered, "But that means…"

I looked back at the apparent Princess and, sure enough, there was the Fireball gauntlet on her left hand. I smirked. Well, wasn't this a very interesting find? Sure, I wasn't exactly interested in pulling a Bowser, but since the Princess herself was the Hero, I wouldn't have to worry about some well meaning do gooder trying to storm my Tower.

"So Princess, whats a nice girl like you doing out here?" I asked.

The Princess seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in and scowled.

"Believe me, I'd rather not be here," she said, "But Walter seems to think that I should dethrone my brother. The asshole didn't even bother asking me what I wanted before he dragged me out here and put me to work."

"Oh really?" I asked with a smirk, "Do you need some help? I could provide you with some if you want."

The Princess scoffed.

"Don't play me for a fool," she said, "I know what you are. You're the Overlord. You don't help, you take."

I smiled widely and I'm pretty sure my eyes glowed brighter.

"Oh, you know who I am and you're not trying to kill me?" I asked, "Not much of a Hero, are you?"

The Princess looked surprised.

"You know about that?"

I laughed and reached forwards, cupping her chin and forcing her to look directly into my eyes.

"I know a lot more than that," I purred.

The Princess shuddered at my touch as her cheeks flushed.

"So tell me _girl,_ what are you going to do now?" I asked, moving my hand from her chin to caress her cheek, my clawed gauntlets leaving faint scratches on her flawless skin.

The Princess shuddered again, before she batted my hand away and stepped forwards.

"Don't call me girl," hissed the Princess, poking my chest as she glared up at me.

I admit, I was impressed by her courage. Not only was I taller than her by a good head, but I was wearing full armour and had a sword in my hand while she was unarmed.

"My name is Laura," she continued, poking me again.

I caught her wrist.

"Alright, _Laura,_ what are you going to do?" I asked, "Will you live up to your title and try to take my head? Or will you walk away?"

"Neither," said Laura, pulling her hand from my grip, "I want to help you."

Both my eyebrows shot up at that. Ohh, I really like this girl.

"Are you sure you don't want me to clean out the Mistress Quarters?" asked Gnarl cheekelly.

I sent a pulse of Mana down the link and was rewarded by a squark from the old Minion Master.

"Oh? And why should I accept your help?" I asked.

Laura grinned.

"Because having me, the Crown Princess, on your side will make taking Albion for your own much easier," she said, "Plus, you can get the Resistance on your side."

I cocked my head on one side.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with them?" I asked.

"I don't," said Laura, "But my brother's an idiot and a weakling. He doesn't deserve to be a King."

I stared at her for a moment, before I burst out laughing. Laura looked surprised, before she scowled.

"And just what is so funny?" she snapped.

"Oh, I'm not laughing at you," I said, "Well, I suppose I am, but its only because you were probably the only one in this entire kingdom that had any chance of defeating me. With you on my side as opposed to against me, this Kingdom is as good as MINE!"

With that last word, my power flared, blasting the still burning fire away and snuffing it out, resulting in a huge pillar of smoke that surrounded me. The pulse of power exited the Minions and the Browns immediately took up a violent warcry, bouncing around and waving their weapons in a way that should have been comical, but somehow managed to stall a sense of genuine menace that I didn't think the little buggers were capable off. I turned back to Laura, who was staring at me in awe, and held out my hand.

"Come Princess, let us plunge this world into Darkness together," I said, the echo in my voice becoming much more pronounced and turning it into one that any Dark Lord would be proud of.

Laura immediately reached out and took my hand, letting out a short yelp as I pulled her to me and placed my clawed fingers at her throat.

"I'll place my trust in you for now," I hissed, "But know that if you ever betray me, I won't hesitate to snap your neck."

I squeezed lightly and Laura swallowed and nodded.

"I understand," she breathed.

I nodded and released her. I stooped and picked up her dropped sword, holding the weapon out to her.

"Now, lets go."

Laura took the sword and fell into step beside me as we headed towards the Bandit encampment.

 **Wow, that was fun! Now I know why people like writing Dark stories so much!**

 **So, we get a glimpse of Drake's hidden dark nature, proving that he is more than capable of being ruthless, despite his normally slightly silly persona.**

 **We also get to meet his first Mistress, the Princess of Albion. And yes, I did chose the name Laura for a reason, although its got nothing to do with the story itself. It was actually imagining a scene between the Overlord and the Princess that gave me the idea in the first place. I won't go into detail, but it may happen in the story...if I can bring myself to write it.**

 **I basically decided that he'll be getting a Mistress from each 'world' he visits, so he'll get one from Dragon Age, one from Naruto, one from Overlord the Anime, although I have no idea who to use for that, and so on.**

 **Speaking of other 'worlds', I'd welcome ideas for other lands he could conquer. Remember, Fantasy ones only and they'd have to be ones where we don't know the entire planet, like One Piece. Include who you'd like to be the Mistress from that land in the process and we'll see what I can do.**

 **I'd also like some ideas for 'Heroes' that could potentially try to take him down later on. That won't be for a while, not until he moves on to the next land since he's already got the Hero of Albion on his side.**

 **Wow, that was a long AN. Still, its done now and I'm gonna sign out. Hope you leave a review!**


	44. Is It Wrong to Pick up Goddesses?

Outsider Chronicles: Is It Wrong to Pick up Goddesses?

Getting reborn into a world where Gods and monsters are still very much a thing is a right pain in the arse. Then again, I am just a Clear Sighted Mortal, so at least I won't be dragged into the War with Kronos. Well, that was the plan anyway. But now with my new friend venting at me about her family, I have a horrible feeling my peace and quiet won't last.

 **OK, so could someone tell me why there are no PJ and Is It Wrong crossovers? Seriously, it could very well be a match made in heaven. Then again, considering that Hephaestus is a girl, maybe they are a tad incompatible...On the other hand, Aphrodite and IIW Hephaestus being together is one image I have no problem with! But thats irrelevant. The main world will be PJ, with elements of IIW plus one more thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

My death involved a man in speedos, a beach, seagulls and about a truckload of various species from the far east. Draw your own conclusions. Now take any mental image of my 'death' out of your mind and focus only on the fact that I died. I'm doing you a favor, trust me. Anyway, getting of the subject of my rather scaring death, I'm sure your all wondering how I can be telling you this if I'm a doornail, right? Well, the answers relatively simple. I got reincarnated. Yep, I was reborn as a baby and let me tell you, there is a bloody good reason that you don't remember that!

I have to say though, when it comes to getting reincarnated, I can't decide if I'm incredibly lucky or if I'm being punished. What makes me say that? Well, while my family was relatively normal, I was less so. Why? Well, despite being 100% Human (I think), I had the ability to see through the Mist and all the Monsters and nasties that hid behind it. Yep, apparently I had been reborn into the world of Percy Jackson. Fuck my life.

* * *

Or maybe not. Despite being able to see through the Mist, I actually had a pretty normal life. Went to school, hung out with friends, watched Anime and even managed to write a book that did pretty well before I turned 15. Not bad, not bad at all.

Anyway, while I was content to just go through life ignoring the nasties that infested the world, I really should have known better. Then again, theres no way I could have seen it coming in a million years. It all started when I was just 13, at Comicon if you can believe it. I was wondering around the stalls, doing my best to ignore the morons dressed as Deadpool making trouble, when I spotted a girl sitting against a wall near the back of the hall, watching the crowds with a faint smile on her face. She was rather short, but that actually worked very well with her outfit. She was Cosplaying Hestia from Is it Wrong to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon and doing an excellent job of it. See if you can guess where this is going.

Like a complete idiot, I decided to approach her since she was looking rather lonely and no one seemed to be talking to her. In hindsight, that should have been a big tip off seeing as she was an attractive girl in a rather revealing outfit surrounded by blokes whos only interaction with women was likely either their mothers or the girls in dating sims. She should have been drawing at least a few looks.

"Yo," I said as I walked up to her.

The girl jumped and turned to me with a rather startled look on her face, as if she hadn't been expecting anyone to approach her.

"Um, hello," she said, quickly getting her expression back under control, "Do you need something?"

I shrugged.

"Nah, you just looked lonely and I need a rest," I said as I dropped down beside her, "Plus, well, we make quite the pair."

I was currently sporting dyed white hair, red contacts, cardboard armour and a plastic knife. Yep, I was cosplaying Bell, which was actually a rather large part of why I'd approached the girl. Part of the fun of cosplaying was getting cool photos, right?

The girl looked me up and down and smiled.

"I guess you have a point," she said.

"I'm Westley by the way," I said.

"I'm Hestia," said the girl with a smile.

I blinked.

"Is that why you chose to come as Hestia?" I asked.

"Um, yeah, lets go with that," said Hestia with a warm smile.

"So Hestia, why are you sitting all the way back here on your own?" I asked.

"Well, I guess you could say I'm not very keen on crowds," said Hestia.

I blinked, before snorting.

"Thats a horrible reason," I said, "Normally, I prefer to avoid big events as well, but I make an exception for things like this. Since you made such an effort, you should go out and show off. Hell, you should just be enjoying the atmosphere. Otherwise, whats the point?"

Hestia blinked and looked thoughtful.

"I guess you have a point…" she started.

"Great, then lets go!" I said, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Wha...HEY!" yelped the girl as I dragged her out onto the main floor.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent moving from stall to stall, chatting about our favorite Anime, Comics, books, movies and all manner of other nerd stuff, having plenty of photo opportunities thanks to our compatible outfits and even winning the costume competition at the end of the day.

"See, now wasn't that fun?" I asked once the day came to an end and everyone started heading home.

Hestia and I were heading back towards the train station, with the girl sporting a large smile and hugging a rather large stuffed rabbit that, for some odd reason, had been the prize for the costume contest. I had nowhere to put it and no man worth his salt would be seen walking down the street with something like that, so I gave it to her. Besides, we both also got vouchers for a local restaurant I liked anyway, so I certainly wasn't short changed.

"Yes, it really was," said Hestia, smiling at me, "Thanks for this Wes."

I grinned and waved off the thanks.

"Aww, don't worry about it," I said, "Frankly, its always more fun attending those things with friends anyway. I always get bored when I'm on my own with no one to talk to. Plus, I get a new friend out of the deal!"

Hestia stopped and looked up at me, surprise evident in her eyes.

"Friend?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" I said.

Hestia stared at me a moment longer, before a soft smile crossed her face and she nodded.

"Alright, friends," she said.

* * *

For the next two years, Hestia and I grew closer as friends, often spending weekends and holidays hanging out and we went to yet more conventions together. My parents...well, lets just say that they were distant and leave it at that. Both of them were more interested in their careers than me, but my adult mindset meant that that wasn't really a problem. In fact, it made my life easier since I didn't have anyone breathing down my neck. During those two years, I often ended up being a willing ear to listen to Hestia venting her agitation at her family (although, it wasn't entirely one sided, I just had far less baggage to unload). Looking back, I'm actually quite surprised at just how much bottled up agitation she had towards the rest of the Gods, although I shouldn't be totally shocked. Even the nicest person on the planet (and Hestia definitely qualifies) will eventually reach their limits with people far less trying than the Olympians. Between all the philandering, arguments, threats of war and general dickishness of her family, I'm honestly quite surprised she didn't explode at someone a long time before I came along. It certainly didn't help that she didn't really have any friends. Oh, she had Servants and virtually everyone liked her, but no one was ever willing to get close to her, likely due to the fact that the Big Three, and even Demitria and Hera, would flatten anyone who even thought of looking at their eldest sister. Of course, she didn't tell me any of that directly, but I was able to infer it by reading between the lines as it were and the hints I got later on after I got dragged into the Mythical world.

Speaking of which, it actually took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that she was actually a Goddess, although in my defence, Denil can be a very powerful thing. Like I said, I was fifteen when I figured it out and it was mostly because by that point it was so frickin obvious even Bell would have been able to twig. The weather had been particularly bad over the summer, with a large number of storms hitting the coast, almost like the sea and sky were fighting. It didn't really help that, over the summer, a manhunt for a 12 year old boy who supposedly blew up a tour bus hit the news, followed by Hestia showing up in a towering rage and ranting at me for a full hour over the sheer stupidity of her brothers fighting over what amounted to hurt pride and paranoia. By this point, I had actually figured it out, but I really didn't want to change our relationship, so I didn't say anything. What? Goddess or not, Hestia was a great friend. NO, I DID NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON HER!

Ahem, back on track.

* * *

"I just wish they'd stop trying to kill each other," said Hestia as she dropped down next to me with a huff.

"Well, since they've been at it for the past few thousand years, I doubt they're gonna stop now," I said without thinking.

Hestia did an epic spit take with the mouthful of coffee she'd just taken, before whipping around to stare at me, wide eyed with coffee still dripping down her chin.

"WHAT?!" she spluttered.

I burst out laughing at the look on her face and handed her a napkin. That had just slipped out, but her reaction was utterly priceless! Besides, to be completely honest, I was getting rather tired of dancing around the issue.

"I know who you really are," I said as Hestia wiped her face, "Hell, its kinda obvious if you know what to look for and know anything about Mythology."

"Alright, then who am I?" asked Hestia.

I smiled and held up a finger.

"Your Hestia, the Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Home," I said, "Eldest daughter of the Titan King Kronos and his Queen Rhea and the eldest of the Elder Gods."

I smirked at her.

"Need I go on?"

Hestia's eye twitched.

"How long…"

"Since the Winter Solstice when you were shouting about how annoying your youngest brothers were acting fighting over a stolen item," I deadpanned, "That was also when the weather started acting up and you slipped up mentioning the Big Guys Bolt."

Hestia blinked.

"That long?" she asked, "Why didn't you say something?"

I shrugged.

"Frankly, I didn't see how it mattered," I said, "You obviously weren't telling me for a reason and its not really like it was causing me trouble."

Hestia stared at me.

"You are a very unusually Human Westley Evans," she said, "Most people would try and do something to earn favour if they found out their friend was a God."

I shrugged again.

"Why bother?" I asked, "Frankly, I'm happy just being friends."

Hestia smiled and shook her head.

"Yes, very odd indeed," she said, "Although I have to ask, why in the world did you come to the conclusion I was a God? That seems like the very last thing anyone would think."

I snorted.

"Oh, I already knew the Supernatural exists," I said, "I can see through whatever it is you lot use to hide from Mortals."

I indicated to a passing man in a trenchcoat.

"Hes a Cyclops," I said, before indicating to a middle aged man in the batting cages, "That guys a Satyr and I think that the oversized mutt digging through the rubbish over there is a Hellhound."

Hestia stared at me for a moment, before snorting.

"Of course, you're a Clear Sighted Mortal," she said, "I should have known...thats how you were able to see me when we first met."

Hestia frowned and fixed me with a strange look.

"What?" I asked.

"I wonder…" she muttered.

"Wonder what?" I asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I was just thinking that you might be able to help me," she said.

I blinked.

"Er, you do remember that I'm a normal Human, right?" I asked.

"That may be true, but if your Clear Sighted, you are anything but powerless," said Hestia.

"I fail to see how seeing through whatever it is that hides the supernatural from normal people is useful," I deadpanned.

"Oh, its not," said Hestia, "However, the source of your Clear Sight might be useful."

"Eh?"

"In order to be able to see through the Mist, a Human must have something about them that connects them to the Supernatural," said Hestia, "Normally, that'd be non-Human blood somewhere in their family tree, but you are completely Human. With that in mind, theres only one other option."

"And what would that be?" I asked as I took a sip of tea.

"You possess something called a Sacred Gear.

PFFFFT!

Now it was my turn to do an epic spit take and whip around to face the Goddess in utter shock.

"A what?!" I gasped.

She didn't say that, she DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!

"A Sacred Gear," said Hestia, "A weapon created by the God of the Bible to perform Miracles on Earth."

She said it. This was...how am I supposed to react to this?! I mean, Percy Jackson is one thing and I can even take a Hestia who looks and acts like the one from Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, but this?!

"For a while now, I've noticed something different about you," said Hestia, apparently not noticing my minor panic attack, "Not all Sacred Gear can affect the Mystical World, but there are some that are so powerful they can even kill Gods. I somehow doubt you have one of those, but if you do possess a powerful enough Sacred Gear, you can help me stop my family from screwing over the whole planet."

She looked down and clenched her fists.

"I won't force you, but its getting to the point where I can't afford not to step in. However, I can do little without a Champion."

I stared at the Goddess for a moment. Well, that was rather unexpected. The question now is, what should I do? I could easily tell her no and go on living my 'normal' life, but the very thought of that left a bad taste in my mouth. Hestia was my friend and I really didn't want to let her down. Besides, my last life was boring, so the idea of helping to save the world was a rather attractive one. It could be fun.

"Alright, I'll do it," I said.

Hestia's head snapped up, surprise in her eyes.

"You will?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" I said, "It could be fun."

"You know it'll be dangerous, right?" she asked, "You could get hurt or even die."

"I could get hurt or die walking down the street," I said with a soft smile, "Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I left you in a bind like that?"

Hestia's cheeks pinked slightly, but she smiled and nodded.

"Alright, lets do it," she said, "But first, we should go somewhere we won't attract attention."

She snapped her fingers and the world seemed to turn inside out. The next thing I knew, I was standing in a homely looking sitting room decorated in warm browns and reds with a large fire burning in the grate and the smell of hot chocolate in the air.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My Temple on Olympus," said Hestia, "Now, lets get started. First of all, I want you to try and activate your Sacred Gear."

"And how do I do that?" I asked.

"Think of the part of you that is the strongest," said Hestia, "Then use your feelings to release all your power at the same time."

"Thats helpful," I grumbled.

"Sorry, but thats all I know," said Hestia, "Demigods with Sacred Gears are rare and I don't tend to interact that much with other Pantheons."

I sighed and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath as I shifted my stance so I was straight backed with my hand to my chest. Not sure why, but it just felt right.

"I call upon the Lion of Light," I murmured, "Come forth King of Beasts, I summon thee!"

My eyes snapped open and I flung my arm out to the side. There was a brilliant flash of golden light and I found myself holding a frankly massive double headed axe longer than I was tall, that gleamed golden in the firelight with a large, green gem embedded in the middle of the two blades and tan leather wrapped around the handle that ended in what looked like a lion tail tassel. Despite its massive size, it felt like it weighed practically nothing.

At the sight of the axe, Hestia's eyes went wide in complete and utter disbelief.

"Wha...how in the world….?!" she spluttered.

"So I take it you know what this thing is?" I asked.

"T-thats one of the 13 Longinus!" gasped Hestia, "Its the Battle Axe of the Lion King, Regulus Nemea!"

 **And done. Well, isnt that a turnout for the books. Oh, and yes, by this worlds rules, Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Sally Jackson both have Sacred Gears as well. Whether or not that'll play into the story later I don't know.**

 **So, Wes has a Sacred Gear that ties in nicely with the PJO world. Yes, that does mean that Sairaorg is down a Pawn, but considering that the Sacred Gears are the limit to DXD I have planned, thats not a problem. I may have Odin show up at some point though.**

 **Paring...not sure, but Hestia is very likely indeed, although I am tempted to try for Artemis…**

 **Just to be clear, Wes is Human...well, as Human as the wielder of a Longinus can really be.**

 **And done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	45. Fairy's Don't Have Tails Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Fairies Don't Have Tails

When I died, I wasn't expecting to get reborn into a world of fantasy and Magic. Well, actually, the last thing I was expecting was for my home to be destroyed by a Demon with me as the only survivor. What? Thats not the least of it? Oh no, I just had to stumble onto a grave containing a very powerful form of Lost Magic. Awww well, at least I'll fit right in with my new family!

 **And here we go again with a proper Fairy Tail idea...although it does have some SDS elements. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I died, the last thing I was expecting was to open my eyes again. However, thats exactly what happened. Of course, I wasn't in the same place as I closed them, nor was I in the same body. In fact, I was in the body of a baby. Yay me.

As for my new location, well, lets just say I might be in trouble. Why? Well, the world I've been reborn into was one of magic, demons and insanely powerful Wizards with a bad habit of destroying entire towns...well, almost. Yep, I've been reborn into the world of Fairy Tail! This is really gonna hurt...Oh well, at least theres plenty going on in the world and its big enough that I probably won't ever get caught up in a nasty situation...right?

* * *

I grew up in a small village located in a lush and green area of Fiore by the name of Rosemary Village. Yes, that one. The one where Erza spent her childhood before getting kidnapped by the Zeref worshiping Cult of wackjobs. To make matters worse, I was the same age as Erza, so I'd end up on the receiving end of that particular attack at some point. Frankly, I'm not sure how I'll react when it happens, although I have no intention of getting dragged off to the Tower of Heaven any time soon. Hell, I'd even like to save Simon and Erza (since they were my friends and all), but I wasn't too sure if I could pull that off…

"ROBIN GOODFELLOW, WAKE UP!"

"GAH!"

I jolted awake, only to realize I was falling and quickly grabbed onto the edge of the roof as I nearly fell off said roof I had been napping on. I hauled myself back up onto the roof and fixed the giggling Kagura with a withering glare.

"Was that really necessary?" I growled.

"Nope," said the girl with a grin.

I took a deep breath.

"Alright, next question, why did you wake me up like that?"

"Erza and Simon have been looking for you," she said, "We've been asked to go gather some ingredients from the forest.."

I huffed and crossed my arms.

"Couldn't you have just shaken me awake rather than nearly scaring me off the roof?" I asked.

"And where would be the fun in that?" was my reply.

I rolled my eyes and hopped off the roof, landing lightly on the grass below. A moment later, I caught Kagura as she hopped off after me.

"Alright, lets go," I said as I set the girl on her feet.

"K!" said the seven year old as she led the way to the edge of the village where Erza and Simon were waiting.

"There you are!" said Simon as we approached, "Let me guess, he was napping somewhere?"

"Yep, on a roof," said Kagura.

"Again? You'd think he'd have learnt after he rolled over and ended up in a water barrel," said Erza with a smirk.

I just yawned.

"I'm standing right here you know," I said lazily, "Besides, rooftops are the only place I can actually get a decent nap around here..."

Erza rolled her eyes.

"You'd sleep all day if we let you," she said.

"I would," I responded without missing a beat.

"Alright you two, thats enough," said Simon, "Come on, we've got to get those ingredients before dark."

We headed into the forest and made a beeline for the spots we knew had the largest concentrations of herbs, mushrooms, berrys and so on. Having grown up in these woods, we knew most of it like the backs of our hands. However, there was one area that we had never entered, both because our Parents had forbidden it and because it, frankly, gave everyone who got close the creeps. While it was true that most kids would probably go straight there after their parents warned them away, the aura it gave out was more than enough to keep even the most rebellious of kids out. In fact, the only person who wasn't affected by the aura was me.

Yeah, kinda strange, right? In fact, despite everyone in the village's warnings against the spot and the aura that kept the other kids out, I had been tempted to have a look more than once, especially when I got close to it. Hell, to me the aura actually seemed to be inviting, not scary. However, I wasn't dumb enough to risk getting my head chewed off for a quick thrill, so I kept my distance.

* * *

Anyway, our foraging trip was going well as there was currently an abundance of useful plants available in the forest and we'd even stumbled on a beehive that we'd been able to get some honey from as a treat for later. The sun was setting as we started making our way back to the village, lighting up the sky with a deep, crimson glow that almost resembled Erza's hair...or blood.

"Hey, whats that?" asked Kagura, pointing at a large pillar of black smoke that was rising from the direction of Rosemary Village, "Wheres all that smoke coming from?"

My stomach dropped at the sight of it, not helped in the slightest by the fact I could see the ruddy glow of flames above the treeline.

"Nothing good," I muttered, "Come on, lets hurry."

We did just that and it didn't take us long to reach the Village. Unfortunately, it seemed that my fears were well founded as we exited the treeline to find the village aflame. We all froze at the sight, not helped in the least by the dead bodies we could see amid the flames.

"W-whats going on?" gasped Erza.

I swallowed my bile, my mind working at a mile a minute. If I acted now, I could stop Erza and Simon getting kidnapped. True, that would make a mess of the timeline, but I honestly didn't give a rats ass.

"Guys, we need to go back into the forest," I said, "Whoever did this might still be here…"

I was cut off by a loud and very familiar scream.

"MOMMY!" screamed Kagura, sprinting into the village before I could stop her.

"KAGURA!" shouted Simon, taking off after his sister.

"Oh for…" I growled, "Erza, we need…"

I was cut off as my red-headed friend sprinted into the village after the siblings.

"Or not," I muttered, "Well, I guess hidings out of the question…"

I sighed, before steeling myself and sprinting after the others.

* * *

Unfortunately, finding them was easier said than done. Rosemary wasn't large, in fact, it was tiny, but the flames had to have been created by Magic as there were more than a few barriers where flames had no right to be and even a few earthen walls that had obviously been created with a spell that turned the Village into a maze in which I quickly lost track of my friends. Looking back, I think there may have been some illusion Magic present as well. Since I couldn't find my friends, I instead decided to head to my house to see if I could get my parents out, if they hadn't already left or been slaughtered or captured.

"MUM, DAD!" I shouted as I burst into my house, "WHERE ARE…"

I was brought up short, my eyes widening in shock and horror as I watched my Mother sliding of the sword of a large, armoured man.

"Hmm?"

The man turned, revealing that he was a middle aged man with scruffy, light green hair and beard, an eyepatch over his left eye and was wearing copper coloured armour under a dark purple cloak. His sword was a green, almost organic looking scimitar that was currently stained red with the blood of my parents.

I took in the gristly sight in an instant and, in the same instant, shock and horror turned to rage.

"YOU BASTARD!" I screamed and charged the man.

Naturally, it was about as useful as a toothbrush in a fight against a lion and the man easily smacked me away into a wall. I slid down it, dazed and hurting

"What do we have here?" asked the armoured man, turning to face me fully, "That was pretty brave kid. Brave, but foolish."

He snapped his fingers and a couple of men in the robes of Zeref Cultist emerged from the door leading to the kitchen.

"Take this one and put him with the others," said the man, "I'm going to make sure we didn't miss anyone else."

"Yes sir," said one of the Cultists as the man swept out of the house.

I groaned and tried to move, but my body hurt to much. Besides, there wasn't really much I'd be able to do against these two nutjobs anyway. Despite that, one of the Cultitsts didn't seem to like the fact I was trying to do...something and pointed his staff at me. There was a flash of light and I screamed as I was hit by a lightning bolt. The Cultist kept the Lightning on me for a moment, before releasing it, allowing me to fall to the floor, my limbs twitching as smoke rolled off my body.

"Consider yourself lucky brat," sneered the other Cultist as he picked me up by the back of my shirt and dragged me towards the door, "You're about to become part of a glorious effort. Your blood, sweat and tears will be what brings back our Lord and Master."

As he dragged me past the bodies of my parents, my barely focusing eyes met the blank eyes of my mother.

" _no…"_

I couldn't let them take me.

" _No…"_

I wouldn't be a part of their sick and pointless attempt to restore Zeref. All thoughts were gone from my head, leaving nothing but fierce determination and anger. I wouldn't allow myself to be taken! I wouldn't let them take my friends! I wouldn't let the bastard responsible for my Parents deaths go unpunished!

"NO!"

The word tore itself from my lips at the same time as I felt a massive rush of power flood my body, washing away the pain of the impact with the wall and the lightning bolt. Without thinking, my fingers closed on the small knife that was hidden in my belt and I drove it into the mans leg.

"AHHH, DAMN IT!" he yelped, instinctively dropping me as he clutched at his injury.

I scrabbled away from the men, putting my back against the wall as I pointed the bloody knife at them. It was a pathetic weapon, but it was all I had.

"You little brat!" snarled the Cultist, "You'll be sorry!"

He snatched the staff his companion was holding and advanced on me, clearly intending to beat me senseless. As he raised the staff in preparation to beat me with it, I instinctively held up my arms defensively in a futile attempt to hold him back. However, as I did, another surge of energy flooded my body.

The effect was immediate as the man suddenly collapsed, screaming in agony as the small cut on his leg suddenly opened into a wound so massive I'm surprised it didn't sever his leg and began spurting a frankly massive amount of blood that quickly coated the walls, floor, ceiling, the other Cultist and me.

"Wha...WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO YOU BRAT!?" screamed the other Cultist in horror as his friend went still, his lifeblood now everywhere except where it was supposed to be.

However, I didn't respond, both because I had no idea what I'd done and because I was in shock. After all, I had just killed a man in one of the most messy ways I can think of, short of feeding him into a wood chipper.

"ANSWER ME YOU BRAT!" snarled the Cultist, snatching up the fallen staff and advancing on me.

However, before he had taken more than a few steps, the ground erupted and a massive root shot out of the ground, stabbing him through the stomach and pinning him to the wall.

"A-ah-AHHHHHHH!" I screamed as I felt another surge of power, this one even bigger than the last two.

The power rolled off me like a wave, causing all the wood in the house to forget it was supposed to be dead and rapidly grow roots, branches and leaves. It took less than a minute for the entire house to be consumed by the new tree, taking a few unlucky sods with it was it rapidly grew, its roots surging through the soil, even breaking the surface and slithering like snakes in a few places. However, I only found that out later as the frankly obscene amount of Magic I'd just released quickly proved too much for my body and I passed out as a massive flower grew around me.

 **And done. So, what do you think? Keep in mind, I haven't actually got to the flashback to the events at Rosemary Village yet (no laughing at the back) so I have no idea if Kagura is OOC or not, hence why I made this kinda brief.**

 **Hmm, I wonder what this strange power Robin used could be? Should be interesting, no?**

 **The Magic in Fairy Tail is rather inconsistent as some people are stated to have learnt their Magic, while others, like Erza and Mirajane, seem to have instinctively used Magic in a life or death situation. With that in mind, I used a concept like the latter for the activation of Robin's Magic. He will learn a couple of other tricks in the future though.**

 **Hmm, why was I so specific in describing the man I wonder? As if you can't figure it out! Hell, hes a clue in and of himself as to what Robin's Magic is!**

 **And with that, its time for me to sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	46. Fairy's Don't Have Tails Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Fairies Don't Have Tails

When I died, I wasn't expecting to get reborn into a world of fantasy and Magic. Well, actually, the last thing I was expecting was for my home to be destroyed by a Demon with me as the only survivor. What? Thats not the least of it? Oh no, I just had to stumble onto a grave containing a very powerful form of Lost Magic. Awww well, at least I'll fit right in with my new family!

 **And we're back. A lot of people have correctly guessed what Robin's magic is, but no ones taken a stab at the identity of the Knight who killed his Parents...eh, maybe you'll be able to figure it out after this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Magical exhaustion is a rather strange feeling. Physically, it makes you feel lightheaded and comes with a rather empty feeling and, if you used up your magic too quickly over a short time, can leave you feeling like you've got a bad case of the flu, especially if you haven't used much Magic in the past. Unfortunately for me, I fell under both categories, so when I came too after my little freakout, I felt like absolute shit.

I groaned as I regained consciousness, my entire body was aching like crazy, my head was throbbing and my throat felt like sandpaper. It took some doing, but I was eventually able to force my eyes open, only to be met with the sight of a smooth, white ceiling above me and the feeling of laying on something as soft as silk. Considering that my bed was nothing more than a straw stuffed mattress, that certainly got my attention.

"Where am I?" I said as I sat up.

As I did, the ceiling above me shifted and opened, revealing that I was actually laying in a gigantic flower. Not only that, but I obviously wasn't in the village anymore since I seemed to be in a clearing in the middle of the woods and, judging from the position of the sun, at least a full day had past since I passed out. On the up side, I had not been taken by the Cultists, on the down side, there was no way I'd be able to save Simon and Erza...unless I wanted to take on the entire Cult on my own that is. Still, that did leave the question of where in the hell I was.

I slowly got to my feet and turned in a circle, trying to find a landmark that would give me some idea of where I was. What I found instead made me stop and stare. The flower I had been sleeping in was attached to the root of a frankly massive tree that extended way, way up above the canopy, its sharp, leafless branches reaching towards the noonday sun like grasping hands. It also happened to serve as the perfect landmark as the Dead Tree happened to be located in the center of the dark area of the woods we weren't supposed to go.

According to local legend, the tree used to be the source of a huge amount of Magical Power, but something happened that resulted in its power drying up and the tree itself dieing. Reasons varied, ranging from someone stealing the magical spring that was the source of the trees life to the King of the Forest falling in battle. Whatever the truth, the tree was believed to be the source of the Darkness and all the legends agreed that anyone who entered the dark area of the forest would disappear, never to be seen again. So yeah, good reason to avoid the place like the plague! I was the sort of person who avoided places with a bad reputation for being haunted in my last life, so you can bet your bottom dollar that I was definitely going to avoid a similar place in a world where Magic was very much real!

I swallowed as I looked around nervously. How had I got here and, more importantly, how? Theres no way I could have sleepwalked and, if I had, I'd almost certainly have been picked up by the Cultists.

"Hi!"

"GAH!"

I spun around at the sudden voice in my ear, only to freeze at the sight of the owner of the voice. He looked like he was in his early teens, with pointy ears, long, red hair and leaf green eyes. He was bare chested and wore a pair of baggy pants with a corsage on his left wrist and baggy pants which have a butterfly scale-like pattern at the cuffs. Oh, and he also had a massive pair of rainbow coloured, butterfly-like wings, was floating a few inches off the ground and was translucent.

"Wha...who are you?!" I spluttered.

"Hmmm, I think a better question is, who are you?" asked the winged Ghost, "After all, I know who I am."

My eye twitched and I took a deep breath.

"My name is Robin Goodfellow," I said, "Now who are you? And what is this place?"

The boy chuckled and did a backflip in mid air, spreading his arms to indicate to the dead tree.

"This is the Fairy Kings Forest!" he said, before he seemed to deflate slightly, his wings drooping, "Well, it was before it was burnt down by a Demon. Now its just a forest with the burnt husk of the Spirit Tree in the middle…"

My eyes widened in complete and utter shock at that. I didn't think Fairies really existed in this world! I mean sure, its implied that one lived on Tenrou Island at some point, but it had never been confirmed. Not only that, but this ghostly boy (who I was willing to bet was a Fairy himself) looked oddly familiar…

The boy shook his head and smiled again.

"As for me, I'm the First Fairy King and former ruler of this Forest, the Mighty Gloxinia!"

This time, my jaw dropped in disbelief. Well, that explained why he looked so damn familiar at least! He was one of the Commandments from the Seven Deadly Sins, but what was he doing here? More to the point, how could the Fairy Kings Forest be here of all places? I'm pretty sure that Fiore had never been Britannia. Then again, I suppose that it could just be a coincidence…

"OK, so your the Fairy King," I said, "So why are you transparent?"

"Oh, that," said Gloxinia dismissively, "I'm actually dead. My Spirit is bound here by the Spirit Tree until such time that a suitable successor can be found."

I blinked a couple of times. Well, that was...rather unexpected..

"O...K, so why am I here?" I asked.

"Why indeed?" said Gloxinia, fixing me with an unusually shrewd look, "The only ones who can be named Fairy King are those who possess the power to control Life and Death. Since the Fairy Race died out centuries ago, I thought I'd be stuck here forever, but now the Tree brings me a Human...how interesting."

He narrowed his eyes at me, before twitching a finger. I caught a flash of light out of the corner of my eye and spun around, just in time to see a rather large and sharp-looking spear come shooting out of the foliage straight at my head.

"HOLY…!"

I instinctively threw up my arm...causing a large root to shoot out of the ground, just in time to catch the spear before it stabbed me through the face. I gulped as the gleaming tip of the spear stopped an inch from my right eye. Fear and shock quickly changed to anger however as I realized that Gloxinia was clapping.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" I gasped, "You could have killed me!"

"That I could," said the Fairy King, "However, I didn't and now I know why the Tree brought you here."

I stared at Gloxinia, my jaw working as I tried to resist the urge to punch him in the face. Mostly because I was pretty sure I'd be wasting my time. The Fairy ignored my fury however and waved a hand, causing the root I'd summoned to release his Spear.

"The Magic you possess is called Disaster," he said, "It is the power that marks the Fairy King, granting its user the ability to control Life and Death in Nature. With it, you can transform tiny scratches into gaping cuts, a nettle sting into a deadly toxin or cause tumors to grow to consume the host in moments."

Well, at least that explained what I did to that Cultist, although exactly how I, a Human, came to possess the power of the Fairy King is a question I doubt will ever be answered.

"A Human you may be, but the Tree has made its decision," said Gloxinia as he floated up before me, Baraques floating at his side, "As the First King of the Fairies, I, Gloxinia, name you the next King of the Fairy Forest."

He drooped slightly in the air, the air of gravitas that surrounded him vanishing in an instant.

"For all the good it'll do," he muttered.

"Whats that suppose to mean?" I asked.

"As far as I know, there are no Fairies left," said Gloxinia, "We're practically extinct. The title is just for show."

"Then why even pass it on?" I asked.  
Gloxinia sighed.

"I've been trapped in this place for over 3000 years," he said, "Until I find a worthy successor, I cannot pass on."

He caught my expression and gave a weak chuckle.

"Don't worry kid, you won't get trapped," he said, "I was stuck here thanks to a Curse, not my Title or powers."

He smiled sadly and looked up at the sky.

"But now I'm finally free…"

He shook his head and scrubbed his face clean of tears.

"Anyway, before I can go, theres one last thing to do," he said, "Along with Disaster, the Fairy King possesses the power to call on the power of the Spirit Tree through a Spear fashioned from it."

"OK, how do I get that?" I asked.

I really hope I don't have to make it myself.

"Just place your palm on the tree," said Gloxinia, moving to one side and indicating to the dead tree.

I hesitantly stepped forwards and reached out to the cracked bark. The instant my palm came in contact with the tree, I felt my hand stick and the tree began to suck up my Magic like a thirsty man in a desert. I let out a yelp and tried to pull my hand again, but it was stuck.

"Don't worry, it'll let you go soon enough," said Gloxinia, leaning back in mid air.

"That really doesn't make me feel better!" I hissed, "How much...WHOA!"

The tree chose that moment to release me, causing me to stumble back and trip over a root.

"Ow," I muttered.

CRACK!

I looked up as the sound of wood cracking echoed through the clearing. There was now a large crack in the trunk of the tree, leaking golden sap like blood. The sap trickled down the trunk until it reached the bottom where it flowed into a bowl shaped depression in a flat rock sitting at the base of the trunk, before the flow stopped, leaving a large puddle of sap in the bowl that, unless I was very much mistaken, was glowing slightly. A moment later, the sap began to bubble and swirl, before the tip of a blade began to emerge, followed by the rest of the blade and then the shaft of the weapon, until all the sap had vanished, replaced by a large spear stood upright in the bowl. It was longer than I was tall, with a large, sword-like blade on top of an ornate handle. All in all, a weapon fitting for the Fairy King.

I swallowed and hesitantly held out my hand towards the weapon. In response, the spear leaped from its place and slapped into my palm, sending a massive rush of energy through me, along with the knowledge of the-my- spears name and forms.

"Gae Bolg?" I muttered, "Well, thats interesting…"

I turned back to Gloxinia, who was staring down at his hands as his spectral body began to glow.

"Finally," he said, his voice echoing, "I'm free!"

Despite the fact he'd nearly killed me earlier, I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, you are," I said, "And...thanks for this."

Gloxinia looked up at me in surprise.

"My Village is gone," I said, "My Parents are dead. Without this, I'd be completely helpless. But now...now I might be able to survive."

Gloxinia stared at me for a moment, before smiling softly.

"I guess we helped each other then," he said, "Farewell Robin Goodfellow, Fairy King, may we meet again in the Afterlife...but not for a while yet!"

I laughed and nodded as the Fairy faded completely from view, leaving me alone in the clearing.

 **And done. So, now we know for a fact that Robin's power is Disaster and he's apparently been named the next Fairy King...of an extinct race. Yeah, don't expect any other Fairies to show up for a while.**

 **Now the only question is, why was Gloxinia here and not sealed in the Coffin? Could I have plans for the future for that? The short answer is yes and here's a clue. Robin's original name was going to be Harlequin.**

 **No, Gae Bolg does not have any of the abilities from Fate and it never will. Hell, its appearance is actually based on the Dragon Slayer Swordspear from Dark Souls 3. Most of its forms are my own creations, but a couple are the same as King or Gloxinia's.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Next time, Robin meets a teacher who looks rather out of place…and is rather interested to meet someone who resembles a certain Grizzly she knows. Hehehe, could be fun! Don't forget to leave a review!**


	47. Devil at Hogwarts Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Devil at Hogwarts

Getting reborn as a Devil was unexpected, but I'm certainly not gonna complain! Between being practically immortal, a noble and having the Devil as a cousin, I wasn't even going to complain about being reincarnated into the DXD world. I will however complain about the fact I'm attending school in a place run by a MOB and dealing with kids even more stuck up than Riser. Fun...

 **And we're back with yet another HP and DXD cross. This time things are a little different since our protagonist is the King of the Peerage. Should be fun. Anyway, lets roll! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I like to think I'm a decent person, so when I died, I was understandably a tad confused when I woke up in the Underworld. However, since I woke up as a baby, I wasn't confused for long before I became torn over whether this was a punishment or a reward. Why? Well, I had been reborn as Laharl Gremory, a High class Devil and the heir to the Gremory branch family. See, my Dad was Zeoticus' younger brother, meaning that Rias was my cousin...as was Sona since my mother was a Sitri before marrying into the Gremory family. So there you have it. I'm a High class Devil with the stupidly high magic reserves and control of a Gremory and the water magic of the Sitri, Rias and Sona as playmates and related to two of the Devil Kings...definitely a reward!

* * *

Growing up a Devil was incredibly fun. Sure, the schooling wasn't the best thing ever, but learning how to fight, use magic and the 'true' history of the world was amazing for a mythology nut like me. Plus, getting to hang out with family members who shared my interests (Anime from Rias and literature from Sona) was fricken awesome. The only downside was that I'm god awful at Chess. Oh, I can play, but Sona blew my skills out of the water and kicked my ass regularly. I turned it right around in combat practice though.

See, while I didn't have the Power of Destruction, I had inherited an incredible amount of power and control from my Father and the Sitri water magic from my mother, allowing me to summon enough magical water to float a ship. I rarely took things that far however, preferring to fight smart rather than take the HULK SMASH! Approach. Much more fun.

Of course, Rias and Sona weren't my only friends. I also trained, hung out and generally acted like a kid with most of the other High Class Devils around my age. That did unfortunatally include Diodora Astaroth who was just as slimy and unpleasant as I was expecting, despite the thin veneer of pleasantness he wore. Or maybe its because I knew exactly what the bastard was capable of, but I digress.

Oh, and then there was Riser, who was a stuck up, misogynistic prick who made no secret of the fact he really wanted Rias, even when we were kids. Dick.

* * *

Speaking of Riser, I think that my presence is having more of an affect than I thought. Why? Well, when I turned 10, my Dad called me to his office study. I arrived to find him sat before his fireplace in a massive, wing backed armchair with a box in his lap.

"Ah, Laharl, sit down," he said as I entered.

"Whats up Dad?" I asked as I sat down.

"I called you here for two reasons," said Dad, "The first is to give you this."

He handed me the box in his lap.

"You are now old enough to start your Peerage," he said as I opened the box to reveal a chess set made of red crystal.

"Awesome," I muttered as I picked up the Queen and studied the play of red light that appeared as soon as I touched it, "So, what was the other thing?"

Dad cleared his throat, looking a tad awkward.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you're aware that Lord Phenex has been sniffing around looking to create a contract between Riser and Rias," he said.

I winced.

"Intimately," I said.

I was the one Rias vented at after all.

"Why?"

"Well, it seems Venelana put her foot down about Riser being allowed anywhere near her daughter and since my brother has survival instincts, he agreed," said Dad, "However, he still wants to bond the Gremory and Phoenix houses, so…"

"Let me guess, rather than Riser and Rias, it'll be Ravel and me?" I asked.

"Yes," said a familiar voice from the door.

I blinked and turned to see Ravel stood there, a slight blush on her cheeks and shifting awkwardly.

"Um, hi," she said.

"...this is gonna be awkward," I muttered.

"Good luck," said Dad, patting me on the shoulder as he walked out.

I was completely correct. Ravel wasn't exactly my biggest fan seeing as I never hid the fact I didn't really hold Riser in high regard and, for all his faults, Riser was at least a good older brother for her. She wasn't quite as enamoured with his strength as in canon though after the idiot picked a fight with me and I proved that Phoenix immortality meant nothing when trapped in a bubble of water. Still, we were stuck and we both knew that neither Lord Phoenix nor my Uncle were likely to change their minds any time soon, so we'd have to suck it up.

* * *

Despite that rocky start however, we quickly found ourselves becoming friends, mostly thanks to necessary, but also because we actually shared a fair few interests in literature, movies and video games. Yeah, as it turned out, Ravel was the type of person who became totally different online, going from a polite and reserved girl to an absolutely ruthless tactician who managed to turn more than one online match on its head. Plus, she made one brutal Widowmaker.

It was also about this time that I recruited my first Peerage member, my Queen, and it was someone who looked to make my future matches very interesting. It was also completely unexpected and made me realize that this world might not be as cut and dry as I thought.

* * *

It started when I went to the Human world in search of gifts for Yule (Devils don't celebrate Christmas for obvious reasons, but the holiday was much the same). I was in Switzerland (teleportation circles are awesome!) looking at a rather pricey chocolate chess set and trying to decide whether or not seeing Sona's expression of her two favourite things coming together was worth the exorbitant price tag, when a quiet whimper reached my ears. I glanced around, trying to find the source. For a moment, I thought I had imagined it, but then I heard a clatter, followed by another whimper from a nearby alley. I cautiously stepped up to the dark entrance, flexing my fingers and readying a spell, just in case.

I followed the sounds deeper into the darkness until I reached what appeared to be a makeshift shelter beside a dumpster, made out of soggy looking cardboard. Considering it was currently snowing and had been for a while, I doubted the box would last much longer. As I approached, I heard stifled sobs between the whimpers and saw a pair of bare feet sticking out of the shelter. I took another step, intending to take a closer look, but as I did, my foot came down on a bit of wood hidden under the slush with a loud crack. Immediately, the person in the shelter let out a startled gasp and tried to scramble away, but only succeeded in tripping and getting themselves tangled in the sodden box and the threadbare blankets and tattered sleeping bag they apparently had inside the little shelter. I flinched as the entire mess went rolling a short distance down the alley and crashed into the wall. The occupant let out a yelp from the impact, but quickly stifled the sound.

I took a deep breath and continued forwards slowly.

"Calm down, I'm not gonna hurt you," I said in a soothing voice as I reached the tangle and crouched down.

I gently pulled away the sodden box to reveal the person underneath. It was a girl about my age with long, messy scarlet hair that was matted with dirt and what looked like dried blood, brown eyes, one of which was covered by her bangs and fair skin that was so pale it was nearly gray under the layer of grime that covered her. She was wearing baggy and very ragged looking clothes, consisting of a pair of jeans that were at least three size to large and held up by a strand of frayed rope, a stained and yellow shirt that had once been white. She was barefoot and from the looks of things, on the verge of frostbite. She whimpered as I pulled away her box and curled up into a ball, staring at me through terrified eyes that reminded me more of a stray dog than a little girl. As she did, I realized that she was actually missing her right eye. I brutally shoved down my horror and rage at the state the little girl was in so as not to scare her.

"Hey, its alright," I said softly, slowly holding my hands up so she wouldn't panic, "I won't hurt you. Whats your name?"

"E-Erza," whispered the girl in a rough voice that sounded like it hadn't been used for a while.

"Hey Erza, I'm Laharl," I said with a kind smile, "What are you doing out here alone?"

Erza flinched.

"T-they t-told me I was a monster," she said, "T-they left me to die here!"

She trailed off and burst into tears.

" _Great going idiot,"_ I thought as I slowly moved forwards.

"Hey, don't cry," I said as I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, "I can...WHOA!"

The instant I came into contact with her, I felt a massive well of power that rivaled my own. Whats more, it was entirely Human in nature, meaning that she was OBSCENELY powerful for her age. Humans, and indeed all races, tend to get more powerful with age and Erza felt like she had the power of a Human Magi many decades her senior.

"Whoa, that was...interesting," I muttered.

I blinked and shook myself. It didn't look like Erza had noticed my momentary lapse in focus in response to her hidden power as she was still crying. I hesitantly touched her shoulder again, stifling the urge to sigh with relief when I didn't get shocked. I did however realize how cold she was, although considering the fact it was 20 below, thats not really that surprising. I shrugged of my dark blue coat and draped it over her shoulders. Erza twitched and looked up at me in surprise.

"Why?" she asked in a small voice.

"Because its the right thing to do," I said.

Erza sniffed and drew the coat tighter around herself, tugging up the hood to cover her face. I frowned slightly as I looked down at her. Here was a girl who was in desperate need of some help. Now, I could do the normal thing and call the cops, but that could result in her ending up in an even worse position, especially if they took her back to her 'family'. Alternatively...my hand shifted to the pocket where my Evil Pieces were hidden. She had an incredible amount of potential and my Devil instincts were practically screaming at me to recruit her. I let out a sigh and shook my head.

"I have a feeling I'll regret this, but what the hell," I muttered, "Hey Erza."

The girl looked up, eyeing me from under her bangs.

"Do you want me to help you?" I asked, "If you want, I can take you away from here. I can give you a family who'll love you, friends who won't ever leave you and strength enough that you'll never be hurt again."

Erza's eyes shifted to the Queen piece I was holding, confusion clear in her eyes.

"This is an Evil Piece," I said, "Don't let the name fool you though, its actually something that can be very good. With this, I can make it so you won't ever be alone again."

Erzas eyes snapped to mine.

"B-but...I'm just a useless freak," she said, "My Uncle said so. What would you want with me?"

I smiled at her while suppressing the rage I could feel bubbling in my gut.

"Trust me Erza, you are far from useless," I said, "I can sense the power and potential within you. I'd like to bring it out and help you prove your uncle wrong. What do you say?"

For a moment, Erza stared at me.

"Y-you promise I won't be alone any more?" she asked eventually.

I smiled softly and nodded.

"Of course," I said, "I'm a Gremory. For us, family is everything."

Erza stared into my eyes for a moment longer, apparently searching for any hint of a lie, before she suddenly lunged forwards and wrapped me in a tight hug, sobbing into my chest.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," said Dad a while later as he rubbed his eyes, "You went shopping for Yuletide presents and you ended up finding and recruiting a Queen?"

"Yep, pretty much," I said, "Although I did still manage to get the presents I was after."

I glanced back at Erza, who was clinging to my back and eyeing my Dad nervously from under her bangs.

"You don't need to be scared," I said, "My Dads a good guy. He won't hurt you."

Erza glanced at me, then slowly stepped out from behind me.

"Dad, this is Erza," I said, "Erza, this is my Father, Krichevskoy Gremory."

"H-hello," said Erza in a small voice.

Dad eyed her for a moment, before his eyes widened in shock.

"Laharl...do you know what she is?" he asked.

"Errr, a little girl with a lot of Magic?" I said.

"Well, you're half right," said Dad, "Shes actually a Witch from a prominent Wizarding Family."

I went still as a horrible thought crossed my mind.

"Which family?" I asked.

"The Potters."

" _FUCK!"_

"Unless I'm very much mistaken, you just recruited Erza Potter, the Girl-who-Lived."

Well, this is gonna be a right pain in the arse, I just know it…

* * *

"So, this is your Queen?" asked Rias as she eyed the small girl who was currently trying to hide behind me.

I'm pretty sure she still couldn't quite believe all this was happening and kept expecting me to abandon or attack her whenever she showed her powers. It had taken a good two days for her to stop flinching or hiding behind something whenever her emotions got the better of her and her magic flared out of control, something that even Devils experience before they learn proper control. Fortunately, she now had enough trust in me that she had gone from hiding from me to viewing me as a safety blanket. Now, I really don't mind, but she really needed a confidence boost, hence why I had come to the girls.

I figured, if anyone could help her come out of her shell and get some confidence, my cousins and Betrothed was a great option. Plus, Akeno and Tsubaki were also here. Considering what those two had been through at the hands of their family's, hopefully the three Queens would be able to help each other.

"She doesn't look like much," said Ravel, "Are you sure it was a good idea to use your Queen on her?"

I smirked.

"Oh yes, it most definitely was," I said, "Her magical potential is off the charts. Hell, my Queen was barely enough to Reincarnate her!"

Erza shrank further behind me as three sets of intense eyes fixed on her with calculating gazes.

"So, what do you want us to do?" asked Sona.

I shrugged.

"I don't know, take her shopping, do her hair, paint each others nails and talk about cute boys, just something to help her recover and get some self confidence back," I said.

THWACK!

"OW! What was that for?" I whined as Rias glowered at me.

"Hurumph," said my cousin as she stuck her nose in the air and flounced away.

I turned pleading eyes on Ravel, who just shook her head.

"Boys," she muttered, "Whatever, I'll take Erza."

She smiled in a way that made me take a few steps back.

"Besides, I really should get to know my future husbands Queen, right?"

"Errr…."

"Come on dear," she said, reaching past me and grabbing Erzas hand.

She shot me a pleading look, right before she was yanked away as Ravel dragged her after the other girls.

"Have fun!" I called, inwardly feeling a little guilty that I had inflicted the horror that was my female friends in full interrogation mode on Erza.

 **And there we go, done. Well, this is one story that went through three different incarnations. The first version had fem-Vali as his Queen, then DC's Raven and then fem-Harry...and it was originally a Buffy story...wow, that was quite the development cycle…**

 **So, we got a fem-Harry as the Queen l and an additional 13 slots (Ravel will be one of his Bishops) I have no idea what to do with. Actually, I do have a few ideas, but I'd still like to know who you lot want to see as part of Laharl's Peerage? Include any possible Sacred Gears you can come up with too while you're at it. Oh, and no, that does not mean hes going to be sleeping with his Peerage. Of course, that doesn't mean he won't...**

 **Why did I have it so Laharl is the one betrothed to a Phenex? Mostly because I've been wanting to do a story with Ravel as a paring for a while but I haven't been able to figure out a way to do it.**

 **Yes, Erza is basically Erza from Fairy Tail. Originally I was gonna have her as an Etna rip off, but this'll work better. I even have a way to replicate her Knight Magic! Hehehe, fun!**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	48. Devil at Hogwarts Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Devil at Hogwarts

Getting reborn as a Devil was unexpected, but I'm certainly not gonna complain! Between being practically immortal, a noble and having the Devil as a cousin, I wasn't even going to complain about being reincarnated into the DXD world. I will however complain about the fact I'm attending school in a place run by a MOB and dealing with kids even more stuck up than Riser. Fun...

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, other than, Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

You know, I am genuinely amazed that I was able to Reincarnate Erza, even if it did take my Queen and was barely enough. Why do I say that? Well, not only was her Magical reserves off the charts for a Human child, but she also had, not one, but two Sacred Gears. Yeah, it took a while for anyone to figure out how in the world that was possible, but eventually Lord Beelzebub came to the conclusion that one of them had previously belonged to her Mother and had been transferred to Erza by whichever Ritual Lily had used to protect her. He was currently busy trying to figure out which Ritual Lily had used and not having much luck by all accounts. Still, he had taken the time to make Erza a replacement eye, which was nice.

* * *

Currently, I was sporting a headache thanks to my Queen's recent choice of attire. Apparently I had been right to hand her over to my female friends as they had helped Erza get over at least some of her issues and apparently taken her to someone who had given her advice on dealing with it. Now, that was a good thing, but it was clear that she wasn't completely recovered yet (of course she wasn't, it had only been a few months), but she had at least gained enough confidence that she was no longer a shivering wreck, constantly worried that she was going to be hurt because of her power. I think that might have had something to do with the training she was receiving from Souji Okita in the use of a sword, meaning that she was now strong enough to protect herself.

However, none of that was what was currently giving me a headache. Oh no, that would be because…

"Why are you wearing that armour?"

She was currently wearing a steel cuirass over her normal clothes. Erza shrugged at my question.

"I just feel more comfortable wearing this," she said.

"And I'm sure the fact that Rias gave you the first three volumes of Fairy Tail has nothing to do with it," I deadpanned.

Erza's grin was answer enough. I let out a groan and let my head drop to the table in front of me.

"Let me guess, you've also created all of Erza's armour and weapons...haven't you?"

My answer was a flash of light and I looked up to see my Queen wearing a version of the Flame Empress Armour modified for a child. Erza's Sacred Gears were the Void Armoury, which allowed her to create armour with various effects, and Sword Birth, so it was entirely possible for her to actually create Erza's entire armoury. See, despite the fact that Kiba only created swords, Erza had found that her version went way, WAY beyond that, allowing her to create nearly any bladed weapon you can think of.

"Well, at least I know that we'll be able to counter virtually anyone we fight," I grumbled as Erza switched back to her normal armour and took a sip of tea.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, which opened to reveal Grayfia.

"Pardon me Master Laharl, Miss Erza," she said, "Lord Krichevskoy has requested to see you."

I blinked.

"What does Dad want?" I muttered as I got to my feet.

We followed Grayfia through the halls of the Gremory home to my Fathers study where we found the man sat behind his desk with Sirzechs sat by the fire and a confused looking Ravel stood near the desk. At the sight of the Devil King, my confusion only went up. Considering how busy he was, Sirzechs didn't tend to be around very much.

"Ah, Laharl, Erza, thank you for coming," said Dad as we entered.

"Whats going on?" I asked.

In answer, Dad pushed three letters forwards. They were made of thick parchment and addressed in green ink. They were also addressed to me, Erza and Ravel. Erza's was expected, but why in the world had Ravel and I received Hogwarts letters? I looked up at my Father with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, so I get that Erza's got one, but why have Ravel and I?" I asked.

"That would be my doing," said Sirzechs.

I turned to the Devil King as he got to his feet.

"Despite the fact Witches and Wizards are among the weaker members of the Supernatural world, they are still a part of it," said Sirzechs, "Normally, we'd simply keep an eye on them from the outside, but their most recent Dark Lord has me worried. Recently, we have found that he made a number of deals with persons unknown in exchange for power and lost knowledge. As such, we NEED someone inside to try and get some information."

"And you think that we're the best option?" I asked.

"Well, you do have the Wizarding Messire as your Queen," said Sirzechs.

Erza grimaced at that. She was well aware of how she was viewed in the Wizarding World and thought the whole thing was utterly ridiculous. I knew for a fact that she had originally planned to tell the Wizarding World where to stick it.

"Do we have to?" she groaned.

Sirzechs gave her a flat look and she settled down, grumbling under her breath. Yeah, this was an order from the Devil King, no way we're getting out of this one.

"Look on the bright side, at least you'll have plenty of possible recruits to chose from," said Dad.

"Yeah, from a bunch of ainal retentive, stuck up weaklings who are so blinkered they don't even acknowledge Magicians as an actual thing," I muttered.

"Um, excuse me," said Ravel, a little awkwardly, "But why am I going? I mean, I get Laharl and Erza, but…"

"A couple of reasons actually," said Sirzechs, "First because I want to make sure we have multiple options, but also because of the actual reason you came here today."

Ravel looked confused for a moment, before her eyes widened.

"Wha...Mother told you about that?" she stuttered.

"Actually, she told me and I made the suggestion," said Dad, "Although I'm not entirely sure that you should go through with it, its your decision."

"Um, what exactly are you two talking about?" I asked.

Ravel's face went red as she apparently remembered that Erza and I were stood there. Exactly how she'd forgotten, I have no idea, but whatever.

"U-um, well, I wanted to ask you something," she said, shifting awkwardly.

"And I believe thats my cue to leave," said Sirzechs, getting to his feet, "Best of luck kids!"

He and Grayfia vanished in a flash of light.

"I have a feeling we're gonna need it," I muttered, "So, what did you want to ask me Ravel?"

Ravel took a deep breath.

"I want to join your Peerage," she said.

I blinked.

"Eh?"

While it wasn't unheard of for Devils to join a Peerage, it was rare for a Pureblood to join anothers Peerage, mostly due to a lack of desire to be subordinate to another.

"I want to be a part of your Peerage," repeated Ravel, "I know its not something expected of Purebloods, but I'm last in line of my Family, so I doubt I'll ever become the Heir, not to mention the fact that I don't really want to be a King myself. By joining you, I can avoid that and I can always be by your side…"

She trailed off, blushing brightly. I wasn't much better and couldn't help but feel a little happy that she felt so highly of me. Apparently she'd transferred the loyalty and love she held towards Riser in Canon over to me. After a moment, I nodded.

"Alright, if you're sure," I said, "I am surprised you didn't approach me sooner about this though."

Ravel blushed.

"I-I didn't think of this until recently," she muttered.

"Fair enough," I said, "So, Bishop OK?"

Ravel smiled and nodded, taking the glowing Piece that I handed to her. There was a flash of light and I felt a new connection form between me and Ravel as a ghostly Bishop piece momentarily appeared over her. Ravel took a deep breath, her cheeks pinking slightly.

"Whoaaa, so much power," she breathed.

She opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"Thank you," she said.

I smiled back and pulled her into a one armed hug.

"No problem at all," I said, "I just hope you don't regret it further down the line."

"Not a chance," said Ravel as she hugged me back and kissed me on the cheek.

"Alright kids, thats enough," said Dad, "We'll be going to Diagon to pick up your stuff on Saturday, so make sure you're ready."

"Got it," I said, "Come on ladies, lets leave Dad to his paperwork."

We ran from the room as Dad lobbed a paperweight at me.

* * *

A few days later, a Magic Circle appeared in an alleyway just of Charing Cross road and disgorged two Pureblood Devils, a Phenex, the Girl-Who-Lived and Lucifer. Yeah, quite the unusual bunch and I still have no idea why Sirzechs was tagging along.

Anyway, Dad led us down the road towards the run down, grubby looking pub that served as the entrance to Diagon Alley. Emphesis on grubby.

"Ewww, and thats an inn?" said Ravel, pulling a face at the grimy windows, "I think I'd rather sleep outside! I bet the beds here have enough bugs to eat me alive."

"Good thing we're not staying then," said Erza, "Thank Lucifer…"

Sirzechs just smirked at that. We entered the pub and was immediately assaulted by the smell pipe smoke, stale booze and vomit.

"GURK!"

Immediately, Ravel , Erza and I were forced to cover our noses with our sleeves while Dad and Sirzechs just grimaced and bore it. Quite how I have no idea considering that, even during the day, a Devil's senses were much stronger than any normal Human.

Our entrance and reaction to the smell had drawn some attention from the patrons of the pub, although I have a feeling that the large amount of vibrant red hair probably helped. However, we apparently weren't interesting enough to hold much attention, although Erza was drawing some extra odd looks due to the fact she was still wearing her armour. I think I heard one of the patrons mutter something about Mudbloods though.

Dad ignored the mutter (although I'm certain he'd heard it) and led the way through the pub and out into the back.

"Why are we out here?" growled Ravel, now looking extremely annoyed as she carefully stepped around a rather large pile of rotten veg that had fallen out of the bin.

"Hang on just a sec," said Dad, "Its been a while since I've been here...ah yes, one up, three across."

He tapped the wall with a fingertip and the entire thing started to fold out, revealing the gleaming and magical sight that was Diagon Alley.

"Welcome kids, to Diagon Alley!" said Dad, stepping to the side and sweeping his arm out.

"Not impressed," deadpanned Ravel.

"Yeah, the shopping street in Leith is so much better," said Erza.

"You only think that because that's where Heart Kreuz is," I said.

"Your point?" said both girls at the same time.

I rolled my eyes as we followed the chuckling adults down the Alley.

* * *

Naturally, our first stop was Gringotts where we discovered why Sirzechs had tagged along and that, although the Wizarding World was apparently ignorant of the fact that the Devil himself had just walked down their shopping street, the Goblins were not. The instant we entered the bank, every single Goblin stiffened and turned towards us, including those serving customers, much to the annoyance of several who looked like Purebloods, including Lucius Malfoy if the long, blond hair was anything to go by. After a moment's silence, a door at the back of the room slammed open and a hulking Goblin in bloodstained armour marched out.

"Quit your starting Maggots!" he roared in Gobbledygook, "Time is money and you're currently wasting it! I don't care if Leviathan herself does a striptease in the middle of the Hall, if you've got customers, your working!"

My face burned at that image and I couldn't help the slight perverted giggle I let out at the idea of Serafall doing anything like that. Oh, don't look at me like that! She may be my cousin but we're Devils damn it!

"Laharl…" growled Ravel warningly as Erza pinched my cheek and pulled, snapping me out of my trance.

"Sorry, I'm back," I said, rubbing my cheek.

The tellers had all gone back to work, although the did keep shooting glances at an amused looking Sirzechs, and the armoured Goblin was approaching. He stopped in front of Sirzechs and saluted with a clenched fist to his heart.

"Welcome to Gringotts Lord Lucifer," he said, "How may I help you today?"

"Hello Director Ragnok, its been too long," said Sirzechs, also in Gobbledegook, "There are several things I'd like to discuss with you, but first my companions need some gold for school shopping."

Ragnok raised an eyebrow and looked the three of us over, before his gaze fell on Erza and he did a double take. Then, he burst out laughing.

"Oh, this will be entertaining to watch," he said, "The Girl-Who-Lived, a Devil of the Gremory Clan! I can't wait to see how these idiot Wizards respond to this! Griphook!"

A smaller Goblin appeared out of thin air and bowed to the Director.

"You called my Lord?" he said.

"Take these three to the Gremory Vault and Erza Potter's Trust Vault," said Ragnok, "I believe that fool Dumbledore still has her Key, so make sure that the locks are changed as soon as you are done."

"Yes sir," said Griphook, "This way please."

We followed the little Goblin out of the hall, leaving a good number of queuing patrons staring after us with a look of surprise and indignation on their faces.

"Excellent service," I said, "And here I thought you'd be short tempered and ruthless."

Griphooks smiled back at me, showing off a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Only to idiot Human Wizards, Master Gremory," he said, "For Devils, especially those of the Gremory Family, only the best will do."

"Why's that?" asked Ravel.

"Because the main Goblin City is located within the Gremory Territory," said Dad, "Not only that, but my Brother was the one who helped King Jareth set up the Vaults and magic that protects them."

He indicated to a door we were passing and, sure enough, there on the door was the Gremory Crest and I could feel the thrum of Demonic Magic in the air.

"Huh, you learn something new every day," muttered Erza.

* * *

I think it goes without saying that the Gremory Vault was stuffed to capacity with gold, even more so than Erza's Trust Vault, and it wasn't long before we were heading back to the surface and were sent on our way.

"Right then, first stop, robes," said Dad, "Then we'll get the Wands and split up to get everything else."

"Wands? Really?" grumbled Ravel.

"You'll need them if you want to fit in," said Dad.

Ravel growled and crossed her arms.

"Why did I agree to this again?" she muttered.

"Because if you didn't, you'd have to be away from Laharl for most of the year," said Erza.

Both Ravel and I immediately blushed at that and Ravel glowered at my Queen.

* * *

Our first stop was Madam Malkin's where Dad immediately sat down on one of the provided chairs and pulled out a book.

"Good morning," said an elderly and pleasantly plump witch, probably Madam Malkin, "Hogwarts is it?"

"Yes please," I said.

"Alrighty then," said Malkin, "Theres already someone in there and I'm a little short staffed at the moment, so there'll be a short wait I'm afraid. I can do one of you now however."

"Ladies first," I said, taking a step to the side.

Ravel and Erza glanced at each other and quickly did a round of rock-paper-scissors, which Erza won.

"Alright, right this way," said Malkin, leading the redhead into the back as Ravel and I took a seat.

Well, I took a seat and Ravel dropped into my lap. I wasn't expecting it, so I let out a quite whoof.

"Em, Ravel?" I said.

"Shhh."

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as Ravel rested her head on my chest. Instead I wrapped my arms loosely around her waist and shot a glare at my Father, who was watching us over his book and giggling quietly to himself. He ignored the glare and just send me a thumbs up.

For a moment, we sat there quietly, before the door opened with a tinkling bell, breaking the silence as a group of three entered. They were clearly a Pureblood family from the way the Mother held herself. She was a beautiful woman, with long, silver hair and was wearing light purple robes that resembled a dress. The twin girls with her were also already showing signs of being real beauties when they grew up and shared her silver hair and blue eyes.

One of the girls had the air of a reserved and shy person and had her hair cut short and held back with a purple headband. She was wearing a green skirt, a white shirt with purple shoulders and arms, purple and white stockings and white boots.

Her sister on the other hand was clearly much more eager and outgoing, bouncing on her toes with excitement. Her hair was worn long, with her bangs tied up with purple clips. She was wearing the same outfit as her twin, expect with kneesocks instead of stockings and thigh high boots.

At the sight of the twin girls, I had to do a quick double take. They looked almost identical to the Silhoueska Twins from In Another World and, unless I'm very much mistaken, the Elze look-alike was giving out a very faint signal of a Sacred Gear. Hmm, interesting…I think I should look into adding those two to my Peerage, if only for the novelty of it. Besides, if they were anything like the characters they resembled, they would be a great asset. Now, how to go about it…

The answer to that question was given pretty damn quick though as the twins mother caught sight of Dad and paused. Dad looked up and smiled at the woman.

"Ah, Yelena, its been too long!" he said.

"Hello Krichevskoy," said Yelena, "What are you doing here?"

"Why so cold?" said Dad, "I know its been a while, but…"

Yelena fixed him with a glare that could have stripped the scales of a Dragon and Dad quickly shut up.

"Fine, I'm here to help my son and his friends get their supplies," said Dad, indicating to me and Ravel.

"Hi," I said, waving at the girls as they gave me and Ravel a curious look.

"Kids, this is Yelena Greengrass, my Contracted Mage," said Dad, "And her kids, um…"

"Hi, I'm Daphne," said the more confident twin, "And this is my little sister, Astoria."

"I'm only two minutes younger Sis!" protested Astoria.

"Still younger," said Daphne with a grin.

Meanwhile, I was busy making a mental note not to expect anything based on my past knowledge of HP canon, both actual and from Fanfics. Daphne was about as far from an Ice Queen as you can get, even if she did share her look-alike's body issues later down the line. Plus, the fact the Greengrass sisters were twins was another indication that things were different.

"Nice to meet you both," I said, "I'm Laharl Gremory and this is Ravel Phenex."

The twins eyes widened.

"Y-you mean your Devils?" whispered Astoria.

"Yep," I said.

No point in hiding it, not when I wanted these two in my Peerage. Now I was close to them, I could feel their power and could gain a measure of their potential. It was a rather handy ability of those possessing the position of King. We could get a general idea of which Piece would best fit an individual. It wasn't 100% accurate, but it did at least give us enough insight into what Piece to chose. Astoria was shoe in for a Bishop, her Magical reserves were off the charts, and Daphne would make an excellent Rook. Apparently they did share more with the Silhoueska Twins than just their appearance!

A loud throat clearing drew my attention over to where Dad and Yelena were sat to see the Lady Greengrass glaring at me.

"I know that look boy," she said, "Don't even think about it."

"Hey, I'm not about to force it!" I protested, "I'd much rather have willing Servants than force them into it!"

Yelena just upped her glare and I shivered under her intense glare.

"You'd better not," she said, "Or else…"

She trailed off and I winced at the thought. The fact she was leaking Magic and enough Killing Intent to make Grayfia proud didn't help. Fortunately, the KI was cut off a moment later when the curtain to the fitting area was suddenly thrown back and an angry looking girl with platinum blond hair stormed out, red faced and clearly angry if the frankly obscene amount of magic leaking out of her was anything to go by. She flung the door open, stomped out and slammed it behind her hard enough to shake the glass in its frame.

"What was that all about?" asked Ravel.

"Good question," I said, "Um, Erza? Whats going on in there?"

"Oh, nothing, just a...friendly conversation," called my Queen back, although I could clearly hear a slight tenseness to her voice which I had last heard during a conversation with Riser when he had made a few suggestive comments about Rias.

It meant that she was extremely angry and barely holding back on the urge to introduce something sharp and pointy to someone's squishy and I glanced at one another. Well, it seems that Erza already has someone she doesn't like and school hasn't even begun! This...could end badly…

 **And done. A nice, long chapter here and we even got to meet the next two members of Laharl's Peerage.**

 **Yes, I made the Greengrass sisters twins and did made them walking references. Trust me, I am far from done. Those two are basically the same as the Silhoueska Twins, right down to their abilities.**

 **Hmm, I wonder who the girl who stormed out could be...hehehe, I bet folks can guess! I also bet that they can guess what I'm doing with her.**

 **The Goblins being in the Gremory's pocket is a boiled down version of an idea I had previously where the Gremory Family basically owned most of Diagon...but I scrapped it because that was too much. Oh, and yes, the Goblin King is that Jareth. Whether or not he'll be making an appearance is up for debate, but I am tempted to have him show up to sing at the Ball, if only so there's some decent music.**

 **And I'll sign out here, mainly because I'm going to laugh myself silly at this rate...don't forget to leave a review!**


	49. Heart of a Star Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Heart of a Star

Getting reborn into a world of monsters, Witches and Demon Weapons is a tad annoying. Whats worse is nearly getting killed by your own parents in an attempt to get your Soul. Eh, at least I won't have to put up with Blackstars yelling.

 **And here we are with another Soul Eater story! I actually have two ideas for this, one with Fate elements and the other with Kingdom Heart elements. I'll probably do both then come up with which I should use if I decide to continue with one. This ones KH by the way, although it'll be a while before what I have planned comes out. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I really don't feel like going into detail as to how I died, so I won't. I also really don't feel like going into detail about my rebirth. Lets just say that theres a very good reason why you don't remember that and leave it at that. Honestly, it was rather surprising to me when I opened my eyes as a baby. I was never really religious and, while I liked the idea of reincarnation, I never really believed in much of anything. Still, I guess I should be thankful I wasn't in hell or something.

Em, I take back what I said about this not being hell! Why? Well, considering the Sun and Moon seem perpetually amused by something down here on Earth and I got a brand new tattoo within hours of my Birth, I think I've been reborn into a world where Death is less an abstract concept and more a headmaster. Yeah, I've been reborn into the world of Soul Eater...as Blackstar! Oh well, at least theres one good thing about this. I won't have to put up with canon Blackstar's yelling.

SHITSHITSHITSHIT! I'm in trouble! It had been a year since I was born and the Clan had somehow managed to plumb depths I never thought possible. I mean, I knew that the Star Clan were really bad news if the DWMA stepped in to stop them, but there wasn't a day where someone didn't come back to the hideout, covered in blood and with an armful of Souls for dinner. Thankfully, no one tried to feed me any, although I don't actually know what it'd do to me. Is the act of straying from the Path of Humanity something that can be forced on someone? It seems like the sort of thing that would have to be a choice. Still, I really didn't want to find out, so I really hope that Death gets off his spiky behind and sends some Meisters to deal with these loons. Especially because I was about to die.

Yeah, apparently the Clan had finally fallen to the point where they were so desperate for power that they were willing to do anything to get it. Including murdering their own children considering it was Whitestar standing over me with a knife.

"And with this, I will finally be freed from Death," he growled, his voice completely unrecognizable as Human any more.

Holy shit! If this is what the Path of the Demon does to you, I am so not going down it! Well, that is if I survive this. Come on Sid, where the fuck are you?! As if on cue, the sound of a door getting kicked in, followed by violent combat reached my ears. I would have taken a sigh of relief, but Whitestar was apparently so far gone he was either ignoring or completely ignorant of the battle going on in the Hideout. He raised the knife and brought it down, cutting my throat, right before the door was kicked in and he fell with a knife in the back.

There was a flash of light and the knife transformed into a dark skinned woman I would have recognized as Nygus if I wasn't busy choking on my own blood.

"SHIT, SID, WE'VE GOT A KID IN HERE!" shouted the Demon Knife as she scooped me up and tried to stop the bleeding.

Bit late for that though as I was already passing out. Well, that was a pathetic life. I wonder if I get a third chance…

* * *

Third Person POV

"Hmm, I see," said Death, eyeing the small bundle in Nygus' arms, "You say you found him at the Star Clan hideout?"

"Thats right," said Sid, "Judging from his appearance and tattoo, I'd say he was a member, but the leader tried to kill him. Nearly succeeded too. If I'd been even a second slower…"

"The Path of the Demon can twist even the most noble souls into unspeakable Monsters," said Death sadly, "The consumption of innocent Souls certainly doesn't help."

"So, what should we do with the kid?" asked Sid.

"Finish the job his Father started," said Stein, who was stood off to the side.

"WHAT?!" roared Sid, Nygus and Spirit at the same time.

"Are you insane Stein?!" snarled Sid as he stepped in front of his partner and the child.

The mad doctor fixed the Knife Meister with a cool look.

"Our job was to eliminate the Star Clan in its entirety," he said, "That includes the brat."

"Hes an innocent!" retorted Sid.

"His family are murderous," said Stein.

"We cannot hold a child responsible for the sins of his family," said Spirit, looking enraged at what his former partner was suggesting.

"Fine, if you don't have the guts to kill him yourselves, just leave him somewhere," said Stein, "The DWMA is not a daycare."

"Why you little…"

"That is enough, both of you!" shouted Death, cutting off the argument before it could get physical, "Stein, Sid is correct, Blackstar is an innocent child. We cannot take an innocent life because of what he MIGHT become."

Stein scoffed, but didn't say anything else as he lit a cigarette, ignoring Nygus glare as the smoke wafted over Blackstar.

* * *

Back to Blackstar's POV

And thats how I ended up being raised by the DWMA. Man, I had no idea how much of a dick Stein was when he was a kid. I'd have to make sure I kicked him in the balls for that when we encountered him in the future.

Anyway, time went by and I quickly grew up. Despite their young age, Sid and Nygus were my primary guardians, although they were more like older siblings than parents. Since it was basically a given that I'd be joining the DWMA, Sid made it a point to train me in Martial Arts and the Assassin way and hoo boy did my family linage quickly prove itself. My talent in combat was off the charts and I could easily see why canon Blackstar was such an arrogant brat half the time. However, despite my talent, I tried to keep from getting an inflated head. After all, I knew that there were plenty of people who could kick my arse.

* * *

With all the training I was doing, the years went by quickly and before I knew it, it was my first day at the Academy. Like canon Blackstar, I was up on the spikes that emerge from the school. Unlike canon me however, I wasn't shouting my head off. Actually, I was enjoying the sun and dozing. What? I was sleepy. Besides, my training allowed me to remain aware of my surroundings, even if I was half asleep.

"Um, excuse me?" said a female voice, cutting through the pleasant doze like a knife through butter, "I don't think you should sleep there. You could fall."

I opened one eye and gave the girl who was interrupting my 'nap' a lazy look. Unsurprisingly, it was Tsubaki. Why unsurprisingly? Well think about it, she was just as much of a ninja as Blackstar...um, me. Man, its been 12 years and this is still confusing at times! Anyway, it stands to reason that she was the only one who's spot me until the other Weapons and even the Meisters were trained up a little.

The Dark Arm was eyeing me worriedly from where she was crouched on the spike a short distance from the roof. I yawned and sat up, stretching as if I wasn't balanced precariously on the narrow tip of a concrete spike.

"Aww, don't worry about me," I said, "I won't fall. And even if I did, its not like I'd hurt myself."

I dropped down into a sitting position and fixed Tsubaki with a lazy look.

"Even so, you shouldn't be napping now," said Tsubaki, "Aren't you supposed to be looking for a partner?"

I shrugged.

"I guess, but honestly, most of the Weapons here today are kinda disappointing," I said, jerking a thumb at the crowd below.

Tsubaki cocked her head on one side.

"How so?" she asked.

"I've been up here since this morning and yet the first person to actually notice me has been you," I said, "Well, Sid did show up earlier to scold me, but hes a teacher so he really doesn't count."

"So I take it you don't have a partner yet?" asked Tsubaki.

"Nope," I said, "What about you?"

"No, I don't," said Tsubaki.

"Hmm...so, what about partnering with me?" I said, "Your a Weapon, right?"

"Thats right," said Tsubaki, "My name is Tsubaki."

"Hnn, a silent flower huh?" I mused, "It suits you. My names Blackstar, Meister."

Tsubaki blushed slightly at the compliment, but smiled nonetheless.

"Nice to meet you Blackstar," she said, "So, you said you wanted to be partners?"

I grinned and held out my hand.

"I did indeed," I said, "So, what do you say?"

Tsubaki smiled and clasped my hand.

"It'll be my pleasure," she said.

Third Person POV, Death Room

* * *

Death hummed thoughtfully to himself as he watched Blackstar and Tsubaki seal their pact. He had no doubt that the two of them would make an excellent team. Between Blackstars sheer talent and incredibly strong Soul and Tsubaki's many forms and calm demeanor, they would serve to balance one another out and go far. However, that wasn't what had Death watching them.

Ever since he had first seen the last Star Clan member all those years ago, Death had not been able to shake the feeling that something was different about him. And it wasn't the fact that his Soul was incredibly old. Reincarnated Souls were a lot more common than you'd think, although he had yet to encounter one as strong as Blackstar. No, what actually had him interested was the feeling of something hiding in Blackstar's Soul. Whatever it was was not only powerful, but also burnt like a star with such intensity that Death was genuinely surprised it wasn't obvious to anyone who could see Souls. However, whatever it was was buried deep within the boys Soul, enough that only someone with an extremely advanced understanding of the Soul could detect it.

Death had never seen anything like it before and he was determined to figure it out. He didn't think it was anything bad, far from it, it felt far too pure for that, instead Death was sure that it was something that could be a great boon in the fight against the Darkness and the Kishin, if, or rather when, Asura ever get loose again. Death was under no illusions that the Seal would last forever. Eventually, it would break, either from age or from someone releasing it on purpose. He just hoped his beloved school would be enough to stop it without to many people losing their lives or their hearts to the Madness.

 **And I think I'll leave this here. So, what do we think? Good? Bad? Want to see more?**

 **Yeahhh, I might have overdone Whitestar's fall there, but I don't really care. Like I mentioned in the AN up top, I have two ideas and I actually started with the Fate one, although thats stalled for now. His near death was the catalyst for that story's powers and I couldn't be bothered to change it. I can use it for character development in the future anyway.**

 **Hmm, I wonder what it could be that Death can sense...considering this will have Kingdom Hearts elements, you can probably guess. Hehehe, should be fun.**

 **And with that, I'm gonna sign out, mainly cus I don't have anything else to say and I'm knackered. Don't forget to review!**


	50. Crimson Venom: Crimson Trailer

Outsider Chronicles: Crimson Venom

Dying and being reborn into a world of deadly evolution is not fun, especially when I happen to be a Faunus. Then again, considering that my family isn't exactly normal, I'd like to see anyone try to do anything to tick me off and avoid getting roasted.

 **So, here we go with another RWBY idea, this time though, things are a little different as I've put together an OC team...sort off. Actually, only two people within it are OC's, the other two are canon characters. Should be fun. With that in mind, heres the first of the trailers, our Outsider, Cobra Squamata! Enjoy!**

Crimson

There are many dangerous and beautiful places in Remnant, but one that many agree to being in the top ten was the forest of Forever Fall. However, that beauty was largely lost on Adam Taurus as he watched the other half of the train he and Blake had been sent to hijack pull away as his half slowed to a stop, taking his partner with it. The Bull Faunus couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that Blake, the girl who had been there for as long as he could remember, would betray the White Fang! It made his blood boil in rage, not helped in the least by the look of pity he could see on Blakes face, just like...HIM!

Adam scowled as he felt his face under his mask burn at the reminder of the one person he hated above all others. No. No, he wouldn't let the scaled bastard have the satisfaction of knowing Blake had followed in his footsteps! He'd sooner cut off his own horns than give him anything even close to satisfaction!

Adam charged forwards and jumped, easily clearing the rapidly widening gap between the two halves of the train, landing in front of a startled looking Blake and sending her stumbling back. The cat Faunus tripped over her own feet and fell painfully on her behind as Adam advanced on her, murder clear in his stance and the way he drew Wilt as he advanced on her. She turned and tried to run, but his sword flashed out, slicing through both ankles in a spray of blood.

"You're not going anywhere," he snarled as he grabbed the cat-girl by the throat, "You won't leave me like he did!"

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about me there, would you?"

Adam barly had time to react, before a fist slammed into his face, sending his mask flying and forcing him to release Blake. The Bull Faunus stumbled force of the blow, his hands moving up to cover his face as Blake seemed to vanish into thin air.

"Cobra!" snarled Adam, spinning around to glare at the young man who had just appeared on top of a nearby stack of crates with a startled looking Blake in his arms.

The teen was tall, with spiky crimson hair, yellow eyes and lightly tanned skin. He was wearing a short sleeve long coat that looked like it was made of crimson leather over a dark shirt, black pants and what appeared to be crimson boots and gloves. However, a second look revealed that he was actually barefoot and what appeared to be boots and gloves were actually crimson scales that extended to his elbows on his arm and knees on his feet. His toes and fingers were tipped with sharp looking claws and the undersides of his arms and his palms were cream and smooth looking.

"Hey Adam, long time no see," said Cobra as he set Blake on her feet and hopped down from the crates, "Hows the face?"

Adam let out a snarl of fury as he lowered his hand, revealing that the top half of his face that was normally covered by his mask was little more than a mass of horrific burn scars that were clearly caused by some form of acid. The fact his eyes were still intact was nothing short of a miracle.

"Ouch, still looking like tenderised beef I see," said Cobra, although if one were to look closer, there was regret in his eyes and tone.

Adam didn't hear that however as he felt his blood began to boil.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face in front of me after what you did, traitor!" snarled Adam, "I hope you've said your prayers because I'm not letting you get away this time!"

He charged Cobra as the scaled teen slipped into a ready stance. Wilt flashed and slammed into Cobra's arm in a shower of sparks, revealing that his scales weren't just for show. Adam didn't stop though, being aware of his opponents skills and natural weapons, and instead brought up Blush to shoot Cobra in the face. The reptilian Faunas bent backwards in an impressive display of flexibility, evading the shot and kicking Adam in the chest as he did.

Adam slid back from the force as Cobra shot back up straight, using the momentum to slam his palms into the same place his kick had hit, sending Adam back even further. Cobra smirked as he recovered from his blow, before he suddenly pushed off and went on the offencive in a blur of rapid strikes with both hands and feet, his claws flashing like knives as he forced Adam back.

The Bull Fanuns gritted his teeth. Cobra had always been fast and skilled, but it was apparent that he hadn't spent the last five years slacking off. His speed and strength had increased to the point where Adam was unable to block every attack and he was starting to receive small cuts. And considering what Cobra's Semblance was, that was NOT a good thing, even if it didn't look like he was using his power yet. Still, it wasn't all bad. Considering the number of attacks Adam had blocked, it wouldn't be long until he could use Moonslice again. Just a little longer and this venomous bastard would be just a bad memory…

Adam twisted his sword as Cobra's claws came in for its next strike, forcing the crimson haired Faunus' hands wide, leaving him wide open for Adam to slam Blush into his chest and pull the trigger. The round didn't do any damage thanks to the teens Aura, but it did send him flying back. Cobra used his claws to stop his slide before he went off the train car, before he pushed off, evading the barrage of bullets Adam sent his way, moving low to the ground and incredibly fast as a dark red mist began to leak out of his hands. Adam's eyes widened at the sight of the substance, before he jumped to the side as Cobra thrust his hands out, sending waves of the substance at the older Faunus that quickly melted holes in the wood where it touched.

Adam cursed in his head. Now that Cobra had broken out his poison, he had to end the fight quickly. That stuff was deadly, even the milder stuff like what Cobra had used in their first real fight. It hadn't killed Adam, but the scarring on his face was proof enough of that. Still, he only had one shot, so he had to make damn sure he killed Cobra, otherwise the poison he broke out would probably turn him into a puddle in seconds.

The scarred Faunus eyes scanned the battlefield, searching for anything that would give him an advantage that wouldn't allow Cobra to just dodge the attack. Then, his eyes fell on Blake, who was still on top of the crates where she'd been left, watching the fight between her two old friends with a look of resigned horror on her face. Had it not been for the damage to her ankles, she probably would have tried to stop the fight. Still, she represented the perfect opportunity and Adam fully intended to take it.

He skidded to a stop and Cobra did the same across from him, poison still leaking off his fingers.

"So, finally giving up are you?" asked Cobra, "Please say you are. I really don't want to have to kill and old friend."

Adam gave a strangled laugh at that.

"You are no friend of mine, traitor, not since you decided to side with the Humans!" he sneered.

"I didn't side with anyone Adam," said Cobra in a tired voice, "I just did was I believed was right. I helped someone who had done nothing wrong. Human or Faunus, it doesn't matter, I will always help those in need."

Adam scoffed.

"Call it what you will, traitor, I don't care," he said, "All I care about is making you suffer for what you did to me!"

He grabbed the hilt of his sword as he felt the energy he'd gathered swirl inside him, lighting up his clothing and hair. Cobra raised an eyebrow.

"You don't honestly think you can hit me with that, do you?" he asked.

Adam grinned. It was the toothy grin of someone on the edge of sanity.

"Oh, I don't, at least, not without some kind of guarantee," he said.

Cobra frowned, before his eyes widened and he glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, he was stood directly in front of the crates where Blake was kneeling, unable to move or escape.

"You wouldn't!" shouted Cobra, "Damn it Adam, shes your friend!"

"I am no friend to traitor's!" roared Adam as the energy reached its peak, "Now make your choice, Squamata! Either you die or Blake does!"

Cobra's eyes narrowed and he brought up his arms, more poison pouring from his pores as he did. Adam's grin only widened as he felt his power reach critical mass and he surged forwards, unleashing all the energy he'd absorbed in a single blast of energy. At the same time, Cobra thrust his hands out, releasing a wave of gaseous crimson poison that formed into the shape of a massive serpent that lunged at Adam. The two attacks met in a brilliant flash of light and blast of force that shattered the train car and the ground beneath it, causing the car and a few others down the train to derail, forcing the train to skid to a stop. Adam was sent flying by the blast, but quickly got to his feet, eager to see the dead body of his adversary. Even if he had been able to take of the brunt of the attack, there was no way that…

Before he could finish the thought however, the cloud was blasted aside as Cobra appeared, poison surging around his hands. Before Adam could react, the reptile Faunus slammed both fists into his chest, sending him flying with a scream as the acidic venom started eating its way through Adam's clothing to his flesh below. The pain was incredible, but Adam was able to open his eyes enough to see Cobra stood over him with his hand ready to impale him, more poison wreathing his claws.

"Say goodnight bastard," he snarled and lunged, claws aimed at Adam's heart.

"WAIT!"

The hand stopped a millimeter from Adam's chest, so close that the Bull Faunus could feel the poison burning his skin. Cobra tilted his head to look at Blake, who's Aura had finally fixed her ankles enough for her to stand.

"Don't kill him!" said the Cat Faunus, "Please Cobra…"

Cobra stared at his old friend for a moment, before he sighed.

"Fine."

The poison faded as he relaxed.

"Be it on your head," he said as he slipped his hands into his pockets and walked away, "Congratulations Adam, you get to live a little longer. So long as the poison in your system or a Grimm doesn't kill you first."

Adam ignored his hated former friend as he met Blakes eyes. His partner looked back.

"Blake…" he started.

"No, don't say anything," said Blake, "I'm still leaving and nothing you can say will change my mind."

She turned away.

"Goodbye Adam," she said, "And this time, don't try anything or I'll let Cobra finish the job."

Adam could only watch as Blake jogged after Cobra, unable to move due to the venom still in his system.

* * *

Blake caught up to Cobra to find him leaning against a tree a short distance away. At the sight of her old friend, the Cat Faunus paused to take him in. The years had been kind to him, turning the little boy she had known into a tall, powerful and handsome teen. Still, she really wasn't looking forwards to this.

"Hey Cobra," she said.

"Blake," said the crimson haired teen.

For a moment, the two stood in silence, before Blake spoke up again.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I...I should have listened to you when you told me what was happening. I was blind."

Cobra sighed.

"We all make mistakes when we're young," he said, "I won't say I told you say, no matter how much I want to."

Blake gave a weak smile at the weak joke.

"So, what do you intend to do now?" asked Cobra.

Blake hesitated for a moment, before she steeled herself.

"I want to make amends for what I've done," she said, "I'm going to join Beacon and become a Hunteress!"

Cobra blinked, before he smiled.

"Not a bad plan," he said, "Of course, I'd have prefered that you didn't need to make amends, but the past is the past. Besides, now I'll have one more friend."

Blake blinked.

"You mean…"

"Yep, I'm going to Beacon as well!" said Cobra with a grin.

Blake couldn't help it, she smiled back. Despite the events of the day, she couldn't help the surge of happiness that filled her chest at that revelation. She may have lost Adam, but she had regained a friend in Cobra and, if she was honest, she prefered the reptile over the bull.

"Now then, how about we get out of this forest before we get attacked by Ursi?" said Cobra, "I'll put you up at my place until school starts. Don't worry, my roommate doesn't make much noise."

Blake smiled and nodded.

"Alright, lets go."

The two Faunus vanished into the trees.

 **And done. Hoo boy, that kinda got away from me...still, it got the job done, even if it wasn't really from Cobra's point of view. Eh, we'll have plenty of that if I do the actual story. Thats C down, now I just have to do the IMN of CIMN.**

 **Hmm, I wonder if anyone can guess the I and N of the team? The M is an OC, but the other two are RWBY characters. I'd be interested to see what people come up with for them.**

 **Yes, Cobra is based on Cobra from Fairy Tail in terms of powers and the appearance of his scales. However, that is the extent of the similarities, hes not actually a Dragon Slayer or anything. Oh, and for those interested, his surname, Squamata is the scientific name for the family most Lizards belong too, according to a quick wikipedia search. I was stuck for a name, so I picked that.**

 **Yeah, Adam is a little more crazy in this story, although considering what happened in the past, I honestly can't blame him. The events that led to him being scarred like that will be revealed in the actual story if I get around to doing the full story.**

 **Blake may be a little OOC, but I don't really care. I needed Adam to survive and the other options were even more silly and unbelievable. So, Adam's still alive because our hero is way to much of a softy. On the other hand, he's clearly more than capable of fighting Adam, so maybe Yang won't end up disarmed...eh, only the future can tell.**

 **And with that, I am done. Let me know what you think with a lovely review! Next up for this story, the Rainbow Trailer! And thats probably way too much of a hint...Eh, don't care. Toodles!**


	51. Crimson Venom: Rainbow Trailer

Outsider Chronicles: Crimson Venom

Dying and being reborn into a world of deadly evolution is not fun, especially when I happen to be a Fanus. Then again, considering that my family isn't exactly normal, I'd like to see anyone try to do anything to tick me off and avoid getting roasted.

 **And we're back! This time, the Rainbow trailer for Ilia Amitola. Enjoy!**

Rainbow

Remnant is a dangerous place. I don't think anyone would argue that, but most people like to think that the danger is limited to the Grimm and, more recently, the White Fang. However, Human nature is Human nature and danger will always be present within the walls of the Kingdoms. Whether from desperate people or genuine psychopaths, there will always be people looking to hurt others for any number of reasons. Admittedly, petty crimes were relatively rare since getting caught to many times or for a truly horrible crime carried a risk far greater than simple prison time. Instead, the Kingdoms method of getting rid of those criminals unable or unwilling to reform was to banish them. They didn't tend to last long after getting kicked out of the Cities safe zones.

Of course, thats all well and good, but it did require that the criminals get caught and some were just too clever for that. Unfortunately for Vale, it was currently playing host to an individual just like that. A serial killer who had already chopped up 23 people and was currently on the hunt for his next victim.

Ilia Amitola however wasn't aware of this little issue, having just arrived to get settled into the city before she started school in a few months. Unfortunately, the man who checked her papers wasn't the biggest fan of Faunus to put it lightly and had neglected to inform her of the serial killer. Of course, whether that was unfortunate for her or the madman was up for debate.

Ilia was currently on her way back to her new apartment with a bag full of groceries in her arms. It was getting late, but she had had a very busy day with moving in. Still, it wasn't all bad. She was in a good mood, having past the exam with flying colours. Now that she was in, it wouldn't be long before she'd be able to see her old friends again…

Suddenly, Ilia stopped, tossing her bag in the air as she flipped backwards as something massive shot out of the alley entrance she was walking past and slammed into the ground hard enough to crack the concrete. She quickly regained her balance as a frankly massive man stepped out of the alley, hefting his weapon, an equally massive meat cleaver onto his shoulder as he did.

As previously mentioned, the man was massive, both in height and girth, with thin, greasy black hair and small, beady black eyes. He was wearing a bloodstained smock with the sleeves rolled up, showing that his thick arms were covered in powerful muscles.

"Weeeelll now, what do we have here?" he said in a voice that sent shivered of disgust up Ilia's spine, "A cute girl out on her own?"

Ilia narrowed her eyes and put her hand on her whip.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The man looked surprised.

"Oh, you can't guess?" he asked, looking rather offended at the idea, "And here I thought everyone in Vale knew who I was."

He drew himself up proudly.

"I am the most infamous man in Vale, the man who has the entire city fearing to go out after dark," he said, "I am the infamous serial killer, Barry the Chopper!"

"Never heard of you," said Ilia immediately.

Barry face planted.

"WHAT?!" he roared as he shot to his feet, "What rock have you been living under for the last three months?!"

"I just got into Vale today," said Ilia, glancing up, "Plus, I don't pay much attention to the news…"

Barry chuckled menacingly.

"Well, too bad for you girly," he said, "If you had, you'd have known better than to go out on your own. Now, your all MINE!"

He charged with surprising speed given his size, swinging his cleaver to take out Ilia's legs, just like he had so many times before. However, none of his past victims had been Hunteresses in training. Ilia's whip snapped out, smacking the cleaver away as she stepped forwards and slammed her other palm into Barry's chest. Despite his massive size, Ilia's Aura empowered strength and the unexpected nature of the counter sent the murderer staggering back, leaving him wide open for a follow up kick to the chin. However, Barry's size wasn't just for show and he quickly recovered.

"YOU BITCH!" he roared as he charged again, his cleaver moving with incredibly speed and precision for someone not really trained in combat, enough that Ilia found that she was having trouble evading the attacks.

It didn't help that she wouldn't be able to perform that trick again and she wasn't confident that she could win an actual battle of strength with the big man. So, instead of doing either, she chose to disappear. She dove between Barry's legs, vanishing into the alley Barry had emerged from, changed her skin to black as she did.

It took a moment for Barry to recover from the unexpected move and he spun around, narrowing his eyes when he realized the girl had vanished. He stalked into the alley, eyes darting from shadow to shadow.

"Come out come out wherever you are," he called in a sing-song voice as his eyes landed on a dumpster a short distance down the alley, the only decent hiding place, "Come on little girl, you can't hide forever! Come on, let me chop you up! It'll be fun, I promise."

He reached the dumpster and wrenched it open.

"GOTCH...GAHHH!"

"MROOOWWWW!" yowled the extremely disgruntled cat he'd disturbed as it shot out of the bin, slashed him across the face with its claws and shot into the darkness.

"Fricken cat," he growled, "Now where'd that bitch go…"

He trailed off as he turned around, only to come face to face with a pair of glowing eyes floating upside down inches from him. For a moment, Barry and the eys stared at one another, before a jack-o-lantern like face slowly appeared, looking like blazing red flames against the darkness of the alley.

"KYAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

THUMP!

"Well, that was easier than I thought," said Ilia as she reappeared, clinging to the wall like a, well, lizard and revealing that the eery face was actually just her being creative with her colour changes.

The Faunus girl let go of the wall and landed lightly beside the catatonic murderer, pulling out her Scroll as she did.

"Hello? Police? I think I just caught someone you're looking for," she said once someone picked up.

"Oh really?" said the bored sounding officer on the other end, "Who?"

"Barry the Chopper."

There was a loud crash that sounded like someone falling off their chair.

"Are you sure?!" demanded the officer, now sounding wide awake, "Who are you?"

"Thats what he called himself," said Ilia, "And I'm Ilia Amitola, a Hunteress in Training."

"Right, that makes sense now," said the cop, "Stay where you are and keep him restrained. An officer will be with you shortly to take him in."

The cop hung up and Ilia let out a sigh. Looks like she'd be stuck here for a bit longer. She stuck out her hand and caught the bag of groceries as it dropped out of the sky, pulled out a bar of chocolate and sat down on Barry's gut to wait, absently kicking him in the head as he started to stir and sending him back to lala land.

 **And there we go. Um, I have no idea where Barry came from considering my original plan had her facing off against a gang of bigots...eh, it works fine.**

 **So, what do you think? I have a feeling that shes a little OOC, but considering she's never been a part of the White Fang, thats to be expected. Plus, shes not exactly the most fleshed out of characters.**

 **Incidentally, I need some ideas as to what I could call her whip. I wanted to call it tongue in Cherokee, but I couldn't find a decent translator.**

 **Anyway, this is done. Next time, the Steel Trailer for the second OC, Martin Guerrier. If anyone can figure out where I'm going with this, I will be genuinely surprised. And because I love sabotaging my own expectations, I'll tell you this. Hes a swordsman and is a Faunus, although I won't tell you what type since that will make it way to obvious.**

 **Anyway, now this is done, so I'm gonna sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	52. Needless Hero Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Needless Hero

Getting reborn into a world of superheroes should be awesome. Instead, its a world threatened by godlike entities and most people aren't even aware of it. Still, at least I know a good way to stay out of trouble!...I just jinxed myself, didn't I?

 **Yeahhh, I really need to stop making promises I can't keep...I know that most people in the poll I put up seem to like the idea of Accelerator, but I sat down to write it and found that I had...absolutely nothing. Same with Imagine Breaker. Mostly, they were just silly ideas of our hero completely negating every attack sent his way and, while amusing, it wasn't really that fun. This on the other hand...well, lets just say that Needless and Worm actually share more than a few similarities. With that in mind, heres my idea. Bare in mind that I haven't finished the story yet (not even close), so I probably won't be continuing with this until I have. Anyway, lets get started! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, there are several things about dying that I never wanted to know. To start with, its bloody uncomfortable. Of course, being reborn is even more uncomfortable. Yea, I'm living proof that the Soul is real, despite the fact that I'm a sceptic at the best of times. Of course, that doesn't stop me from feeling like I've ether won the lottery or been sent here due to some horrific sin I committed in my last life. Why? Well, I'd been reborn in a world full of superpowered beings, but it wasn't one where heroes and villains balanced each other out and the heroes always win. It wasn't even My Hero Academia where EVERYONE has powers in one form or another. Oh no, I'm not that lucky. Instead, the world I now lived in was one where the greatest hero was actually its greatest potential threat and was definitely under threat from a bunch of OP monsters. Yep, I'd ended up being reborn in Worm. This is really gonna blow…

Interestingly enough, I ended up being reborn into the exact same town as I'd lived in in my last life and even went to school with my interdimensional duplicate...now that was fucking weird and caused me a minor existential crisis before I got my head on straight and managed to separate my new self from my old one. That didn't change the fact that passing 'myself' in the halls was incredibly strange. Fortunately, I was in a different class, so I didn't have to sit next to myself and a combination of already knowing everything and wanting to not end up in the same situation again meant that I was much better at, well, everything. Have I mentioned this is bloody weird yet?

* * *

Anyway, since I'm writing this, you can probably guess that my life wasn't all hunky dory with the only potential issues being falling afoul of a Villain or Endbringer to worry be (although to be fair, they were pretty big worries). No, I just had to end up in a horrific car crash during a trip to see my Grandparents, a crash that killed both my parents but somehow left me alive and only mildly banged up, a feat that the doctors said was nothing short of a miracle. Or a Trigger Event. Yeah, I ended up with powers from that, although I didn't find out until I got angry over all the false sympathy at the wake and nearly burnt the house down.

Yep, my power was heat based. I say heat not fire because to call me pyrokinetic would be like saying All Might just had super strength. It may appear to be the case, but the reality was much more. I didn't control fire, I controlled the vibrations of molecules, heating them up and burning everything I touched from within. There were plenty of powers that controlled fire, but mine is one of the strongest. And thats not arrogance talking, thats genuinely what the people up top concluded. Considering I could boil metal and even affect most 'indestructible' Capes, I'm inclined to agree. Oh, and I was also much more sturdy built than a normal Human, with most attacks that would cripple a normal person only causing bad bruising in me and my speed and strength were slightly higher than a well trained Humans. I wasn't indestructible by any means, but its still enough to allow me to shrug off attacks and keep fighting.

* * *

But thats for later. After my Parents died, I was taken in by my Aunt, a kind, if slightly ditzy woman who I had always liked, despite the few times I'd met her. See, my Mother was originally from America, having moved to Britain to attend University and ended up meeting my Father and staying there. Aunt May on the other hand still lived in America in a place that made me honestly think that whatever extra dimensional being that plonked me here was having a laugh. Yep, thats right, she lived in Brockton Bay. Great, this is gonna be a right pain in the arse…

Considering the circumstances of my move and the fact I had moved from England into an entirely different country, I was afforded some time of school to recover from it all. In truth though, I probably could have done without it. I'm the sort of person who deals with problems by doing something, not sitting around thinking. With that in mind, I decided that, if I had nothing else to do, I'd make a start on putting together my costume.

You might be wondering what I had in mind for it, whether I'd be a hero or a villain, but the truth is, I was just looking for something fun to do. It was odd as I'd never been a violent person in the past, but now that I was here and with enough power at my fingertips to turn a Human to ash in moments, the idea of a good fight was enough to get my blood boiling with anticipation. I had no intention of becoming a Villain, but I wasn't the type to save others . Oh, I'd probably help if they were right in front of me, I wasn't that cold hearted, but it wouldn't be to be a good samaritan. Oh no, not when I could get a decent fight out of the encounter!

I used the excuse of wanting to look around and get the lay of the land to move around, buying what I needed to put together my costume and made use of my Aunts unused basement, which I had claimed as my den, to do it. I don't think she even noticed what I was doing, but that wasn't exactly uncommon. She was the sort of person who tended to be airheaded and didn't notice things going on around her. Great news for me and my future career as a Cape!

* * *

It took me about two weeks to finish my costume, mainly because I had to experiment with my powers in order to fashion my mask properly and not melt it into a puddle of slag. However, after hours of hard work, it was finally done and I was stood in front of my mirror in my new get up. It consisted of a dark blue bodysuit that I'd obtained from a sports shop, black steel toe capped boots, metal bracers intended to serve as defence in close quarters that left my hands bare, a necessity for the use of my powers. A tattered, dark red cloak with a hood went over the top and a white, metal mask that looked like it had been machined rather than moulded like clay with a little help from my powers. Despite the fact it was clearly handmade, I was rather proud of my outfit, especially the mask.

I put my mask on, my yellow eyes clearly visible through the holes, and pulled my hood up over my silvery blonde hair. I smirked under my mask as my hands lit up with a ruddy glow and my eyes took on a bright, crimson hew in response to my powers activating

"Alright, lets see if this city is ready for me," I muttered.

* * *

Considering most of what I knew about the city came from reading Worm last time through and the small amount of exploring I'd done while piercing my costume together, I decided that the best place to go to get started was probably the docks. Yeah, it may be obvious, but I honestly don't care.

Using a combination of my enhanced physiology and the freerunning skills I'd gained in this life, I was able to traverse the rooftops of the many warehouses, occasionally helped along by melting handholds in the walls where I couldn't quite reach the next building. It was when I was crossing a particularly wide gap between warehouses when I realized that something was up. I was darting across an alley when I suddenly stepped on something, crushing it with a loud crunch. It also served to draw my attention to the fact that I could hear a low level scuttling sound around me. Curious, I lit up my palm, only to nearly jump out of my skin when I saw I was standing in a river of bugs, all heading in the same direction. I quickly jumped up, my hands sinking into the wall to hold me above the moving floor.

"What the hell?" I muttered, "What's...ah, Taylor, of course. Now then, lets see whats going on."

I turned and shimmied up the wall, taking off across the rooftops in the direction the bugs were going in. It didn't take me long to find it. A two story wearhouse, just like the others, but this one had people moving around it, all Aisan and wearing red and green. Ah, so that's when it was. I spotted a big, tattooed guy who had to be Lung and a glance up to the rooftop above him confirmed that Taylor was also present. Well, it looks like I wasn't the only one making my debut tonight. Still, unlike Taylor, Lung would be childs play for me. Between my bodies natural resistance to fire and heat based damage (I could handle molten metal bare handed. How do you think I made my mask?) and the fact my power could easily penetrate metal armour meant that there was little chance that Lung could beat me. Well, unless he gutted or crushed me with his draconic form, but I was confident that I could evade him if it came to that.

I was shaken from my musings by a loud buzzing sound and a loud cry from below as Taylor's swarm fell on the gang. I stood and padded over the roof I was on, making my way towards where Taylor was crouched. I had no intention of allowing the girl to get the shit scared out of her by Lung, even if it would cause canon to implode in on itself. Speaking of implosions...sort of, Lung chose that moment to release his explosion, sending the swarm scattering, followed by another a few seconds later. It was kinda hard to get an idea of how quickly events were happening in a story, but apparently it wasn't long between Taylors attempts because about 20 seconds later, Lung ignited, followed by his spine growing spines. I cursed and sped up, shooting across the gap still separating me from Taylor's building, just as Lung got a faceful of pepper. Now he was really pissed off. I jumped over the last gap, just as Taylor took off towards the fire escape. Apparently Lung had heard both of us as his hands snapped out, sending two blasts of fire, one at me and the other at Taylor. I ignored the flames licking at me, mainly because they felt more like a warm bath than the intensely hot flames they actually were, in favour of landing a powerful drop kick to Lung's head that probably rattled his brain something fierce.

"Hey Lizardface, pick on someone your own size!" I yelled.

"Wha...who you?!" snarled the Villain as he tried to see through the damage done to his eyes.

I opened my mouth, only to hesitate as I realized I had no idea what to call myself.

"Er, I didn't think of that," I said awkwardly, "This is my first night on the job, soooo…."

Lung looked taken aback at that, before he scoffed.

"You not smart to pick a fight with me," he said, "This first night will be your last!"

He raised his hands and unleashed another wave of fire. I responded by punching it, causing the wave to separate and flow around me. No idea how that worked, but I'm going to assume its Cape bullshit. Lung looked surprised that his attack had done absolutely nothing to me. Hell, my cloak wasn't even singed.

"Sorry Lizardface, but fire won't work on me," I said with a smirk, "You might as well be flicking warm water at me.

Lung scowled.

"Then lets try this!" he snarled and charged me, claws leading the way.

I ducked under his swipe and cocked my fist back, my hand glowing bright red.

"Heat EXPLOSION!" I yelled without thinking and punched him in the chest.

BOOM!

The resulting explosion was massive and sent Lung careening back with a hand sized crater burnt into the scales on his chest and the scales around the hole glowing bright red. The Villain didn't cry out, but it was clear he was in pain as he struggled to his feet.

"Wha...how did you…?" he gasped, staring down at the hole in his armour.

The skin under it wasn't badly hurt, but it was reddening from the sheer heat of my attack. I grinned as my hands started to glow.

"Armour won't protect you from my attacks," I said, "I can easily bypass it with my power. Here, let me show you another trick!"

I slammed both palms into the roof and the ground below Lung began to glow brightly.

"Incinerate Anthem!"

Before the dragonman could react, a massive pillar of fire erupted around him, giving out so much heat even I could feel it. Needless to say, Lung screamed in pain as the flames easily burnt away his armour and started on his skin, leaving him with second degree burns in the two seconds I kept up the heat. Once the flames vanished, Lung collapsed back on the roof, steaming lightly and completely out cold.

"Hmm, I may have overdone that," I muttered as I pulled my hands out of the puddle of molten roofing I'd made, "A little less heat next time."

I stood and turned to Taylor, who was still crouched where she had landed when Lung sent her flying.

"You OK Ladybug?" I called, not even noticing the unintentional nickname.

"I...wha...how?" gasped Taylor, "How did you do that?! Who are you?"

I coughed and rubbed the back of my head awkwardly.

"Um, well, like I said to Lung, I kinda haven't thought of a name yet," I said, "This is my first night on the job…"

I couldn't see Taylor's face, but it was obvious that she was staring at me in disbelief.

"Your first night...and you took down Lung that easily?!" she asked.

"Hey, you didn't do a bad job and its obvious tonights your first time to!" I protested, "I just got lucky. Lung was perhaps the best opponent I could face."

I caught Taylor's incredulous look.

"Well, I'm immune to heat based attacks, I can boil metal with a touch and I'm fast enough to evade his attacks," I said, "What conclusions would you reach from that?"

"That Lung got unlucky."

I jumped and spun around, just in time to see three massive, mutated mutts scramble over the edge of the roof. I pulled a face under my mask. I really hope these guys don't decide to make a fuss…

Apparently they were at least a little weary as the small group kept their distance. For a moment the two sides remained where they were, waiting for the other to move. I think I was putting them off due to the fact I appeared nonchalant in my stance, however, I was actually on alert. I didn't think they'd attack, but I wasn't about to be taken off guard if my interference caused a change.

After a few moments, the tall guy who had to be Grue stepped forwards.

"You really saved us a lot of trouble," he said, "When we got word Lung was aiming to come after us tonight, we were pretty freaked. We were arguing strategy for the better part of the day. We eventually decided, fuck it, we'd meet him halfway. Wing it. Not my usual way of doing things, but yeah."

Behind him, one of his teammates, Bitch by the look of it, gave a scoff. Grue ignored her and continued.

"Wouldn't you know, his flunky Lee is there with a half dozen guys, but Lung and the rest of his gang are nowhere to be found," he said, "Lee's no slouch in a fight, but there's a reason he's not leader of the ABB. He got spooked without his boss there and ran. I guess you two are responsible for that?"

I glanced at the still steaming Lung and raised an eyebrow behind my mask.

"What do you think?" I deadpanned.

"Point taken," said Grue "So, um, what exactly did you do to him?"

"Pepper spray, wasp and bee stings, fire ants and spider bites," said Tattletale, "Combine that with being burnt from the inside out and he's not going to be feeling well when he wakes up."

I have a feeling that Grue raised an eyebrow at that, but he didn't say anything. Well, not about that anyway.

"Right, introductions," he said, "That's Tattletale, I'm Grue, the girl with the dogs...We call her Bitch, her preference, but in the interests of being PC., the good guys and media decided to call her Hellhound instead. Last and certainly least, we have Regent."

"Fuck you Grue," said the white clad teen.

"Nice to meet you all," I said, "I'm...you know what, you can call me Agni for now."

"Huh, thats...oddly fitting," said Tattletale.

I couldn't help but notice that the girl was giving me a very strange look.

"Whys that?" asked Regent.

"Agni is Sanskrit for fire," I said, "Its also associated with the Hindu god of fire."

"What he said," said Tattletale.

"Fair enough," said Grue, before glancing at Taylor, who looked utterly confused, despite her mask covering her face, "Hey, you okay? You hurt?"

"The reason she's not introducing herself isn't because she's hurt," said Tattletale, "It's because she's shy."

The Thinker turned around and it looked like she was going to say something else, but she stopped, turning her head. The smile she'd been wearing faded.

"Heads up, we've gotta scram," she said.

The Undersiders scrambled to mount Bitch's dogs.

"Do you two want a lift?" asked Grue.

"No thanks," I said while Taylor just shook her head.

"Hey Bug girl," said Tattletale, "What's your name?"

Taylor jumped, apparently not expecting to be addressed directly.

"I don't… I haven't picked one yet," she stuttered

"Well, Bug, Agni, a cape is gonna show up in less than a minute," said the Thinker, " You two did us a solid by dealing with Lung, so take my advice. Someone from the Protectorate shows up, finds two bad guys duking it out, they're not going to let one walk away. You should get out of here."

"I think we'll be fine," I said, smirking under my mask.

"Oh, I'm not worried about you," said Tattletale, "I'm just worried about who'll have to clean up the mess if you get into a fight with a Hero."

I let out a bark of laughter as the Undersiders jumped over us and vanished into the dark.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," I said as I lent against the lip around the roof.

Taylor's head snapped up.

"Interesting?!" she spluttered, "They think we're villains! And now a Heroes on the way...oh god, this is gonna…"

I cut her off with a snort.

"Your worrying too much Ladybug," I said, "Its pretty much a given that new capes are thought to be villains unless they say otherwise. So long as we don't do anything stupid, we'll be fine."

Taylor took a few deep breaths, before her mask shifted slightly, as if she was frowning.

"What did you call me?" she asked, "Ladybug?"

I shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" I said, although I honestly had no idea why I was calling her Ladybug, "You've got the insect thing going on and it seems to suit you for some reason."

Better than Skitter at any rate and Weaver always made me think of someone with string or precognition based powers. Taylor didn't say anything, although that may have had something to do with the loud roar of a motorbike that was definitely not factory standard arriving, followed by a loud clunk as a grappling hook latched onto the edge of the roof and Armsmaster shooting up from ground level.

The Hero scanned the roof, tensing slightly when he spotted us, before he spotted the still unconscious Lung and froze.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"We took down someone that gave even you lot pause," I said.

Armsmasters visible mouth tightened slightly.

"Are you going to fight me?" he asked.

I smiled under my mask.

"Not right now, although I wouldn't say no to a sparring match at some point," I said.

That earnt me two stunned looks.

"What?"

"You two don't really look the parts of heroes," said Armsmaster.

"That's… not intentional," I responded, not a little defensively, "I was more than halfway done putting the costume together when I realized it was already looking more edgy than I'd intended, and I couldn't do anything about it by then."

"Eh, thats fine by me," I said, "I'm not really a hero anyway."

Armsmaster and Taylor both tensed at that.

"Your...telling the truth," said the Tinker, "But...if your not a Hero, why did you stick around?"

I grinned under my mask.

"Because this world isn't split into Heroes and Villains," I said, "I'm no Hero, but I'm certainly not a Villain. I refuse to be pigeon holed like that and I'm much more interested in having some fun with my powers. I figure the best way to do that is by wearing a mask and fighting folks who like causing trouble. If I happen to do some good along the way, I'll count that as a win."

Taylor and Armsmaster stared at me, apparently rather taken aback by my rather blaise admittance that I really didn't consider myself a hero. After a moment, Armsmaster pulled himself back together and glanced at Taylor.

"Do you need a hospital?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," said Taylor, "Agni stepped in before Lung could get close."

Armsmaster turned his gaze back on me.

"Your name is Agni?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Hmm, your new," he said, "Both of you are."

"First night on the job," I said, "For both of us."

"I haven't even come up with a name yet," said Taylor, "You know how hard it is to come up with a bug-themed name that doesn't make me sound like a supervillain or a complete dork?"

"How about Ladybug?" I muttered, only to be ignored.

"Your working together?" asked Armsmaster.

"Not really," I said, "I just happened to stumble on her fight with Lung and decided to step in before she got hurt. She was doing a pretty good job until he set himself on fire."

Taylor shot a glance at me. I think she was surprised that I complimented her, although I don't know why. Nearly taking down someone like Lung solo was an incredible feat after all.

"So, what are we gonna do with Lizardface over there?" I asked, jerking a thumb at Lung.

He'd stopped steaming, but was still well done and I highly doubt he'd be waking up anytime soon.

"I'll take him in," said Armsmaster, walking over to Lung and restraining him with a set of futuristic looking handcuffs.

"Good," muttered Taylor, "With him in jail, I'll feel like I accomplished something today. Only reason I started the fight was because I overheard him telling his men to shoot some kids. Only realized later that he was talking about some other villains."

Armsmaster turned to look at her and she told him about our encounter and chat with the Undersiders.

"These guys, they knew I was coming?" asked Armsmaster.

"I think that Tattletale must have some sort of precognition or advanced reasoning skills," I said, "Or it could be enhanced senses. That bike is kinda loud after all."

Armsmaster nodded absently, apparently ignoring the last bit.

"That explains a lot," he said, staring off into the distance, "They're slippery. On those few occasions we do manage to get in a toe to toe fight with them, they either win, or they get away more or less unscathed, or both. We know so little about them. Grue and Hellhound were working on their own before they joined the group, so there's some information there, but the other two? They're nonentities. If the girl Tattletale has some way of detecting or tracking us, it would go a long way towards explaining why they're doing as well as they are."

"It's funny," said Taylor, sounding thoughtful, "They didn't seem that hardcore. Grue said they were kind of panicking when they heard Lung was coming after them, and they were casually joking around while the fight was going on. Grue was making fun of Regent."

"They said all this in front of you?" he asked.

"I think they thought I was helping them out," said Taylor "The way Tattletale talked, I think she thought I was a bad guy too or something. Dunno, I guess it was the costume that led them to that assumption."

"Could you have taken them in a fight?" Armsmaster asked, glancing between the two of us.

"Most definitely," I said, "Although maybe not all of them at the same time. It would honestly depend on what powers they have and if I could get close. However, I'm pretty sure I could win."

"Hmm," mused Armsmaster, eyeing me up and down for a moment before turning his gaze on Taylor.

"I don't think so," she said, "Like you said, we don't know a lot about them, but I think that girl with the dogs-"

"Hellhound," Armsmaster said.

"I think she could have kicked my ass on her own, so no. I probably couldn't have fought them."

"Then count it as a good thing that they got the wrong impression," said Armsmaster.

"I'll try to look at it that way," said Taylor, sounding a little put out at the idea.

"Atta a girl," he said, "And while we're looking forward, we need to decide where we go from here. Who gets the credit for Lung?"

I shrugged.

"I honestly don't care," I said, "Tonight was more for me to get the lay of the land and get some experience fighting in costume. They'll be plenty of time to gain some notoriety later on."

Taylor on the other hand looked even more put out, but Armsmaster cut her off before she could speak up.

"Hear me out," he said, "What you've done tonight is spectacular, you played a part in getting a major villain into custody. You just need to consider the consequences."

"Consequences," muttered Taylor.

"Yeah, I imagine that plenty of Lungs flunkies will want revenge on whoever took their boss down," I said, "I suspect that a gang leader is a bad foe to be your first catch."

"Exactly," said Armsmaster.

"You're saying I shouldn't take the credit," said Taylor.

"I'm saying you have two options," said Armsmaster, "Option one is to join the Wards, where you'll have support and protection in the event of an altercation. Option two is to keep your head down. Don't take the credit and fly under the radar."

I could see Taylor's mind ticking it over and patted her on the shoulder, making her look up at me.

"My advice, take the safe option for now," I said, "There'll be plenty of chances in the future to grow your notoriety without getting a bunch of psychos on your arse."

Taylor hesitated for a moment, before she nodded.

"Alright, please keep my involvement in Lung's capture secret," said Taylor.

She sounded disappointed, but not as much as I was expecting. Armsmaster smiled

"I think you'll look back and see this was a smart decision," he said, turning to walk to the other end of the roof, picking up Lung as he went, "Call me at the PHQ if you're ever in a pinch."

He stepped off the edge of the roof and dropped out of sight. I let out a sigh and stood, stretching out my limbs with a groan of relief.

"Well, that was entirely more bracing than I was expecting," I said, before glancing at my watch, "Well, its late and I've got school tomorrow so I should probably be heading home."

"Yeah, probably…" said Taylor as she slowly stood.

I smiled at her, although she couldn't see it through my mask.

"Hey, don't look so glum Ladybug," I said, "Its your first night and you've already helped take down a major player. Even if you don't get credit, thats still an amazing achievement."

Taylor shifted awkwardly, although she did stand a little straighter. I patted her on the back and walked to the edge of the roof.

"See ya Ladybug!" I called as I jumped to the next one.

"Bye!" called Taylor as I shot away in the direction of home.

* * *

As I jumped across the rooftops, I played the events of the night back in my head. Well, I was off to a flying start, first night as a cape and I've already met the hero and got to flex my powers somewhat. I grinned under my mask. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next!

 **And done. Whoo boy, this was a long one. Do NOT expect the rest of the chapters to be this long, although saying that, they probably will...eh, whatever, so long as you like my stuff, I don't care.**

 **So, what do you think of Adam's power? Oh, thats our heroes name by the way. He'll be properly introduced next chapter. Anyway, his power is Agnis Schiwattas, the Fragment possessed by Aruka Schilds from Needless. Its also completely unchanged. I really didn't need to change it to make it work for Worm. Hell, most Fragments would work easily, with only the issue of each Needless getting one power needed to work around. Hell, I could probably even remove that as an issue if I did some hard thinking.**

 **With that in mind, you can probably guess what I have planned for this story. Expect a few more Needless characters to show up and even a few Worm characters getting altered slightly to fit the mould. It won't take that much with what I have in mind, trust me.**

 **I don't know if I'm going to have Taylor adopt the name Ladybug as her actual handle yet or if it'll just be a nickname Adam will use, but I can guarantee that the two will be friends and teammates. In what team I'll keep to myself though, although I can tell you that my ideas are going pretty wild at the moment. This may end up being more AU than some of my other works. No promises though.**

 **I don't think I'm going to keep with the named attacks, although Adam is enough of a geek to do it. Oh, and before anyone throws a hissy fit, DXD will NOT be in this story. Incinerate Anthem is just a cool sounding attack name for a powerful fire based attack.**

 **And with that, I'm gonna be signing out here. Don't forget to leave a review! Considering how long this chapter is, I think I deserve it...I need a rest.**


	53. Needless Hero Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Needless Hero

Getting reborn into a world of superheroes should be awesome. Instead, its a world threatened by godlike entities and most people aren't even aware of it. Still, at least I know a good way to stay out of trouble!...I just jinxed myself, didn't I?

 **And we are back! Before we begin I would like to suggest that, while not necessary to enjoy this, you lot should really give Needless a shot. Its fricken awesome. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

You know, considering I'd fought a big time crook last night, I really ought to be feeling less nervous about this. After all, unlike Lung my new classmates weren't likely to burn me alive...well unless I did something really stupid. Like make friends with the school punching bag...eh, that ships already sailed and besides, Taylor needed a friend, if only to stop her going off the deep end. Oh, sorry, I guess I should explain.

* * *

It was the day after my debut as Agni (I'd decided to keep the name) and, despite my late night, I was up and raring to go to get to school so I could stop being so damned bored during the day. Only now I was stood outside my new class, waiting to be introduced and feeling like my stomach was trying to digest itself. See despite having two lives to draw from, I had never really been the new kid before.

I was broken from my thoughts as the door opened and the teacher called me inside. Naturally, I immediately found myself under the scrutiny of every student in the room.

"Everyone, this is Adam Blade, a transfer from England," said the Teacher, "Everyone please make him feel welcome and help him if he needs it."

There was a general murmur of assent from the class and the teacher turned to me.

"I'll need to get some idea of your level for this class, so I want you to work through this today," she said, "Just do what you can and we'll get you started on classwork next lesson. Take a seat over there."

She pointed at a free computer next to a girl with curly black hair and a slightly hunched posture, suggesting a lack of confidence. I stifled the urge to smirk. Well, it looks like I won't need to put any more effort at meeting Taylor out of costume than I had in costume. I guess someone must really like me upstairs. Or hate me. Jury's still out on that.

Anyway, I walked over to the indicated seat and sat down. Taylor glanced at me from under her bangs, before looking away just as quickly. Jesus christ, she looked like she needed a hug! I ruthlessly suppressed the urge and instead smiled at her and held out a hand. I've been told I have a smile that either makes people feel better or puts them on edge, depending on my mood and how I feel about the person in question. Fortunately for Taylor, I was both in a reasonably good mood and actually liked her, so she wasn't likely to feel my 'Death Aura' as some of my friends once put it.

"Hey, I'm Adam," I said.

Taylor looked a little taken aback. I don't think she was expecting me to actually talk to her and I could sort of see why. I'm a big guy, tall and broad shouldered, with the looks of the type of guy who's popular, gets on whatever sports team is big at that particular school and flushes the nerds head down the toilet. In other words, exactly the opposite of the guy who'd talk to the girl with specs, little to no confidence and a complete lack of fashion sense. However, looks can be extremely deceiving and the truth was, I'd probably be labeled as one of the nerds before the week was out.

"Um, Taylor," said Taylor, hesitantly shaking my hand.

"Nice to meet you Taylor," I said, "I hope we can be friends."

Taylor blushed and looked down awkwardly.

"That...might not be a good idea," she muttered.

I scoffed.

"I can deal with idiots," I said, "Trust me, I know how to deal with bullies."

Taylors head snapped up and I caught the look in her eye.

"Oh come on, its obvious if you know what to look for," I said, "Lemmie guess, popular girls decided that you're not cool and with them so your the perfect target?"

"Errr…"

"Thats a yes," I said, "Let me give you some advice when dealing with bullies Taylor. Nine times out of ten, their cowards looking to make themselves feel better by picking on someone weaker. Its really not hard to get one up on them. Unfortunately, its that last 10% that are the problem."

"How so?" asked Taylor.

"There the ones who think that they have a right to make people feel miserable," I said, "Either through superiority complexes, being spoilt or any number of other things, they truly believe that there's nothing wrong with what they're doing. With that subset, something needs to happen to make them realize that their actions have consequences. Unfortunately, that type also tend to be the ones with rich parents or are the darlings of the school, so its kinda hard to do anything about them. Well, legally that is."

Taylor looked rather taken aback by my breakdown of the Homo Moronicus Bullus' mindset as I turned to my worksheet.

"Right, lets get started...oh come on!" I said, groaning when I saw what I had to do.

When I died, the year had been 2018, just a few years down the line, but close enough that the computers weren't complete dinosaurs from my perspective. Still, as a former computing student, all of this shit was piss easy for me.

"Well, time to show off my skills," I said as I cracked my knuckles.

* * *

I was finished with the worksheet within the space of ten minutes. With that done, I switched to surfing the net and eventually found myself on the message boards about recent captures, reading through what happened with Lung. As expected, Armsmaster had taken credit, but there were a few people calling bullshit. Mainly because the pillar of fire I'd made had been rather difficult to miss and Armsmaster wasn't exactly known for massive explosions. There were a few theories floating around, ranging from the pillar being caused by Lung to one suggesting that Armsmaster was experimenting with a new toy. I left a message posing a theory that maybe it was caused by a new Cape who wanted to remain anonymous for whatever reason, just to see what would happen. Hmm, I think that my power had given me an urge to start fires, even if said fire was a flame war.

With that done, I made a note to come back later and see the results and clicked on the Connections tab. I was curious to see if Tattletale would send me a message. As it turned out, she had. Actually, the message was addressed to both me and Taylor. Apparently she thought we were a due and not just two random people who happened to be in the same place at the same time.

Subject: Ladybug and Agni

Owe you one. Would like to repay the favor. Meet?

Send a message,

Tt.

I had to smirk at that. Looks like my nickname for Taylor might be catching on. Hmm, I wonder if she'd keep the name? I glanced at Taylor and saw that she was also looking at the exact same message and suppressed the urge to smirk. I wonder how long it would take her to figure out I was Agni?

The bell rang before I could consider that question for more than a few seconds and everyone started fileing out. I stood and hurried after Taylor as she left, both because I really wanted to make friends and because I had no idea where I was going.

"Hey Taylor, wait a sec!" I called.

Taylor paused and glanced at me.

"Do you think you can help me?" I asked, "I have no idea where I'm going."

Taylor hesitated for a moment, before nodding. I pulled out my timetable and showed it to her. She quickly scanned it and blinked in surprise.

"You've got the same lessons as I have," she said.

"Well, that makes things easy," I said as I put my timetable away, "Lead the way fair lady."

Taylor promptly went bright red and ducked her head.

"U-um, sure thing," she said, "This way."

I did absolutely nothing to hide the massive grin I was sporting as I followed the bug user down the hall to our next class.

* * *

When we entered the classroom, I was once again under scrutiny as the new kid and I have a feeling that the fact I was walking with the school punching bag probably had something to do with it. I suppressed the urge to shudder at the looks some of the girls were giving me. Now, don't get me wrong, having members of the opposite sex appreciating my physique was as much an ego booster for me as any other straight guy, but I really didn't like being stared at like a piece of meat. Especially by people who I knew I'd despise and would probably lead the charge against me once my geek side became obvious. Or rather, they would if I wasn't obviously a skilled and strong fighter.

I took a seat next to Taylor as she took her seat, ignoring the looks I was getting from Madison and her friends.

"So, I take it shes one?" I asked.

Taylor glanced at me and nodded.

"Hnn, she certainly looks the part," I said.

Taylor glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Cute, pretty and popular," I said, "A pretty shell over a rotten core."

Taylor snorted and I grinned.

"Neat, I made you laugh," I said.

Taylor grinned back, before she seemed to catch herself and looked away. Eh, I've made a crack in her shell. Now I just need to widen it.

Mr Gladly entered the room and started setting up for the lesson. It took a few minutes for him to start the class, and he immediately ordered us to break into groups of four to share our homework with one another and to prepare to share it with the rest of the class. The group that had the most to contribute would win the prize he had mentioned on Friday, treats from the vending machine. As the other students started moving around, he approached my desk.

"Adam, if you just join a group and listen in for today," he said, "Contribute if you can, but it doesn't matter if you can't."

I nodded.

"Alright," I said.

I glanced around and headed over to join the only group without four people.

"Hey, mind if I join you guys?" I asked.

"Sure thing," said one of them, a short, chubby guy, "I'm Greg and this is Sparky."

He pointed at his long haired, slightly dazed looking partner.

"Nice to meet you," I said as I sat down, "I'm Adam."

"Hi," said Sparky in a voice that sounded like he was somewhere in the clouds.

"Er, exactly how high is this guy?" I asked.

I didn't get an answer as Taylor sat down and pulled out her homework.

"I didn't get much done," Greg said, pulling out a much thinner file, "I got distracted by this new game I got and it is really really good, it's called Space Opera, have you played it?"

"I have," I said, "Not a big fan of space sims like that. Besides, I'm still playing Skyrim."

That earnt me three extremely odd looks.

"What?" I asked.

Apparently Taylor was already getting used to my admittedly odd mannerisms and quickly shook herself off to get back to work. Well, she tried to, but Greg apparently couldn't be stopped and quickly started up on another tangent that even I found too much. I could talk a lot about the things I loved, but not in lessons. Even I knew when it was time to focus. I quickly got Taylor's attention and we got started while doing our best to ignore the rambling.

"…you have to understand it's a genre, and it's one I've really been getting into it lately, since I started watching this anime called – Oh, hey, Julia!" Greg broke off from his monologue to wave with enough energy and excitement that I wondered if any girl had ever looked at him twice.

I glanced up at the girl who had just entered for a moment before going back to my discussion with Taylor, who actually looked pleased to have someone attentive and competent to work with.

"Can I be in Madison's group?" Julia asked Mr. Gladly.

"That wouldn't be fair," said the Teacher, "Greg's group only has three people. Help them."

Julia glanced at us and frowned.

"Er, there are four of them," she said.

"Adams new so hes still getting caught up," said Mr Gladly as if that ended the conversation.

Julia walked over to where we were sitting and made a face at Taylor. Just loud enough for us to hear, she muttered a disgusted, "Ew." Then she looked at me and eyed me up and down with a gleam of interest in her eyes. I shuddered slightly as she licked her lips.

"Not even remotely interested," I muttered.

It was downhill from there. Madison's group moved so the four of them were sitting right next to our group, which let Julia talk with them while still sitting with us. The presence of all the popular and attractive girls in the class just got Greg more wound up, and he began trying to insert himself into their conversation, only to get shut down or ignored. It was embarrassing to watch and within five minutes I was ready to start banging my head on the table. I HATE being around popular girl cliques! Even if individually they can be intelligent, get them together and they become vapid, giggling annoyances that I was sorely tempted to incinerate.

"Greg," said Taylor in a vain attempt to distract him from the other group, "Here's what I did over the weekend. What do you think?"

She handed him the work she'd had done and, to his credit, he gave it a serious read.

"This is really good, Taylor," He said, when he was done.

"Let me see," Julia said.

Before Taylor could stop him, Greg dutifully handed my work over to her. She glanced over it, then tossed it towards Madisons table. Without looking, I snagged the folder out of the air and dropped it back in front of Taylor.

"Bad mean girl," I said, "No stealing other people's work."

I had to hide a smirk at the looks on everyone's faces. I don't think they were expecting me to be that dexterous, or maybe it was because I wasn't tripping over myself to please the popular crowd. I have to admit that Madison was actually relatively attractive and she at least had enough of a heart to realize that she'd wronged Taylor later down the line. To bad right now she was a bitch, as was proven by what she did next.

She scoffed and crossed her arms.

"What does it matter?" she sneered, "Its just Taylor."

I paused and fixed her with a flat look. Then I kicked her table, sending the package of notes in front of her flying up and into my hands.

"Wha...HEY!"

"Whoa, I can see why you need Taylors," I said as I flipped through the file, "This is shocking."

I tossed it back in front of her, ignoring the looks I was getting, ranging from disbelief to awe. Taylor spent the rest of the class with a slight smile on her lips that only grew when her hard work paid off and our group won hands down. As the lecture started, she elbowed me gently in the side.

"Thanks," she whispered.

I smiled and tipped an imaginary hat to her.

"Any time Ladybug," I said.

Taylor froze and stared at me with wide eyes for a second, before she shook her head and turned back to the front of the room.

* * *

When class was over, I headed out and looked around, headed down the hall to try and find my locker so I could grab my lunch and find somewhere to sit. Fortunately, it didn't take me long to retrace my steps back to my first class and from there to my locker that the Principle had shown me to that morning.

"Hmm, now why do I feel like I've forgotten something?" I muttered as I started heading back down the hall, heading to the main doors so I could eat outside and enjoy the nice weather.

I turned the corner and someone brushed past me, running towards the main entrance. I caught a glimpse of the tear stained face of Taylor.

"Ah, that," I muttered, "Right, lets see, how best to do this...oh, I know!"

I turned and headed in the direction Taylor had come from. It didn't take long to find her tormentors, who had just opened Taylors bag and were about to start rifling through it. I narrowed my eyes and focused on the zips. A moment later, the girl who was holding it let out a yelp and dropped it. My power worked best through touch, but I could heat up objects from a distance if I focused. It wasn't really that effective and was pretty much useless in a fight, but it was handy for disarming people if I got the drop on them.

I walked over as the girls checked on their friend, whos fingers were turning red from the minor burn she'd received. It'd be healed by the end of the day, but it still hurt.

"Hmm, I don't think this is yours," I said as I picked up Taylors bag.

"Wha...you again?" said Madison, "Don't you have anything better to do than sabotage any chance you have protecting that freak?"

I snorted.

"If being popular means being like you bitches, you can keep it," I said, "I despise bullies. There are few things lower than picking on the weak to make yourself feel better."

A curvy redhead I was pretty sure was Emma scoffed.

"Its her own fault for being so weak," she sneered.

I paused.

"Weak?" I said, "You think Taylors weak?"

"She just ran out of here in tears," sneered one of the girls.

"And who is it who's been taking who knows how much shit from you lot without snapping?" I asked, "That is anything but weak. I've known Taylor for all of three hours and yet I can already tell that she has an incredibly strong heart. However, if you lot keep this up, she will snap and then...well, I highly doubt you'll like the result."

"Why? What can that freak do to us?" asked Madison.

"She could kill herself," I said, flatly, "How would you like that on your conscious? To know you were responsible for driving a girl who's only crime was being a little different to take her own life?"

That shut the girls up and I could see that a few, including Madison, were paling as the thought. I doubted that would convince them all, but maybe it would give them something to think about. I turned and walked away, leaving the girls to think on their actions.

 **And with that, I'm done. Well, that was certainly interesting. I don't think I've ever had a character do anything like that before…**

 **I really hope I did a good job of Adam's mental attack on the girls. I actually have plans for Madison that involve her realizing the gravity of her actions and making some changes. Yes, that is a hint.**

 **Anyway, I can't think of anything else I need to say here, so I'll sign out and go to bed. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	54. Grimm Times for Brockton Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Grimm Times for Brockton

Dieing and ending up in another world is one thing. That world being one infested with monsters is quite another. And I don't just mean the countless villains or even the Endbringers. Oh no, that would be simple compared with what I see every day.

 **Don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning Needless Hero and even less of continuing this anytime soon. I MIGHT switch to this once I get further in Needless Hero, but for now it'll languish here. So yeah, as you can probably guess, this is a crossover with Grimm! Unlike my other Grimm stories though, this time our hero is the Grimm himself. This is gonna be fun! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, there are several things about dying that I never wanted to know. To start with, its bloody uncomfortable. Of course, being reborn is even more uncomfortable. Yea, I'm living proof that the Soul is real, despite the fact that I'm a sceptic at the best of times. Of course, that doesn't stop me from feeling like I've ether won the lottery or been sent here due to some horrific sin I committed in my last life. Why? Well, I'd been reborn in a world full of superpowered beings, but it wasn't one where heroes and villains balanced each other out and the heroes always win. It wasn't even My Hero Academia where EVERYONE has powers in one form or another. Oh no, I'm not that lucky. Instead, the world I now lived in was one where the greatest hero was actually its greatest potential threat and was definitely under threat from a bunch of OP monsters. Yep, I'd ended up being reborn in Worm. This is really gonna blow…

* * *

Anyway, since I'm writing this, you can probably guess that my life wasn't all hunky dory with the only potential issues being falling afoul of a Villain or Endbringer to worry be (although to be fair, they were pretty big worries). Actually, you might be surprised that I never actually went through a Trigger Event. I grew up a normal kid (or as normal as you can be when you live in Brockton Bay) and I even went to a decent school. Specifically, Arcadia High. Yep, I was in class with the Wards, Glory Girl and Panacea. If I was so inclined, I might be interested in fanboying...nah.

A big reason why I never felt the need to fanboy over the idea of sharing a class with the Wards and two members of the New Wave (other than an adult mindset) was because I'd actually grown up with the latter as family friends. Yeah, my Family were reasonably well off as my Dad was a lawyer who just so happened to work for the same firm as Brandish, my Mother was a captain in the police force and we lived just a few doors down from the Dallon's, resulting in my mother being Carol's go-to babysitter for when she and her husband had to rush off to save the day. As such, I grew up with Vicky and Amy as my friends and playmates.

I'm not entirely sure why, but Mum didn't seem to like that, although she never actually did anything to stop me from playing with them. Actually, it seemed that her disapproval was directed towards just Amy as she never seemed tense around Vicky. It could have been due to the fact she was Marquis daughter, but something told me that wasn't it. I really should have listened to that intuition, although I suppose it wouldn't have done me any good. Its hard to run from your family legacy after all.

What do I mean by that? Well, when I was 15, I discovered that this world was extremely strange, even before Scion turned up and turned it all to shit. The night started off pretty much like any other, although I was a little late due to my after school club running a little late. Despite that, I was confident that I wouldn't be in any danger as, despite Brockton's well earned reputation, the area I lived in was reasonably safe. Unfortunately, I decided to take a shortcut through an alley. Honestly, you'd think I'd know better.

As you might expect, I was half way down it when a couple of thugs with the look of drug addicts, dirty clothes and armed with rusty knives and a battered looking gun. One of the two grabbed me and shoved me against the wall, pressing the barrel of his gun against my head.

"Alright rich boy, hand over everything you've got," said the thug.

"Yeah, and don't try anything," sneered the other one, waving his rusty looking switchblade under my nose.

I raised an eyebrow, before I grabbed the thug by the wrist, forcing his arm up. He pulled the trigger, but the only thing that happened was a small flame appeared on the tip.

"Next time you want to threaten someone, use a real gun," I said, before elbowing the other thug as he tried to jump me from behind.

"Arrgg, damn it," growled the thug I was holding in a one armed lock, "Let go!"

Then, he changed. I don't mean like he was a Cape, but rather his face rippled, gaining pale yellow, scaly skin over his face, a forked tongues behind sharp, pointy teeth and three gills on both sides of their neck. I recoiled in shock, letting the thug go as I did, but that had nothing on the thug. His eyes widened in shock and fear and he scrabbled back away from me.

"Oh god, your a Grimm!" he gasped.

I blinked. Ooookay, thats not what I was expecting. I was about to respond, but a fist to the side of the head stopped that and sent me crashing to the ground.

"Peh, not so tough," sneered the other thug as he too changed, this time into something that looked like a cross between a lizard, and some kind of hellish dog.

"Are you crazy Kline?!" gasped the first thug, "Hes a Grimm! He could…"

"He'll do nothing!" sneered Kline, "This pussy might be a Grimm, but he ain't so tough."

He gave a dark grin as his Woge retracted.

"I'd say he's new at this, like, really new. In other words, helpless."

I blanched as the other thugs look of fear faded and a grin of his own appeared.

"So what your saying is…"

"Think of the street cred we could get if we took off a Grimms head," said Kline.

Awww shit, this was really bad. I quickly curled up, protecting my head as Kline lashed out with a brutal kick that caught me in the stomach. It didn't take long for the other one to join in. Both were now Woged and making excellent use of the inhuman strength possessed in said form to beat the stuffing out of me. Considering the number of blows coming down on me, it wasn't long before one of them got past my guard and caught me in the side of the head, knocking me unconscious.

* * *

I found myself floating among the stars. It took me a moment to realize that I wasn't dead, but that thought was quickly washed away when I spotted...something. They were massive, well beyond what any Human could possibly imagine, made up of countless glowing hypercubes that were shifting and changing. They seemed to be twisting together in an endless dance as they moved through space towards an unknown destination. Then, I heard a voice. I couldn't hear exactly what it was saying, but I could feel the creatures gaze on me, watching, judging and finding me to be acceptable. Then, one of the creatures twitched and a fragment broke off and flew at me with the speed of a comet. Before I could react, it hit me in the chest and I jolted awake, shooting bolt upright, ready to defend myself...only to blink as I found myself shoved back down onto the bed I was apparently in by a strong hand.

"Wha…?"

I blinked and looked around, taking in my surroundings properly this time. I was in a hospital room, not the alleyway, with my mother beside the bed.

"Mum? What happened?" I asked, wincing as my head throbbed.

"What do you remember?" asked Mum.

"Er, I was taking a shortcut through an alley and a couple of thugs jumped me," I said.

"You were lucky," said Mum, "Vicky and Crystal were patrolling nearby and heard the commotion. They stepped in and got them off you before they could do to much damage."

I winced.

"I imagine that ended well for them," I said.

Mum gave a thin smile.

"Indeed," she said, "They're still in intensive care after Vicky was done with them and Panacea is refusing to heal them."

She actually looked reluctantly pleased about that.

"What do you have against Amy anyway?" I asked.

I'd asked it before, but she'd never given me a straight answer.

Mum gave a sardonic smile.

"Lets just say that her family and ours are...not on great terms," she said.

"I assume you mean her birth family?" I asked.

"Yep," said Mum.

I frowned as my head slowly began to clear and I managed to remember the events that led up to be being knocked for six.

"Mum, about the thugs who attacked me," I said hesitantly.

I'm pretty sure I could figure out what was going on, but I wanted to know if my family knew and which side I got it from.

"What about them?" she asked as she adjusted my pillows.

"Well, they kinda...changed," I said.

Mum paused.

"I see," she said slowly, "So thats it…"

She sighed as she retook her seat.

"I honestly hoped I would never have to have this conversation with you," she said.

I frowned.

"What conversation?" I asked.

Mum opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the door opened and the doctor came in.

"Later," she said.

* * *

Now that I was awake, the Doctor gave me a quick check up and declared me perfectly healthy. Apparently being good friends with the best healer in Brockton Bay has its perks because Panacea had fixed me right up. In short, I was out within an hour and on my way home in Mums car.

"So, whats this conversation?" I asked.

Mum pulled a face.

"Not one I want to have, but unfortunately, its needed," she said, "If your seeing them, that means that the misfortune of our family has already passed to you."

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Mum sighed. She had been doing that a lot today.

"This world is...strange," she said, "Capes are only scratching the surface. In truth, there have been things hiding in the shadows for as long as there have been Humans. Every fairy tale you've ever read, every myth and legend is true in one way or another. Those two last night were only the beginning. You'll see more, far more. When we get home, I'll show you our family legacy."

I groaned. Well, that basically confirmed it, not that I could really deny it.

"So, what exactly are we?" I asked.

"We are Grimm," she said, "We can see them when they don't want to be seen. Its our job to help police the Wesen world and keep the rest of Humanity safe from them. Usually by taking permanent measures, although I prefer due process. Easier to clean up."

I resisted the urge to bang my head on the dashboard. Good thing to because at that moment we turned into our drive...where a car and old looking metal trailer were sitting next to Dads car. I blinked. I recognized that trailer...aww shit.

I bit back a groan as I followed Mum into the house where we found Dad in the kitchen, chatting with a middle aged woman with graying, black hair. As we entered, they both looked up and Dad immediately came around the table and pulled me into a hug.

"Thank god you're alright," he said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up, but…"

"Don't worry Dad, I know," I said as I hugged him back.

"Marie, you should have called!" said Mum as she walked over to the woman and hugged her.

"I know, but I was in the neighborhood," said my Aunt, "What happened?"

"Adrian did something stupid and ended up on the wrong side of town," said Mum, "Hes fine thanks to Panacea, but I'll be making sure he learns later."

She paused.

"Actually, you being here might be a good thing," she said.

Marie raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Mum nodded and indicated to her eyes. Marie's own eyes widened and she shot a glance at me.

"Ah."

"Indeed."

"Do I even want to know what you two are talking about?" asked Dad.

Mum and my Aunt glanced at one another.

"No, you don't," they said at the same time.

Dad rolled his eyes.

"Honestly Marie, your supposed to be my sister and I still have no idea what you're thinking half the time," he said.

"Aww, don't be jealous George," said Mum, "Now, its your turn to cook dinner, so get started while I catch up with Marie. Adrian, we'll talk later."

Dad rolled his eyes again as my mother and Aunt headed for the sitting room.

"Come on sport, lets get cooking," said Dad, "And you can tell me why exactly you decided it was a good idea to take that short cut."

"Fine," I said as I followed Dad over to the sink to wash my hands so we could get dinner started.

 **And done. Well, that was certainly interesting, wasn't it? Not only is Adrian a Grimm, but he's also apparently Triggered, although we have no idea what his powers are yet.**

 **Fortunately for him, his Mum is also an active Grimm and so is his Aunt...who happens to be a precancer Marie Kessler. Yep, hes Nicks cousin. I can see no way that will end badly! Oh, and his Dad's not a Grimm.**

 **Hmm, I wonder why his Mum doesn't like Amy? I wonder…**

 **For those who can't figure it out, the Wesen who attacked him were a Skalengeck and a Hollentier. Nasty pair.**

 **Wesen and Grimm in this world are obviously able to Trigger, just like Humans and there is no difference between a Human and non-human Cape, although Wesen Capes tend to have powers closer to their Wesen form.**

 **And with that, its time for me to sign off. Don't forget to leave me a review on the way out!**


	55. Phantom Thief Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Phantom Thief

Getting reborn as the Harry in a WBWL story is NOT fun. However, for all the pain I was put though, I think I came out best in the end. I'd have prefered to not have to go through hell, but its hard to imagine that I'll ever be trapped again when the Darkness itself is at my beck and call. Now, lets have some fun and steal everything thats not nailed down...and help stop the end of the world while I'm at it!

 **And we are back with another HP idea, this time its another WBWL, although from a more trationanal Harry POV. Oh, and theres an additional part to this story that will make things...interesting. Expect Potter, Weasley and possible Hermione bashing in the future. Not sure about the last one though. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, I often wonder if maybe I pissed someone off last time through. Then I look at my friends and realize that no, I most definitely didn't. Sorry, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself. Lets back up a bit and start from the beginning. It all started after I died from having a shelf full of Harry Potter merchandise fall on me. Not the most grandiose of deaths, although it does make me think that maybe Death has a sense of humor considering where I woke up. Anyway, after I died from blunt force trauma, I woke up again in the body of a baby. Not what I was expecting. But lets roll with it. What I can't roll with is the fact that someone upstairs seems to be having a laugh at my expense. What makes me say that? Well, my Father can turn into a stag, my mother is known for a fiery temper and green eyes and my Godfather is literally a mutt. I am fucking screwed! Oh, and you know the worst part? I'm not the only newborn Potter. Oh no, I've been reborn with a twin brother, Brandon Potter. Something tells me that is is gonna end badly…

* * *

I WAS FUCKING RIGHT! The attack happened pretty much exactly as I was expecting, with Voldie barging into Brandon and my room, stunned Mum in front of our crib, before shooting the Killing Curse at me. I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but whatever it was resulted in the Curse being reflected straight back at Voldemort with far more force, blowing the Dark Lord to bits and carving a pair of horizontal lines into my brothers cheek with the backlash. You can probably guess what happened next.

Dumbledore showed up, declared me the BWL and then did something that resulted in me getting dumped on the Dursley's front steps. What happened next was...not pleasant to say the least. Oh, the menagerie never touched me (at least not for the first few years), but instead they threw me in the cupboard and forgot about me, only remembering to feed and change me every couple of days. When I was three, Petunia set me to work on backbreaking chores that no reasonable person could expect a toddler to manage and then tossed me back in the cupboard with no food when I failed to complete them. I managed to take two years of that, but a few days after my fifth birthday, that changed. I had my first outburst of Accidental Magic.

* * *

It happened when Petunia was yelling at me again about something I can't remember and my anger and frustration at the demented woman finally reached a breaking point. I'd been able to keep my rage suppressed for years, mainly because I really had no inclination to make things worse until I could at least defend myself, but that day was just too much and I snapped. As a result, Petunia was sent flying through the glass door leading to the kitchen. To make matters worse, it was a Sunday, so Vernon and Dudley were home. You can probably guess where this is going.

Without going into details for obvious reasons, it hurt. In fact, it damn near killed me, not helped in the least by being tossed into the cupboard and left there for two weeks. I'm pretty sure that the only reason I didn't die of dehydration was because of my Magic, but even that couldn't stave of death for long and I was reaching my limit.

"D-damn it," I gasped as my vision started to fail, "I...I don't want to die...not like this...I need to...get...OUT!"

I tried to lunge forwards to hit the door, if only to remind them I was still in here so they would hopefully get me out. I didn't think they wanted to kill me after all. However, I was to weak and instead, slumped to the floor as I blacked out.

* * *

I found myself floating among the stars. It took me a moment to realize that I wasn't dead, but that thought was quickly washed away when I spotted...something. They were massive, well beyond what any Human could possibly imagine, made up of countless glowing hypercubes that were shifting and changing. They seemed to be twisting together in an endless dance as they moved through space towards an unknown destination. Then, I heard a voice. I couldn't hear exactly what it was saying, but I could feel the creatures gaze on me, watching, judging and finding me to be acceptable. Then, one of the creatures twitched and a fragment broke off and flew at me with the speed of a comet. Before I could react, it hit me in the chest and I found myself back in the cupboard, my body suddenly feeling full of energy and oddly...fluid. Then, my awareness suddenly expanded and I could see...EVERYTHING. My body came apart, flowing and shifting into the darkness as my vision shifted and I found myself able to see out of every single shadow in the house. The Dursleys were all asleep, oblivious to my near death and sudden change. I felt all the rage I'd been saving rear up like a firestorm as I watched them sleep and I felt my shadowy body respond, ripping and rising up, forming into blades and corkscrews, ready to turn them into burger meat.

That though served to break me out of my rage however as my non-existent body decided to remind me that my body desperately needed sustenance, despite the energy surge. I closed my eyes and focused, trying to pull myself back together. It took a moment, but my awareness pulled back out of the shadows and I found myself in the kitchen. I stumbled as a wave of tiredness washed over me and I staggered towards the fridge. I wrenched the door open and grabbed the first thing I saw that wouldn't kill me. I quickly lost track of time as I worked my way through the fridge, my starved body and magic driving me to consume more and more to replenish my body.

* * *

By the time I was done, I had emptied the fridge of everything that didn't need cooking and had polished off most of the pantry as well. Considering the size of Dudley and Vernon's appetites, that was an impressive amount of food. With my belly now full (and somehow not bursting at the seems), I dropped to the floor in a sitting position with a sigh of relief, idly noting the sunlight leaking through the kitchen window as I did. My body no longer ached and it seemed that my Magic or perhaps my strange new powers had already digested the massive meal and used the energy and nutrients to start fixing the damage caused by starvation and the beating. With nothing else to do for now, my thoughts turned to my new powers and their apparent source.

Just what was that? It was like nothing I'd ever felt and I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't find anything similar in the Wizarding World, so what…

I jumped as the door rattled and something landed on the doormat with a thump. I hesitantly stood and went to see what had arrived. It was the newspaper, something Vernon had never let me read, or watch the TV, either because he wanted to keep me ignorant of the world outside or because he didn't want Freak germs on his favorite things. Still, its not like I didn't know what was going on, having already lived through the ev...WHAT THE HELL?!

I had just idly glanced at the front page, only to be met with a headline about a town in America being destroyed by...the Slaughterhouse Nine. I snatched up the paper and wrenched it open, scanning the articles. Alexandria had fought a stupidly powerful Villain and won, a big fashion company had come out with some new fashion based on popular Capes that was hot shit and Leviathan was starting to make worrying moves...well, this was certainly interesting. At least now I knew where my powers came from. I glanced at the date and saw that it was 2001. So, to summarize, I'm apparently in a crossover world with countless people who make Voldemort look like a minor annoyance at best, the HP timeline was forwards about 10 years and I'm a Cape with power over Shadows. This was...AWESOME!

I felt a dark grin slowly cross my lips. If this world was that of Worm, as well as Harry Potter...ohh, the fun I could have! Screw the Wizarding World, the only thing they'd done for me was throw me aside! I'd probably attend Hogwarts, if only so I could learn Magic, but theres no way I'd help them with Voldie. No, I'm gonna go and have fun with the world as a whole! Theres so much to see and do, so many things I could swipe...wait, what?

I frowned and went back to that last thought. For some reason, I was suddenly feeling an urge to just start stealing everything that wasn't nailed down with my powers. Huh, I wonder if that was coming from my Passenger...eh, whatever, its not a bad idea at all. Hell, with my powers, it'd be a synch! My grin widened as the shadows around my feet started to writhe in anticipation.

A thump from upstairs wiped my smile of my face however. A life as a Phantom Thief could wait, first there was something I needed to do here.

A quick application of focus and my body turned into an inky black liquid-like substance that dissolved into the shadows and the darkness in the house became my body. I gave a dark grin as I located the Dursleys and went to work. Dudley was still in bed, but that quickly changed as the darkness under his covers suddenly came alive and wrapped around him, turning him into a fat, black cocoon that was yanked through his door (literally) and downstairs before he could even scream. Vernon was in the bathroom in the middle of shaving when his shadow suddenly shot up and grabbed him by the ankles, yanking him down as if the darkness had suddenly become a pool of ink, while Petunia was grabbed from behind as she turned away from her closet with her chosen outfit for the day in hand.

Within seconds, all three animals were in the living room, bound like flies in a spiders web as more and more black liquid like darkness leaked from the walls, floor and ceiling, transforming the sickeningly normal room into a chamber that wouldn't look out of place as the lair of a villain in the Lord of the Rings.

"M-mummy, whats happening?!" stuttered Dudley, his eyes wide with fear.

"Whats happening, Dudley, is me working out some anger issues," I said as I emerged from a pool of darkness, the ink-like substance acting as a body, despite the fact I was technically living shadow at the moment.

At the sight of me, the fear on Vernon's face was replaced with anger and his face went purple.

"BOYYYY, STOP THIS FREAKISHNESS AT ONCE!" he roared, "YOU WON'T GET AW…."

He was cut off as I plugged his mouth with darkness.

"Quite Uncle, I'm talking now," I said condescendingly, "Plus, you really don't want to make me angry...well, angrier."

The darkness binding the Dursley's rippled and tendrils emerged, morphing into razor sharp blades and corkscrews that aimed themselves at numerous tender places. Vernon immediately stopped trying to yell through his gag and went the colour of paper.

"Thats better," I said, "Now, despite the fact that I'd love nothing more than to kill you and consume your bodies, I really don't want you inside of me. Plus, I have no interest in staining my hands with blood, especially not yours. However, I still have a lot of issues to work through."

I gave a dark grin that made all three Dursley's recoil.

"Now, lets have some fun!" I said with false cheer.

I'm not ashamed to admit that their screams were soooo sweet to my ears.

 **So, that'll do for now. So, what do you think of my first attempt at a Dark (sort of) Harry story? It'd probably be more accurate to call him chaotic neutral considering his role will be more 'anti hero with a habit of fucking with the heros and stealing everything that isn't nailed down' than outright villain. Think Catwoman or Red X.**

 **Harry's power allows him to merge with shadow and darkness, transforming every shadow within a certain radius around him into his eyes and ears, although his range of control is a little smaller. He can draw things into his darkness, travel quickly and silently and is basically untouchable within his dark dimension, although bright lights can and will hurt him and force him to retreat.**

 **To be honest, I'm not sure how much Worm will impact this story...probably not much in all honesty. Technically, I'm just using the world because I love the idea of depicting the Wizarding World as so insular that most Purebloods aren't even aware of Scion and the Endbringers (somehow), although I do have a few ideas of Harry breaking into the Ward HQ and spraypainting 'GIEST WOZ HEER!' all over the walls. Expect a level of maturity on par with Abridged Alucard.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**

 **EDIT: Made a few alterations where I fucked up and I think I've got the year right. My intention is for Harry to be 14 at the start of Worm. Would someone better at maths than me double check to make sure I got the date right?**


	56. Phantom Thief Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Phantom Thief

Getting reborn as the Harry in a WBWL story is NOT fun. However, for all the pain I was put though, I think I came out best in the end. I'd have prefered to not have to go through hell, but its hard to imagine that I'll ever be trapped again when the Darkness itself is at my beck and call. Now, lets have some fun and steal everything thats not nailed down...and help stop the end of the world while I'm at it!

 **And we're back. Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Amelia Bones had a headache. For the past two weeks, there had been a huge number of robberies reported by Purebloods, mostly either 'upstanding members of society' (better known as Death Eaters who bribed their way out of prison) or people who supported the Pureblood movement, including the Undersecretary herself. As a result, Fudge was leaning heavily on her to do something about them. The problem was that she had literally nothing to go on, other than a tag that had been spray painted on the walls of each place hit, a cartoony rendition of the Dark Mark that Amelia had to admit was kinda cute, if it wasn't for the horrific origin of the symbol.

Other than the graffeety, there was nothing. No wards tripped, no broken glass, not even a trace of magic being used anywhere that didn't come from the home owners or visitors to the property. It certainly didn't help that the victims were being singularly unhelpful, despite the fact that THEY were the ones demanding that she find and arrest whoever was responsible. Then again, nothing that was taken was really that valuable, just some food, clothes and the occasional nice bit of furniture, but nothing that couldn't be replaced. Well, thats all that was reported at least. Amelia wasn't stupid, she knew that there was probably more missing, but it would be stuff that they really shouldn't have and would likely get them tossed in Azkaban. Or at least fined a lot of money. The only exception to that was Umbitch...Umbridge, who's house had been stripped practically to the bedrock and then coated in dust that was apparently all that remained of the Undersecretaries 'priceless' kitten plate collection.

However, all that was pretty much irrelevant at this point. No matter what the purebloods, the Minister or even the Wizengamot itself wanted, there was nothing Amelia could do. Whoever this Geist was, he was well named. Whoever it was must be incredibly powerful and intelligent to get through the Wards around the houses of old Pureblood families without tripping them. She had to wonder, just what kind of man was he..?

* * *

"Hehehee, that was fun!" I cackled as I tossed another silver item that tried to make my head implode out of the trunk that was my current home.

In the past couple of weeks since I got my powers, I had been traveling around the country, finding Wizarding houses and stealing from the ones I knew were Dark. Most of what I swiped was useful stuff for me, blankets, some furniture to furnish my new home and lots of food. I also lifted a number of rather valuable looking artifacts that were most definitely not legal if the fact they were hidden in secret chambers was anything to go by. It was while nicking them that I discovered that I was apparently immune to most forms of magic while in my Breaker state. Oh, the curses on the items still affected me, but considering my body was made of shadow, the curse destroyed the body that was holding it and then dissipated, allowing me to reform my body and toss the item out into the endless darkness of the pocket space that filled my Darkness.

Yep, I had a hammerspace. When I drew things into my body while in my Breaker state, they entered the hammer space and I could draw them out freely whenever I wanted. I could draw Humans in as well, but when I did it to the Dursleys...well, lets just say that my revenge was cut disappointingly short due to reasons of liquified brains. All three were currently locked up in padded rooms, drooling on themselves.

On the plus side, I had found a way around it by stealing an expanded Trunk with a small house inside from a store in Diagon alley. So long as I dumped a person I swallowed directly into the trunk, they'd be fine, as I discovered after experimenting with a couple of scumbags I caught trying to rape a woman and promptly swallowed as an experiment. I had then kicked them out of my home into the darkness, before spitting them out in front of the police station with their brains running out of their ears. Now I had a few expanded trunks floating around in my hammerspace, including my home that I had furnished with stuff stolen from Death Eaters. I had no idea what I'd use them all for, but I was quickly becoming a bit of a packrat. The kleptomania didn't really help either.

* * *

I spent the next six years doing nothing to help the mess that was quickly building up in my pocket dimension by moving around Europe and later America, doing everything I could to be a right pain in the neck for the local version PRT and Protectorate, usually by slipping into their base and stealing something from some of their Heroes. My trophies included one of Alexandria's capes, Armsmasters prototype halburd, an entire Dragon suit (where I had almost been caught by the AI before I shut the suit down), Legends mask, one of Contessa's hats and Myriddin's staff. It was that last one where I was closest to being caught by the Cape as I wasn't expecting to run face first into a set of Wards that were most definitely magical in nature. Turns out, the guy wasn't kidding about being a Wizard, although I was willing to bet that he was also a Cape, just like me. I also targeted Villains on occasion, although what I stole from them tended to be more along the lines of crap ton's of cash to pay for my living expenses. I didn't always steal shit after all. As a result, the name Guist was whispered by Heroes and villains everywhere, thanks to my habit of spray painting my tag and the words 'GEIST WAS HEER!' on every place I hit. Despite that, and the sheer number of thefts, I was still only considered to be an annoyance at best, similar to Uber and Leet. Probably even less so considering I didn't tend to target innocent people and, other than causing the people in charge major headaches, I didn't cause any public disturbances.

* * *

Of course, I didn't spend my entire time causing trouble and sometimes I did things normal kids did, ranging from going to the amusement park to visiting museums or going to the theater or movies. On my tenth birthday, I decided to do just that and snuck into a movie theater in london to catch an import from Aleph. I wasn't exactly paying any attention to what the film actually was, I was more interested in just enjoying my evening. That's why, when a very familiar theme started playing over the top of the Warner Bros logo, I nearly spat my coke over the family sitting in front. The film I'd snuck in to see was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Holy fucking shit, it looks like the two worlds are more different than I thought!

I left the theater in a bit of a daze as I tried to get my brain back on track. How in the world was I supposed to react to this? I mean, its one thing to be reborn into a world of fiction, but its quite another to actually watch a piece of said fiction when your technically the main character of it!

I was so distracted by my existential crisis that I walked straight into a girl coming out of the loos, sending us both to the floor.

"Oops, sorry about that," I said, as I stood and offered the girl my hand, "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," said the girl, accepting my offered help.

She looked my age, with bushy, brown hair pulled into a ponytail and dark brown eyes.

"Hey, weren't you the guy sat behind me?" she asked.

I blinked and realized that, yes, she was the girl from the family I'd almost spat my coke over.

"Ah, yes, I am," I said, "Harry Potter, nice to meet you."

The girls eyebrows shot up and she gave me a flat look. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not joking," I said, "Thats really my name."

The girl sighed.

"Well, its not like I can say anything," she said, "Hermione Granger."

Shit.

"So, what did you think of the movie?" I asked.

"Eh, it was alright," she said, "Not the best in the series, but still enjoyable."

I nodded in agreement. I fully agreed, although that might have something to do with the fact I thought canon Harry was an idiot, not helped in the least by the fact I literally was Harry now.

"So, what do you think are the chances that we'll get Hogwarts letters next year?" I asked with a smirk.

"About as high as Scion trying to destroy the world," deadpanned Hermione.

I paused. Ohh dear, that wouldn't end well.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said, "Anyway, I've gotta go, so…"

BOOM!

I jumped at the sudden sound of an explosion and nearly melted, before I realized that it was actually Hermione's phone going off.

"Sorry," she said as I glared at her.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen, before paling.

"Sorry, but I gotta run," she said, "It was nice meeting you Harry!"

She ran off. I watched her go with a raised eyebrow. Well, that was suspicious. I glanced around and extended my sense through the shadows. Once I was sure I was alone, my body came apart and sank into the darkness. My essence slithered through the shadowy dimension my powers granted me access to, quickly locating Hermione and latching onto her shadow...just as she got into a PRT van. I quickly zipped away as she started getting changed, but I'd seen enough. It looked like little Hermione was a Cape and a member of the London Wards. I couldn't help it as an eager grin that crossed my face. I'd never hit the King's Men, mainly because they didn't really have anyone as impressive as the Protectorate, but now? Now I really hope their ready cus Geist is in town!

* * *

Luna Lovegood stuck her tongue out in concentration as she added the last few ingredients to the bubbling vat of green ooze that would serve as the birthing chamber for her latest creation. She wasn't entirely sure where the ideas and methods of bringing said ideas to life came from, but she really didn't care. All she knew was that working on her beloved creations helped to fill the void left by her Mothers death and made her heart ache a little less. True, some of her more...volatile creations had recently escaped, but they had been retrieved and were no chewing on the bars of their cages again while the PRT tried desperately to find where the monsters had come from. She wouldn't be making such dangerous monsters again until she was sure she could control them, but that was fine. This next creation was far less dangerous and much more adorable.

There was an explosion of green smoke as she dropped the last of the ingredients into her cauldron as the goo vaporized, filling the room with a green haze and the stench of rotting eggs. A few seconds later, it was all sucked back into the pot and vanished. Luna waited a few seconds, before reaching into the cauldron and lifting out a small, rabbit-like creature with light blue fur, big round eyes, floppy ears and a short, crumpled, bronze coloured horn emerging from its forehead.

The little creature stared up at its 'mother' as Luna carefully checked it over for any sign of imperfections that could become a problem later down the line. After a moment, she relaxed, having found none, before letting out a squeal and hugging the little creature to her chest.

"I'm gonna call you Reginald!" she said.

Reginald just twitched his nose in response.

* * *

Lily Potter was excited. It had been 10 years since she had last seen her eldest son and it was finally time to see him again. She still wasn't entirely pleased that James had handed Harry over to Dumbledore to keep safe, but she understood the logic. Brandon was the Boy-Who-Lived and that meant that he'd had the press hounding him from a very early age. Dumbledore had thought it best to separate the two boys so that Harry wouldn't be targeted by proxy and potentially grow up resenting his brother for the attention. That didn't mean she didn't miss him though and she was looking forwards to seeing him again.

Unfortunately, that excitement quickly turned to horror and rage when Dumbledore told her where he'd left her son.

"ARE YOU INSANE!?" thundered Lily, slamming both hands down on her old headmaster's desk, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING LEAVING HARRY AT MY SISTERS!?"

"Now Lily, I'm sure its not that bad," said Dumbledore.

"Albus, my sister HATES me!" yelled Lily, "She despises anything that doesn't fit her idea of normal! It wouldn't surprise me in the least if she…"

She trialed off as her anger bled away and was replaced by horror. She paled and nearly collapsed, her grip on the desk being the only thing keeping her up.

"Oh god, I bet she drowned him…" she whispered, "My baby…"

Dumbledore frowned.

"Now Lily, I'm sure she didn't do anything like that," he said, "He is family after all…"

He was cut off as Lily suddenly scowled and surged to her feet, punching him across the face.

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID OLD GOAT!" she roared, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MY SISTER AND HER PIG OF A HUSBAND ARE LIKE! IF THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH IT, THERE WOULD BE NOTHING TO STOP THEM FROM STARTING A FUCKING WITCH HUNT!"

She took a deep breath, shoving down her anger.

"Now, here's whats going to happen," she snarled, "We are going to go and get Harry from that place and if there's even a scratch on my boy, I'm going to make sure they go to prison for life. After that, you are going to get your nose out of mine and my children's business, no more trying to get me to go back to James and definitely no attempting to set my children up with ANYONE, especially not Molly's spawn. If James wants to let you use Brandon as your little puppet, fine, but I will NOT let you do the same with Rose or Harry."

Dumbledores eyes widened.

"Oh, you think I didn't know about that?" growled Lily, "Guess what old man, I'm not known as the brightest witch of the age because I'm good at school work and I'm certainly no delicate flower who stands back and does everything shes told."

She turned on her heel and marched towards the door. Before she left however, she paused and glanced back.

"Oh, and Dumbledore? If Harry's dead then nothing in this world will stop me from taking your head off."

She left the room, slamming the door hard enough to make it rattle on its hinges.

* * *

Dumbledore felt his stomach sink as he watched Lily leave. Ever since she had somehow survived the attack all those years ago, she had changed. She'd always been far to wilful for his taste and was far to intelligent to fall for his Grandfatherly act. He had hoped that being married to a good Pureblood husband would help make her more plient for his plans, but it hadn't helped. Just about the only thing she'd ever agreed to do without intense questioning was giving him Harry, but he was well aware of the fact that she had only done that because she was still dazed from the attack. Since then, she'd only become more independent and formidable, not helped in the least by the fact that any attempt to use computions to make her just a little more agreeable had slipped off her like water of a ducks back.

He'd been desperately hoping that he had been wrong, but now it seemed that his worst fear had been confirmed. That night, something Voldemort had done had corrupted Lily and now she was slipping into the Dark. The first sign was when she had left James, taking her daughter with her and things had only gone downhill from there. It pained him, but he knew he couldn't allow her to have any kind of influence over Harry, not if he wanted to guide the true Boy-Who-Lived to complete his destiny. The old man sighed deeply and stood, moving over to the fireplace where he threw some Floo powder into the flames.

"James, we need to talk," he said sadly.

* * *

Outside, Lily stalked out of the castle, shoving the main doors open with enough force that they bounced of the walls, before pushing off the ground hard enough to blast a crater in the magically strengthened stone. A moment later, Hogwarts was shaken by a sonic boom as she flew south as fast as she could.

After waking up from somehow surviving being hit by the Killing Curse, Lily had quickly discovered that she had gained powers from the experience. Despite the general Wizarding Worlds wilful ignorance of the fact that Capes were a thing (she still had no idea how that was possible after the Simurghs attack on London that had only been prevented from becoming another Switzerland thanks to her ability to generate a field that protected those under it from Master effects. She'd been unconscious for a week after that fight), she was not having never lost contact with her Muggle heritage and the fact her Father was the director of Britain's PRT. As a result, she had joined the Kings Men as the Phoenix, sometimes known as Britain's Alexandria. She thought that was a bit much as she was nowhere near as strong as the legendary hero, but there was no doubt that she was one of the stronger individuals that held an Alexandria package.

Of course, no one in her family, formerly or otherwise, were aware of what she actually did, with her Daughter believing that she worked for the Muggle government...which wasn't completely inaccurate. Of course, she doubted that her husband and son would actually care all that much considering both were much more interested in the fame and attention the Boy-Who-Lived received than actually being a good father and husband. Hell, the bastard hadn't even shown up to find out where his eldest had been for the past 10 years. It was that very thing that had made her divorce the arrogant bastard eight years ago after she had caught Brandon wrecking Rose's things and James had refused to do anything about it. That had been the last straw for her, clumlalating all the missed birthdays, the turning a blind eye to Brandon's bullying behaviour as meer pranks and the sheer amount of unmitigated spoiling that turned her happy baby boy into a self entitled, arrogant little toerag who was as bad, if not worse than Malfoy's brat. It certainly didn't help that James had regressed back into the arrogant, bullying asshole he'd been when they were in school.

* * *

Lily shook herself out of her revery as she reached Privet Drive and swooped down towards Number 4, switching on her aura as she did. While she was primarily an Alexandria Cape, with super strength, invulnerability and flight, she also had a Shaker ability that allowed her to generate a field that could protect everyone inside from unfriendly attacks. It didn't work on physical attacks, but energy, mental and even being noticed if she needed it were all possible. It was so powerful that it could even defend against Endbringer strength attacks, although that would put her out for the count for a while. Right now, she was using it to prevent her from being noticed by anyone in the street as she touched down and marched towards her sisters house. Despite being tempted to just kick the door down, she instead started banging on it.

"Petunia, get your ass out here!" she yelled.

No response. The red-head growled and was about to kick the door in, before a snooty voice stopped her.

"Excuse me, but are you looking for the Dursleys?"

She turned to see a middle aged woman with the look of a lifetime gossip about her.

"Yes, I am," said Lily, doing her best to reign in her irritation, "Are they here?"

The woman sniffed.

"I'd say not," she said, "They haven't lived there for nearly five years, not since that horrid nephew of theirs vanished and they were institutionalized."

Lily felt a cold shiver go up her spine. She had intentionally cut all ties to Petunia, which is probably why she never heard that Harry was with them in the first place, but still…

"Institutionalized?" she asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, it was horrible," said the woman with a tone that said she thought it was anything but, "No ones sure what happened, only that all three of the Dursleys were found completely braindead. No one could figure out what happened, only that it had to be the work of a Cape."

Lily swallowed.

"What about their Nephew?" she asked, "What about Harry?"

The woman snorted.

"Oh, hes gone somewhere," she said dismissively, "Good riddance to the brat."

Lily ruthlessly suppressed the urge to punch the woman's head of her shoulders at her dismissive tone. Just what had her sister done? Probably spread vicious rumors about Harry being a criminal knowing her. Either way, that was irrelevant.

"Who lives there now?" asked Lily, curious as to why no one answered her banging.

"I have no idea," said the woman, "The current owner's never there. I think they're holding onto it for tax reasons or something? They bought it soon after it was repossessed."

Lily frowned and thanked the woman, who continued on her way. She didn't feel like thanking her though. She had no idea where her son could be, but if her sisters family had been broken so easily completely, it sounded like he could be in the hands of a Master...or else he had been the one to do it. The idea of her son Tiggering because of her Sister made her fury rise again, but she ruthlessly shoved it back down. Now wasn't the time to lose control. She needed to see if there were any clues inside. If it had been bought by someone and never used, there might be some clues she could find.

She quickly reactivated her Aura and pulled out her wand, unlocking the door and slipping inside. The house looked pretty much like she'd expected considering it had been abandoned for at least five years, with dust and cobwebs everywhere. It was also pretty empty, clearly having been emptied by someone of the Dursleys possessions. The red-headed Cape raised her wand and started casting detection spells, only for it to come back with some extremely odd results. She did however find that there were some remains of Harry in the cupboard under the stairs. She immediately wenched the door open, ignoring the splintering wood, and felt her heart clench when she saw the large puddle of long dried blood staining the threadbare blanket and thin mattress inside the tiny space.

"Damn you Petunia," she hissed, "You should be glad that whatever got you did before I did."

She slammed the door (causing it to shatter into splinters) and continued with her search of the house. Her magical scans were useless, but when she entered the kitchen, she found something rather odd. Sitting on the table was a letter addressed to 'Albus too-many-names Bumblefuck'. Lily frowned. Who could have left a letter addressed to Dumbledore here? Was it the person who had Harry? With few other choices, Lily picked up the letter, after checking for traps of course, and opened it.

Dear Bumblefuck,

HI, its HARRY! You know, the kid you condemned to suffer at the hands of a family of subhuman creatures who I would happily feed to Nilbog? Or hand over to Bonesaw? Bet you have no idea who those are, but whatever.

I'm writing this letter on the off chance you actually bother to check up on me before I receive my Hogwarts letter to inform you that I've already slipped your leash. I cannot and will not be controlled by a senile old man with delusions of grandeur. If you try, I'll disappear so quickly it'll make your head spin and steal everything of even remote value in your office while I'm at it. I will then proceed to send you death threats by carrier pigeon daily so as to instil as much fear as I can as if basting a turkey, which I will then proceed to have sex with.

Thats right, I'm going to fuck the fear turkey!

Follow me on Twitter theSHADOWF*CKER!

Sincerely, Harry Potter.

PS, if it is instead one of my parents reading this instead of Bumblefuck and they want to explain why the fuck they thought it was a good idea to hand me over to the senile old goat buggerer, get in touch on PHO at theSHADOWF*UCKER or on Twitter at the above handle.

Lily stared down at the letter as she tried to decide if she should be amused, horrified at the language, enraged at the idea of the Dursleys treating her son badly enough that he'd willingly hand them over to the likes of Nilbog and Bonesaw or confused as to how he could know so much about the Wizarding World. Eventually, she decided that she'd hold of on deciding on a reaction until she saw her son. Instead, she walked out of the back door and once again took off, this time heading home, completely unaware of the fact that her former husband and headmaster had just apparated into the front garden.

 **And with that, I'm done. Well, that was certainly interesting, wasn't it? Not only did we get to see what Harry's getting up to, but we also got a glimpse into his powers and an additional three Capes!**

 **I'm not actually sure what power I'm going to give Hermione yet, but I'm thinking a Thinker of some kind. My working idea is that she acts as tactical support for the Wards team shes apart of and has an additional power that allows her to create a moving map of an area to help with tactical planning. Suggestions welcome!**

 **Luna's easier. Shes a Biotinker/Master who can create imaginary creatures. Her powers similar to Nilbogs, except her creations can't reproduce and are not sentient. She can also get her biomass from just about anywhere she pleases.**

 **Lily...oh Lily, how far you've come! She started off as exactly what she told Dumbledore she wasn't, a meek, obedient wife for James and shes turned into British Alexandria with a dash of Glory Girl thrown in for good measure. Her Shaker power came from her ritual to protect her children binding to her Shard.**

 **Why did I include the fact that Aleph actually does have the HP books and movies, despite the fact Bet doesn't for obvious reasons? Why the hell not? This is gonna be crack after all...well, it will be once I get going.**

 **Well, I did say that Harry would spend a lot of time channeling Alucard, so is anyone in the least bit surprised by his letter to Dumbles?**

 **And with that, I'm done! Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	57. White Dragon of Brockton Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: White Dragon of Brockton

When I was reborn into the Worm-verse, I kinda expected to Trigger at some point, if only to ensure that whatever demented ROB stuck me here was entertained. However, I never would have imagined ending up with the power to literally cut my opponents down to size. Still, at least now Lungs not the only Dragon in town. And I'm much more dangerous.

 **So yeah, it was really only a matter of time since I broke out my DXD ideas. Don't worry though, I have no intention of including Devils in this world, although some of the more powerful and old characters might make an appearance by virtue of dimension jumping. As an added bonus, I can get away with using Divine Dividing since being able to halve peoples powers is actually viable around here! Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, there are several things about dying that I never wanted to know. To start with, its bloody uncomfortable. Of course, being reborn is even more uncomfortable. Yea, I'm living proof that the Soul is real, despite the fact that I'm a sceptic at the best of times. Of course, that doesn't stop me from feeling like I've ether won the lottery or been sent here due to some horrific sin I committed in my last life. Why? Well, I'd been reborn in a world full of superpowered beings, but it wasn't one where heroes and villains balanced each other out and the heroes always win. It wasn't even My Hero Academia where EVERYONE has powers in one form or another. Oh no, I'm not that lucky. Instead, the world I now lived in was one where the greatest hero was actually its greatest potential threat and was definitely under threat from a bunch of OP monsters. Yep, I'd ended up being reborn in Worm. This is really gonna blow…

* * *

Anyway, since I'm writing this, you can probably guess that my life wasn't all hunky dory with the only potential issues being falling afoul of a Villain or Endbringer to worry be (although to be fair, they were pretty big worries). Actually, you might be surprised that I never actually went through a Trigger Event. I grew up a normal kid (or as normal as you can be when you live in Brockton Bay) and I even went to a decent school. I also happened to be in the same class as Glory Girl and more than a few Wards, both current and future. If I was so inclined, I might be interested in fanboying...nah.

Actually, it was that very trate that led to me ending up with powers that, frankly, stood out, even in this world of bullshit heroes. But thats for later. For now, lets get back to how it all began.

A big reason why I never felt the need to fanboy over the idea of sharing a school with the younger Wards and two members of the New Wave (other than an adult mindset) was because I'd actually grown up with the latter as family friends. Yeah, my Family were reasonably well off as my Dad was a lawyer who just so happened to work for the same firm as Brandish, my Mother was a captain in the police force and we lived just a few doors down from the Dallon's, resulting in my mother being Carol's go-to babysitter for when she and her husband had to rush off to save the day. As such, I grew up with Vicky and Amy as my friends and playmates, along with their cousins on occasion, although my main friendships were with the future Glory Girl and Panacea.

It was actually that very friendship that ended up awakening the power sleeping within me. Yep, I said sleeping in me, not gained from outside. Let me explain.

* * *

It was when I was 15 during a trip to the mall with my friends (Vicky had dragged me out. Literally. Arguing with a girl with super strength is not something that ends well) when it happened. The day started off without to many issues, other than Amy and I's long suffering annoyance with Vicky and Crystal, who had tagged along. As the only guy present, I was feeling rather out of place, but I was used to that. Besides, Amy was good company and wasn't as shopping mad as her sister and cousin.

We were just going to get some lunch when a massive explosion suddenly rocked the mall and an equally massive, tricked out land rover came smashing through the main doors in a squeal of tortured metal, breaks and the stench of oil and petrol. A moment later, the doors slammed open and a rather large number of hulking, black skinheads came pouring out, waving guns, knives and bats. Apparently one of the minor gangs in the city had decided to try and get some street cred by attacking and robbing the place while the Protectorate and Wards were busy across town with a press conference or something.

The thugs immediately started vanishing into shops and shepherding terrified shoppers into the atrium area where they were stripped of their valuables and tied up to be used as hostages.

"Vicky, no!"

Amys frantic voice drew my attention from the chaos on the lower floor to my friends. It was apparent that Vicky was attempting to go and kick some ass, but both her sister and cousin were trying to hold her down.

"Let me go damn it!" shouted Vicky as she tried to get lose without hurting either of the other girls.

"We can't face them alone!" said Crystal, "They might just be thugs, but their well armed and they have hostages!"

"I'll manage somehow," said Vicky.

"Damn it Vali, help us!" gasped Amy as she ducked under Glory Girl's flailing arms.

I was about to do just that, but before I could,, the door to the cafe was kicked open and a thug walked in. He froze at the sight of Glory Girl and Laserdream, paled and turned to shout down to his friends. Before he could however, Glory Girl wrenched herself free and slammed into him, sending the thug flying out of the door and into one of his friends as Glory Girl followed, eager to kick some arse. Crystal gave an annoyed groan and lifted off the ground, her hands lighting up with her power.

"I'm going to help her," she said, "You two stay out of sight."

Amy and I glanced at one another as Laserdream shot out of the cafe after her cousin. Yeah, no way we were staying here. We couldn't help fight (well, I could being a skilled fighter thanks to my mum teaching me, but I really didn't want to risk it) but we could help get people out of harm's way. A good idea at the time, bad idea in hindsight as it made us easier targets. On the other hand, it resulted in both mine and Panacea's powers activating, so I guess it didn't end that badly…

* * *

Amy and I had just finished getting the last of the hostages into the relative safety of a hardware store and were just about to join them, when a large hand clapped down on my shoulder and threw me back away from the door. I landed awkwardly, driving the breath from my lungs and dazing me for long enough that a thug could grab me and press a knife to my throat. A quick glance back revealed that it was the thug who had initially found us in the cafe and that one of his friends had grabbed Amy and was now menacing her with a knife.

"OI, HERO BITCHES!" roared the thug holding me, drawing Laserdream and Glory Girls attention away from beating the crap out of the thugs.

Both Heroines froze when they saw us and a viscous scowl quickly appeared on Glory Girl's face.

"Let them go!" she roared, shooting forwards.

"AH! Hold it!" shouted the goon holding me, twitching his knife and nicking my neck.

Glory Girl immediately froze, but her fearsome expression didn't shift and she seemed to be trying to kill the goons holding us with her glare. I gulped as I felt a trickle of blood run down my neck, my mind werling as I tried to figure out a way out of this situation. I could probably take the goon holding me down no problem thanks to my training, but if I did that, the one holding Amy would probably slit her throat, either from the suprise or deliberately…

I was broken from my desperate thoughts by a loud thunk and a familiar yelp. One of the goons had taken advantage of Laserdreams distraction and snuck up on her, dragging the Blaster down and grabbing her before she could react properly, slamming a bat into her gut to wind her and stop her from summoning her laser blasts.

"CRYSTAL!" screamed Glory Girl and Amy at the same time.

The former turned to try to help, but before she could, another goon jumped from the upper level and landed on her back. The suddenness of the impact caused Glory Girl to slam into the ground, causing her shield to flicker out and making her an easy target as the other goons got their courage back and joined in beating on the two female Heroes. I gritted my teeth in frustration as I watched and listened to my friends struggle and cry out as they tried to free themselves. Damn it, was this all I could do?! I might not have any powers, but surely I could do more than just sit here! Fuck, I'd never felt so utterly useless…

" **QUIT YOUR WHINING BOY!"**

My breath caught in my throat at the unexpected voice that suddenly echoed through my head. It was deep, rough and very powerful.

"Wha…"

" **I WILL NOT HAVE MY WIELDER BE SUCH A PATHETIC, SHIVERING WRECK,"** said the voice, **"YOU ARE MY REPRESENTATIVE VALI MORGENSTERN. YOU WILL PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, YOU WILL DEFEAT THESE FOOLS WHO BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN RAISE THEIR ARMS AGAINST ONE SUCH AS YOU."**

" _Who are you?"_ I thought, somehow knowing that the owner of the voice could hear me, _"Where did you come from?"_

The voice snorted.

" **I HAVE BEEN WITH YOU SINCE THE BEGINNING,"** said the voice, **"I ADMIT, I HAVE NEVER HAD A HOST QUITE LIKE YOU AND THIS WORLD IS RATHER DIFFERENT FROM MY OWN. BUT WE CAN DISCUSS THIS LATER. FOR NOW, YOU HAVE A BATTLE TO WIN."**

" _And how do you propose I do that?"_

" **LIKE THIS."**

My eyes widened again as I felt a massive surge of energy rush through my body, filling me with strength and washing away my fear. At the same time, knowledge of how to use said energy appeared in my mind as if it had always been there and my back throbbed. I gritted my teeth and let out a hiss as my spine arched, ignoring the thug holding me. He wouldn't be a problem for much longer anyway. The energy flowing through me surfaced over my skin, covering my body in crackling energy that forced the knife blade away and shocked the goon holding me with enough power that he convulsed...right before he was sent flying as a pair of massive wings tore themselves from my shirt and spread wide, knocking the goon holding Amy for six and sending him flying. My wings gave a powerful flap, sending me shooting up towards the ceiling and scattering countless motes of blue light from the azure feathers of energy that made up the bulk of the wings. I came to a stop in mid air, floating in place with my wings spread wide, glaring down at the dumbfounded goons.

"You idiots chose the wrong mall to rob today," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest and called upon the energy again, blue lightning sparking off my fingers.

"W-wait, d-don't do anything stupid!" stuttered one of the goons, "Y-you can't take us all down without taking out your little whores!"

My scowl darkened even further, before I gave an equally dark grin.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," I said as I uncrossed my arms and pointed at the thug, "But since you decided to insult my friends, you can be my first guinea pig. Chain lightning."

At my command, the lightning leaped from my fingertips and lanced towards the goon, striking him full in the chest, before leaping from him and branching into the two closest goons and from them into the two closest to them and so on. In the blink of an eye, the lightning had blasted every single goon that had been attacking Glory Girl and Laserdream off their feet and into lala land with massive, smouldering holes in their clothing and burns on their skin. None of them were dead, but they certainly wouldn't be walking right for a while. With that done, I turned to the last remaining conscious goon, the one who had held Amy and was currently sitting on his arse, staring up at me in utter shock. I just smirked as I held up my hand again. The goon immediately scrambled to his feet and grabbed Amy again, ducking behind his hostage and pressing the knife back to her throat.

"Don't even think about it!" he shouted, sounded more than a little hysterical, "If you shock me, I'll slit this bitches throat!"

Amy froze, a look of terror on her face. I narrowed my eyes, but didn't lower my hand, although the lightning did fade.

"That really wasn't smart," I said, "If you'd just surrendered, you could get off without getting hurt."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do?" sneered the thug, "You can't hit me without hitting her!"

I smirked.

"I wouldn't bet on that," I said, "After all, I've touched you."

The goon frowned.

"What…"

I snapped my fingers.

 **DIVIDE!**

The goon reeled back as I felt a tiny trickle of energy flow into me from my wings. I frowned. That was hardly even worth the effort. Oh well, it got Amy free at least. The brunette immediately stumbled away from her former captor and into Vickys arms as the blond rushed to grab her sister, the two sisters embracing. I idly snapped my fingers again, electrocuting the goon as he tried to get to his feet.

I floated down and landed lightly, my wings shifting and shrinking to a more manageable size, although I didn't dismiss them yet. I walked over to my friends, scanning Vicky and Crystal, wincing slightly when I saw the nasty bruises and cuts that covered both girls from the beatings they'd endured. However, neither seemed particularly bothered and, as they were already reasonably experienced Heroes, I wasn't completely surprised.

" **THOSE FEMALES ARE IMPRESSIVE,"** said the voice in my head.

" _That is an understatement,"_ I said as I approached them, "Are you girls OK?"

Crystal looked up, the other two too busy making sure their sister was alright and reassuring themselves.

"Yeah, we're fine," said Crystal, "Vicky and I can take injuries like this and Amy's just a little shaken. What about you...?"

She trailed off as she eyed my wings.

"Me? I'm fine," I said, "Kinda hard not to be when I've got these."

I spread my wings, the energy feathers glowing faintly and shedding tiny motes of light.

"Yeah...I guess your right," she said slowly.

I could sort of see why she was so confused. As a Cape, even a second generation, she knew what a Trigger event should be like and so was confused as to how I could be so calm after what should have been one of the worst moments of my life. However, that only applied to Capes and, despite what would inevitably be believed by everyone, I wasn't one. A Cape that is. Oh no, I was no puppet of a multidimensional entity, the beast that dwelt in my Soul was a very different being indeed.

A startled gasp drew Laserdream and my attention back to Glory Girl and Amy, just in time to see both girls staring at Vicky's arm in shock as her injuries vanished before our eyes. Well, it looks like my powers weren't the only ones to awaken today. Guess Brockton Bay's now got its own healer...and its very own White Dragon.

 **And with that, I'm done. Once again, let me reiterate, Earth Bet is NOT the DXD world...Earth Aleph is. That means that we can and will see some DXD characters showing up, but not many. Right now, I only have two, possibly three planned, other than Albion and Ddraig. For obvious reasons.**

 **Speaking of, I wonder if you can guess which Worm character will be the Red Dragon? They will also be the only other Bet native with a Sacred Gear.**

 **I think my reasons for naming our protagonist Vali Morgenstern are pretty obvious, right? If not, Morgenstern is German for Morning Star, another name for Lucifer. No, hes not part Devil, hes fully Human as supernatural entities do not exist natively on Earth Bet. Huh, a White Dragon, insanely powerful 'Cape' and a German name...the Empire will be chomping at the bit to get him.**

 **Anyway, that'll do for now, so I'm gonna sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	58. White Dragon of Brockton Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: White Dragon of Brockton

When I was reborn into the Worm-verse, I kinda expected to Trigger at some point, if only to ensure that whatever demented ROB stuck me here was entertained. However, I never would have imagined ending up with the power to literally cut my opponents down to size. Still, at least now Lungs not the only Dragon in town. And I'm much more dangerous.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say other than, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

I think it goes without saying, but the aftermath of the attempted robbery was utter chaos. The cops arrived shortly after the reveal that Amy's powers had emerged and started carting away the goons and getting statements from everyone present. Fortunately, everyone had been more interested in keeping their heads down than watching the fight, so no one had actually seen me sprouting wings and throwing around lightning. I wasn't willing to be ousted as a 'Cape' just yet.

Shortly after the cops arrived, the rest of the New Wave showed up, followed by my own parents, resulting in the three of us getting swept up by worried parents and, after being assured that we were all unhurt, rushed us home. I had no doubt that Glory Girl and Laserdream would be debriefed by their families and there would be a discussion about what to do about Amys powers, but I was sent straight to bed by my parents. Good thing to because I was about to conk out. Apparently having an insanely powerful artifact created by a deceased God awaken inside you and using Magic for the first tiem can really take it out of you. As soon as I got home, I fell into bed and slipped into slumber…

* * *

Only to find myself floating in empty space with what looked like a massive, white wall in front of me. However, I knew better and looked up to see the massive face of a vast, pure white dragon with blue eyes and golden horns.

"Albion," I said in lue of a proper greeting.

" **Hmm, so, you do know who I am,"** rumbled the Vanishing Dragon as he lowered himself so I no longer had to crane my neck back, **"I admit, I did wonder...seeing it in your memories is one thing, but to have it confirmed...truly fascinating."**

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure its really interesting for you," I said, "I just want to know what the likelyhood of me running into red-headed Devils is."

Albion snorted.

" **Considering that this isn't my homeworld, I'd say pretty low,"** he said.

"Eh?"

" **This world lacks any native supernatural creatures,"** said Albion, **"Myths and stories of old are just that. However, the world you know as Aleph does. I am unsure as to how I crossed the border between the two worlds, but I have a feeling that it may have had something to do with your presence and possibly something the Endbringers or this Cauldron did."**

"Alright, so no supernatural nasties," I said, "What about Ddraig?"

Albion gave a toothy grin.

" **Oh, my rivel will be around somewhere,"** he said, **"Where one of us goes, the other will follow. His host will likely be the same age as you, or, more likely, younger. Either way, you will not be able to avoid fighting the Red One in the future."**

I sighed.

"Fair enough I guess," I grumbled as I crossed my legs, still floating in the void, "I just hope we don't both end up on the same side...that could be awkward..."

" **That it would,"** said Albion.

For a moment, we remained silent, floating in the void, before I spoke up again.

"By the way, I don't suppose you have any other Magic you can teach me, do you?" I asked, "I mean, the lightnings cool, but I could use some more if I'm going to be as good as I possibly can be."

Albion gave me a searching look as he nodded slowly.

" **I do, but I won't be able to implant them directly into your mind again,"** he said, **"That was a one time deal."**

"Thats fine," I said, "Magic is mostly mental, right? So I should be able to learn it in here."

Albion nodded again.

" **Exactly,"** he said, **"I must say, your brighter than most of my Hosts...then again, most of them had teachers for the Mystic arts, so I guess they didn't need to learn from me…"**

"Yeah, kinda hard to learn how to use magic when no one even believes in it around here," I said, "So, whats first?"

" **The basics,"** said Albion, **"Due to my presence in your body, you will be able to use Magic more akin to how Devils do than most Humans. You won't have it quite as easy as Devils, but you won't need Circles as complex as most Humans either. Lets begin with Norse Magic since that is the simplest for Mortals to master and will serve as a good foundation for the other styles…"**

I settled back and listened closely as Albion began my first lesson in the Mystic arts...in my Soulscape, in a world where Superhumans are commonplace and also happens to have a golden man flying around helping people...my life is fucking weird.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and early like any other Sunday. I rolled out of bed, yawned, and grabbed my clothes for the day before I headed out to get a shower. However, today was a little different. As I grabbed my clothes, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror in my cupboard and froze. I had always been well built, a combination of good genes, healthy eating and mixed martial arts training from Mum had seen to that, but now I was ripped. I'd gone from barely defined muscles to a six pack, well defined pecs and chiseled arms. I wasn't like a bodybuilder, instead the muscles were the type gained from years and years of training to fight, compact and powerful.

"Albion, what the fucks going on?!" I spluttered.

" **Hmm? Oh, you saw that did you?"** said the Dragon, **"Yeah, I made some...improvements."**

"I can see that, but how in the hell did you pull this off in one night!?"

" **Simple, MAGIC!"**

My eye twitched as I was treated to the mental image of Albion conjuring a rainbow with the word magic made of colourful sparkles flying everywhere.

"Albion…" I said warningly.

" **Alright fine, be that way,"** grumbled the Dragon, **"Well, the truth is that the Humans of this world have almost no natural resistance to Magic, a side effect of evolving in a magicless environment. As a result, any magic that affects them directly, whether that be curses, polymorphs or buffs will work for longer and have a far greater affect."**

I paused.

"What about Elemental Magic?"

" **Thats just conjuration,"** said Albion, **"It might be Magic mimicking an element, but it acts exactly like said element. Tossing a giant rock at someone with Magic won't make them any more squished than if you did the same with a real rock."**

"Fair enough," I said, "So, what did you do to me?"

" **I enhanced your muscles,"** said Albion, **"Not only that, but you're already undergoing a minor case of Dragonfication."**

"WHAT?!"

" **Oh don't worry, your not going to turn into a Dragon or anything. Your body's just becoming more like one. Your bones, muscles, respiratory system and so on are all going to become stronger and much more efficient as time goes on. Oh, and you'll be more vulnerable to anti dragon magic and weaponry, but I doubt you'll need to worry about that any time soon."**

"Oh...thats alright then," I said, "So long as I don't randomly start growing scales or a tail or something."

" **That'll only happen if you somehow activate Juggernaut Drive or sacrifice part of your body to me,"** said Albion, **"And I don't think thats very likely to happen anytime soon."**

"Not likely," I muttered.

" **Well, if thats everything, I'm going back to sleep."**

Without waiting for an answer, Albion cut the connection, leaving me to continue getting ready for my day.

* * *

After showering and getting dressed, I headed downstairs in search of food. What I found instead was Carol and Sarah sat at the kitchen table with my tense looking parents sat across from them. I paused in the door. Ah, this was going to be an awkward morning, I could tell. I took a deep breath, plastered a smile on my face and walked into the kitchen.

"Mornin all," I said as I headed over to the teapot.

I wasn't the type who couldn't function without my morning cuppa, but it certainly helped and I didn't want this conversation without some tea in me.

"Sooo, I take it you guys know about what happened yesterday?" I asked as I poured a cup and added sugar and milk.

"That you triggered?" asked Dad, "Yes, Carol and Sarah told us."

I sighed and turned back around, leaning against the counter with my tea in my hands.

"Well, you certainly didn't waste any time," I said.

"Its better not to wait when it comes to new Capes," said Carol.

"Hmm…" I said, "I suppose you have a point there. So, what now?"

Mum sighed.

"Well, as much as I'd rather you not put yourself in harms way, I know you better than that," she said, "There's no way you're not going to use these new powers of yours to help. So…"

"I'm not joining the Wards," I said, "There is no way in hell I'm putting my powers anywhere near that bunch of useless morons."

"You know, I've never quite managed to figure out why you don't like the PRT," said Dad, "They do a good job…"

"Then why are people like Lung, Kieser and Hookwolf still on the streets?" I growled, "And don't give me that bullshit of not being able to take them down. How hard would it be for Alexandria or Legend to come down for the weekend to take out the trash? Nope, until they pull their finger out and actually do their jobs, I ain't joining them."

"Well, when you put it like that…" grumbled Dad.

"Your not going out on your own," said Mum.

"Don't worry Lily, we actually had another reason for coming," said Sarah, interrupting the family drama.

All three of us looked over at the two New Wave members. Carol didn't look to pleased by something, but Sarah was doing her best to hide her amused smile.

"Oh? What would that be?" I asked.

"Well, I wanted to offer you a place in the New Wave," she said.

I blinked. Well, that was unexpected.

"Er…"

Sarah smiled and apparently predicted what I was going to say.

"We normally wouldn't make an offer like this, but considering you've been friends with our kids for years, you saved both of them and you've never hidden your distaste for the PRT, I figured it was the best option," she said, "Either that or you go solo and give your mother a heart attack."

I shivered as Mum fixed me with a fearsome glare. Hey, I might technically be a Dragon now, but I'd only been aware of that for about half a day. Thats nowhere near enough time to build up the confidence that any White Dragon Emperor worth its salt should have. Besides, Mum was fucking scary sometimes.

"I take it I wouldn't be putting up a mask, would I?" I asked.

"No," said Sarah flatley, "If you join New Wave, you'll be expected to follow the same rules as the rest of the team...or at least make an effort to look like you are."

I had a feeling that was directed at Glory Girl. I lent back against the counter as I took a sip of tea and considered my options. Really, I only had two. There was no way I'd become a Villain and there was even less chance of me ever joining the PRT. I knew what they were capable of and I didn't want anything to do with a group who'd send an innocent girl to hell on earth for what amounted to a mistake just to make it seem like they could beat scary Masters. That said, I also didn't want to go solo. There was no doubt that I had the potential to become one of the strongest Heroes on the face of the planet, not when I had a power strong enough to kill God at my fingertips, but I had no illusions that I was nowhere near that point yet. Magic was like a muscle, I needed time to build up my reserves and power. Right now, my lightning wasn't that much more powerful than a taser, fine for normal thugs, but pretty damn useless against someone like Lung. My Divine Dividing could help mitigate that weakness a little, but it was just a crutch. I didn't want to have to rely on my Sacred Gear for every fight and that meant I needed a team. Plus, the idea of hiding behind a mask didn't really appeal to me.

Maybe it was the Dragon in me or maybe it was my own ego, but the idea of hiding my powers behind a mask and a stupid name was anithmia to me. Oh, I'd probably take a codename, but a mask? Until I achieve Balance Breaker, not bloody likely!

"Sounds alright to me," I said, cutting across the argument between my mother and Sarah that had apparently been going on while I was lost in thought.

"Wha...but Vali...!" started Mum.

"Mum, if you don't want me going out on my own, its really the only choice," I said, "I will NOT join the Wards, no matter what."

Mum hesitated, before she deflated and nodded.

"Alright, fine," she grumbled, "I know better than to argue when you get like this anyway…"

"Great, in that case, shall we go?" asked Sarah.

"Now?" asked Mum.

"Well, we need to get some idea of what he can do," said Sarah, "Not to mention figuring out a name and costume…"

"Um, actually, I've already got a name," I said, drawing attention back to me.

"Oh?"

I smiled and summoned my wings. Everyones eyes went wide at the sight of the Sacred Gear.

"Call me Albion."

 **And with that, I'm done. Yep, I made him a member of New Wave and Albion is actually a decent Magic teacher. What? How else was I supposed to teach him how to use Magic?**

 **I chose to have him join the New Wave for a few reasons. First point, as mentioned, although he has the potential to easily become the strongest living being on Earth Bet (well, until some folks from Aleph show up to cause trouble), he needs time to reach that point. A lot of time. DXD Vali has the advantage of being half Devil and a descendant of the original Lucifer, but this Vali is 100% Human. No surprise reverlations of him actually being a demigod or something silly like that. Until he reaches that point, he needs someone to watch his back and fuck joining the Wards!**

 **And with that, I am done! Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	59. Son of the Sun Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Son of the Sun

Being reborn is a pain. Of course, sometimes that pain is more than worth it. After all, I can't exactly complain when I live in a world where magic and Gods are real and I'm slap bang in the middle of it.

 **Hehehe, ohh, this idea has me salivating at how cool its gonna be! Hehe, lets go. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I died. Fluffy clouds? Golden Gates? Perhaps a tall fellow in a black cloak with a scythe? As it happened, I got none of the above. What I got instead was being reborn, an experience I am VERY glad faded from my memory very quickly. Still, I'm not going to complain. Sure, going through puberty twice would be a pain and school would likely be incredibly dull, but at least I knew what not to do this time! Tabula Rasa, a clean slate.

* * *

Growing up was...odd. Rather than living with either parents, I instead grew up with a caretaker/maid named Mikoto, a kind, motherly woman who seemed oddly familiar. No idea why though considering she was about as average as a Japanese woman as can be. I on the other hand had blond hair so pale it was nearly white and black eyes.

I was actually a pretty normal kid growing up. I think that might have something to do with the fact I also had the memories of my old life knocking about in my head. If I had grown up as a completely normal kid, I'd probably be a tad less well adjusted. Of course, there was always a sense that I was missing something massively important. Occasionally, I'd see things that made me take a second look, only to find that I was either imagining them or seeing things. Things like rhino sized dogs, a man with rams horns, and even a massive bloke in a trench coat and fedora who I swear only had one eye. However, it wasn't until I was twelve that I figured out that I wasn't seeing things and I was apparently screwed.

* * *

It began when I woke up to certain...changes. Now, while most boys my age might wake up with sticky sheets, mine was a little...different. I woke up as a puppy. A tiny, white wolf cub with crimson markings over my fur and a tail shaped like a calligraphy brush. Ooookey, not what I was expecting for my twelfth birthday but I'll roll with it.

I was still trying to figure out how to walk on four paws when my bedroom door opened and Mikoto walked in. When she spotted me stumbling around on the floor, we both froze. Then, she did the exact opposite thing I was expecting considering the boy she was looking after had woken up as a mutt and smiled.

"Ah good, I was hoping you'd have already changed," she said.

"WHAT!?" I tried to yell, only for it to come out as a cute little bark.

Mikoto chuckled and scooped me up in her arms. I tried to struggle, but she scratched me behind the ears and my body immediately went limp with pleasure.

"Sorry Haru, but we can't wait for you to figure out how to walk on your own," she said, "Your mother's here."

I immediately froze. My mother? I knew she was alive, as was my Father, but I'd never once met either of them. Whenever I tried to ask Mikoto about either of them, she always brushed it off and changed the subject. Now she was here? Why? Did it have something to do with my random transformation? Probably. Either way, I'd soon find out as Mikoto carried me downstairs.

"Ammy, hes awake, finally," said Mikoto as she carried me into the living room.

I poked my head over her arms, eager to see my Mother for the first time...only for my eyes to fall on, not a woman, but instead a majestic, pure white wolf with the same crimson markings and calligraphy brush shaped tail. She also had a mirror wreathed in flames floating behind her and orange cheese puff dust around her muzzle from the bowl of crisps I'd left on the table the night before.

The wolf looked up and her eyes lit up at the sight of me. She licked her chops clean and trotted over as Mikoto put me down. I took a few steps back as the wolf approached, a little intimidated by the size difference. The wolf paused and let out a quiet whine, her ears drooping slightly. I hesitated for a moment longer, before I slowly padded forwards. The wolf...my Mother's ears perked back up and she dipped her head, nudging my nose with hers. I hesitated again, before I nudged her back. Mum let out a happy bark and nuzzled me, before she lay down and gently took the scruff of my neck in her jaws, depositing me next to her where she started to groom my coat. I would have protested, but my new wolfish instincts decided to make themselves known then and made me stay put. Besides, Mum was incredibly warm and I'm not ashamed to admit that I had dearly wished for something similar (although I had expected it to be in Human form) for years, even with my adult mind.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but eventually I reluctantly pulled myself away from Mum's ministrations and looked up at her. I tried to speak, but once again, it only came out as barks, growls and whines. However, Mum seemed to understand and dipped her head. A moment later, she vanished in a brilliant glow that reminded me of the sun and forced me to look away. However, that didn't stop me from feeling the warm body I was leaning against morph from a wolf to me laying on a Human lap. After a moment, the glow faded and a set of gentle fingers started running through my fur.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the woman holding me. She was Japanese and looked about 20, although her hair was pure white with black tips and crimson markings in the strands. She was beautiful, with porcelain white skin that looked like it had never once seen the sun. Her eyes were black and surrounded by scarlet eyeline, her only but of makeup, other than her crimson lipstick. She was wearing a shrine maidens uniform and had a very large brush hanging from her shoulders and a round mirror resting against her legs that looked a lot like the one that had been floating behind her in her wolf form.

She smiled down at me, a look of relief in her eyes.

"Hello Haru," she said, her voice soft and soothing, "I'm sorry I didn't come and see you sooner, but rules made by beings much older and stronger than I prevented it. My name is Amaterasu, a Goddess of the Sun and your Mother."

I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach at that. Well, that explained why I recognized both my current form and Mum's wolf form. Of course, if anyone called me Chibiterasu, I'd definitely bite something. I barked a couple of times, before stopping and growling in annoyance. Damn this form, I wanted to ask some questions damn it! Mum chuckled at my frustration, making me growl again, before she poked me on the nose. There was a flash of light and I found myself back in Human form, still in her lap.

"Ahem, um, thanks," I said.

"I'll teach you how to transform at will later," said Mum, sounding more than a little amused, "So, you have questions?"

"More than a few," I said, "First question, and this may be a little stupid, but are you really that Amaterasu?"

Amaterasu snorted.

"I'm surprised to need to ask," she said, "After all, you were playing a game with me in it last night."

She indicated with her foot to the Okami box sitting on the coffee table.

"Fair enough," I said, "So what, I'm a Demigod?"

"Ehh, not really," said Amaterasu.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked, feeling a rather uncomfortable feeling settle in my gut.

"Well, your Father...might be a...um, God as well," she said awkwardly.

I blinked. Thats…huh. How am I supposed to react to this exactly?

"So...what does that make me?" I asked, "Am I a God as well?"

"Not really, although you're definitely not just another Demigod," said Amaterasu, "See, I was inhabiting a Mortal body at the time. Its something I like to do on occasion so I don't lose my connection with the Mortals like some Gods. Under normal circumstances, any children I had in that life would be mortal as well, only with a higher affinity for Magic than normal. However, your Father's Divine nature caused my powers to reawaken in me. You were born Mortal, but the blood of two Gods flows through your veins. I have no idea what effect that will have on you, especially because the two of us were from different Pantheons."

"So...who is he?" I asked.

"I...can't tell you," said Mum, "The Ancient Laws prevent it. He has to be the one to claim you. However, I can tell you that he has no idea that I am a God as well. Kinda shortsighted of him considering…"

She trailed off looking thoughtful.

"Mum?" I asked.

Amaterasu quickly snapped out of it and shook her head.

"Right, back on track," she said, "There is one good thing about all this kafuffle though. Because you're technically a Godling, the rules are slightly different. So long as I keep doing my Godly duties, I can visit you whenever I want."

I blinked a couple of times, before what she was saying sank in.

"You mean…?"

Amaterasu gave a blinding smile and nodded.

"Yep, I'm gonna be sticking around for awhile," she said, "I'll need to leave on occasion, but just think of it like business trips."

I couldn't help it, I returned the blinding smile with one of my own and hugged my Mother tight, her returning the hug just as tightly.

* * *

After that, Mum was around more often that not and it quickly became obvious I'd got more than my hair colour than her. I'd also inherited her kindness, short and fiery temper and short attention span that often got me in trouble at school for sleeping in class. It also resulted in more than one night where we ended up fast asleep on the couch, usually curled up together in wolf form.

Speaking of which, Mum spent a lot of time teaching me how to use the powers I'd inherited from her, ranging from shapeshifting, to fire magic, to the ability to use the Celestial Brush, although she did have the Brush Gods train me in the use of that and I could only use them in my Wolf form. I have to say, it was kinda scary to think that I could slice things in half with a wave of my tail. I was also trained in the art of the sword by my Uncle, Susanoo.

How can I describe my Uncle? Well, the guy was big, loud, boisterous and incredibly obnoxious and seemed to have a habit of getting sloshed and then passing out on our couch. The relationship between him and Mum was rather similar to the one between Apollo and Artemis and I have to say, I found him rather annoying as well. Oh, thats not to say he wasn't fun to be around and a great teacher in the way of the warrior, but, outside of training, his company was best enjoyed in small doses and small amounts of booze.

I also met some of my mothers old friends during that time. Who were they you ask? Well, I think that either the folks over at Clover Studios are psychic or Mum had more to do with the game than she let on because they were Waka and Issun. Sakuya also dropped by on occasion, as did Kaguya. I liked most of them just fine, but Issun was so annoying I ended up trying to eat him after he made the mistake of calling me Chibi on our first meeting. I really liked Sakuya though and it wasn't because she thought I was adorable in my wolf form and had a tendency of hugging me to her chest or anything. No, not at all. NO YOUR A HORNDOG!

* * *

Anyway, about a year after I met my Mother, I was out and about, having fun in my wolf form in the local park. So long as I didn't do anything like bite someone, most people were happy to either ignore the adorable little puppy or, in the case of the kids and even some adults, play with me. Since gaining my Divine Beast form, I actually prefer to be in it due to how free it made me feel. Plus, I was less likely to get attacked by a monster in wolf form.

Anyway, on this particular day I wasn't fighting monsters, entertaining kids and I certainly wasn't chasing butterflies...ahem, anyway, I was sniffing around a wooded area while wondering if I could convince the local butcher to give me some sausages if I went and begged when I suddenly caught a whiff off something...strange. It smelt of darkness, death and a rich, musky undertone that I didn't recognize. Now, it might be cats that have a reputation of being too curious, puppys also have a rather dangerous amount themselves, so naturally I decided to investigate.

I followed the scent deeper into the woods and closer to the local Military school (which I thankfully didn't attend) until I reached a clearing. There I found a girl who looked about my age with long, silky dark hair, olive skin and black eyes that gleamed with what could either be madness or genius. She was wearing dull coloured jeans, a t-shirt and a thick jacket against the slight chill, as well as a floppy, green hat that hid her face, suggesting a lack of confidence.

Now, to be completely honest, I really should have seen it coming, but considering my Mother and her friends were all technically from Okami, I think I can be forgiven for missing the fact that Percy Jackson was a thing in this world. And apparently I had just stumbled on Bianca...doing her homework. At least she wasn't crying or something.

I hesitated at the edge of the clearing, not sure if I should approach the Daughter of Hades or not. I mean, I personally didn't have anything against the Greeks, but I have no idea how the Shinto and Greek Pantheons got along. For all I knew, a Son of Amaterasu and Daughter of Hades being friends could be the equivalent of Romeo and Juliet or something, minus the suicide of course. Then she put down her school books and pulled out a sandwich and my nose twitched. Pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce and, unless I was very much mistaken (I wasn't, my nose was razor sharp) she also had a pork pie in her lunchbox. My stomach rumbled and drool started dripping from my jaws. Fuck it, I'm hungry!

I licked my chops and trotted into the clearing. Bianca seemed to sense my arrival and looked up, an air of instinctive wariness in her eyes that quickly vanished when she saw I wasn't a gigantic monster out to eat her. Her lunch on the other hand…

Bianca smiled and held out her hand towards me. I trotted forwards, sniffed her hand and then nudged it with my nose.

"Hey boy, you lost?" she asked as she started petting me as I moved closer, "Lets see…"

She gently picked me up and looked at my collar. It had been a gift from my Mother that served duel purpose of stopping me from getting dragged off to the pound and was also enchanted so no one would ask why a puppy was running around on his own. It also served as a storage receptacle that turned into a bracelet in my Human form that held my Divine Instruments in the form of small charms hanging from it. My reflector also pulled double duty as a name tag. Unfortunately…

"So, your names Chibi is it?" asked Bianca, forcing me to suppress the urge to growl, "Thats a cute name."

No it really wasn't. Unfortunately for me, it had been Issun who had enchanted the collar and that meant that my tag proclaimed to all that my name was Chibi. I really needed to eat the little bastard, no matter how nasty he tasted. Then Bianca washed away that annoyance by scratching me behind the ears. Immediately, my tongue lolled out and my tail started wagging.

"Awww, your so cute!" squealed Bianca, "I wish I could have a cute puppy like you!"

I let out a bark and nuzzled closer to her, making her giggle again. Aww screw it, even if Shinto and Greek Gods hate each other, I'm only half Shinto. Besides, its not like anyone can fault me for making friends with a lonely girl, right?

 **Right, thats as good a place as any to end it, so lets wrap it up. Just to be clear, while, yes, characters and concepts from Okami will be used, this technically isn't a crossover with it. And if it is, the events of the game took place during ancient Japan. Yamata no Orochi might make an appearance though.**

 **Haru isnt a God, not even close. Due to...reasons, hes actually got more in common with someone like Pegasus or Arion, a pseudo immortal being who only has a Human form because both his parents were Human when they had him. He probably will become a true immortal and eventually reach the level of a God in a hundred years or so (or as a reward for defeating something obcenly strong), but for now just consider him to be an extremely powerful Demigod on a similar level to one of the Big Three's kids.**

 **Can anyone guess who Mikoto actually is? I'd be surprised if you can, but for those that do, she'll be the only one showing up.**

 **Naturally, Amaterasu's wolf form is the same as the one from Okami and Haru looks like Chibiterasu. He'll also be using the same weapons as Chibi.**

 **Take a stab at who Haru's dad is. He is Greek and I inserted a couple of clues into the chapter. With that in mind, I won't give any more.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	60. Son of the Sun Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Son of the Sun

Being reborn is a pain. Of course, sometimes that pain is more than worth it. After all, I can't exactly complain when I live in a world where magic and Gods are real and I'm slap bang in the middle of it.

 **And we're back! Nothing to say here, other than Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

After my first meeting with Bianca, the two of us quickly became friends...sort of. She still didn't know I was a Divine Beast and had a Human form and thought I was just a normal puppy who had taken a liking to her for whatever reason. Probably her lunches. Say what you want about being a dog, but it makes everything taste much better, even horrible school food. I was even introduced to Nico at one point, but he didn't take the same shine to me as his sister. Probably because I stole his hotdog.

Anyway, time continued to roll on down and before long it was the christmas holidays and Westover Hall was having its one dance of the year, much to Bianca's ire. She wasn't exactly the most social of girls and I'm pretty sure I was her only friend, other than her brother. I knew how she felt as I'd been much the same in my last life and I think she would have prefered to not attend the dance. Unfortunately, in true Military school fashion, they had made the dance compulsory to attend.

Now, this put me in a bit of a bind. It didn't take me long to figure out that the dance would likely be the time when Bianca would be dragged into the world of Mythology, which would inevitably end with her dieing. I was not OK with that. On the other hand, I had no idea what to do about it. I mean, I could try to help out and tag along, but I had no idea how Artemis and Camp Half Blood would react to the presence of a Divine Beast. Then again, they did have a stable full of them, so I guess they don't mind them that much…

Divine Beasts were basically the opposite of Monsters, immortal beings that had some connection to a God, often as a child who wasn't powerful enough to be a true god. Beings like Pegasus, Arion and Cerberus all came under the classification of Divine Beasts, although the latter occasionally straddled the line into Monster. Functionally, there was little difference between a Monster and a Divine Beast, but we were generally benevolent towards Demigods and didn't try to eat them when we met. Well, Cerberus would, but that was his job. Me? The only thing in danger would be their lunches.

Anyway, getting back on track, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get involved or not. I still had no idea who my Dad was and I really didn't want to be responsible for an international incident between Pantheons. On the other hand, I really liked Bianca and she really didn't deserve what happened to her. Plus, I wasn't dumb enough to think that Mum didn't know about my friendship with Binaca and she had yet to say anything.

* * *

I still had no idea what I was going to do by the time the day of the dance came around, but that didn't stop me from finding myself sat outside the castle that was the school, ignoring the blizzard blowing around me as my thick coat and the fires of the sun in my Soul kept me toasty warm. My white coat also served for excellent camouflage, hiding me from the group of Demigods as they pulled up and went inside.

I let out a huff and lay down. I didn't know how long it would take for Thorn to come out with Bianca and the others, so I might as well take a quick nap. Or alternatively, I could go home and curl up by the fire…

"Hey Chibi, so this is where you've been!"

I growled in annoyance as the tiny, glowing pain in the tail suddenly bounded over my head and landed on my nose.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Issun, "Its freezing!"

He jumped off my nose and onto my head as I flicked my nose, trying to get at the pest so I could eat him.

" _Stand still!"_ I barked in annoyance as I went cross eyed, trying to keep Issun in sight.

"Hmm, so, you here for that little girlfriend of yours?" asked Issun, completely ignoring me.

I growled and tossed my head, sending the little pest flying, but he just landed on my back, ignoring my newest attempt to eat him. He'd probably give me indigestion, but it would be _SO_ worth it!

"So, are you gonna tag along with her over the summer?" asked Issun, holding on tight as I spun around, trying to get at him.

I paused at that.

" _Huh?"_

"You know shes a Demigod, right?" said Issun, "Her brother as well. Plus, last time I snuck in there to pee...um, I mean study the tapestries, I spotted a Satyr. Chances are that he'll take them to Camp when Summer rolls around. If the Manticore on staff doesn't get them first."

I blinked a couple of times, before slowly sitting down as Issun returned to his place on my nose.

" _Would Mum let me?"_ I asked, _"I mean, We're Shinto and their…"_

"That really doesn't matter," said Issun, "You might be Shinto, but your still part Greek."

I blinked again.

" _You mean my Dads a Greek?"_ I asked.

"Mmhmm," said Issun, "Obviously you don't really need to go to Camp, but you could if you wanted to."

Well...this changed a lot. Before I was wary of them not allowing a Shinto Divine Beast into the Camp, but if I was part Greek...they really had no reason not to. Plus, how could anyone resist my cuteness…

I let out a yelp of pain as Issun suddenly yanked on my ear. I snarled at the glowing pest, but he just shushed me.

"Zip it Chibi," hissed Issun, "Your girlfriends coming out...and she's not alone."

I followed his gaze and started growling, my hackles rising as I spotted the small group emerge from the school and head towards the woods, walking straight past me without even noticing.

"Damn, that can't be good," muttered Issun, "So, what are you gonna do Chibi...WHOA!"

He barely had time to grab onto my ears before I took off after the group. Screw indecision, I was gonna do what I always did. Dive in head first and hope for the best.

* * *

Bianca was scared. She had no idea what was going on, other than the creepy old vice principal Dr Thorn was apparently kidnapping her and her brother, as well as a boy she'd never seen before with a sword. She had no idea why the crazy man with the throwing knives was taking her and her brother, but she knew, deep in her gut, that it wasn't for anything good. God, she wished she'd blown off the dance and found Chibi instead…

The boy she didn't know, Percy Jackson Thorn had called him, stumbled slightly and closed his eyes. He really didn't look well and she had to wonder what the crazy man had put on those throwing spikes.

"What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"

Percy opened his eyes and kept shuffling forward.

"It's my shoulder," he said, sounding rather miserable, "It burns."

"Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk! You too girl!"

He reached out to grab her, but before he could, something came shooting out of the darkness and latched onto the arm with a vicious howl. Thorn let out a howl of pain that Bianca vaguely realized wasn't Human in the slightest as he stumbled back, shaking his arm as he tried to get rid of his unexpected attacker. Something lashed out from behind the man, but the white blur let go before it could be hit and landed in front of her. Bianca's eyes widened in shock and unexpected joy as she recognized the small, white dog that had made friends with her.

However, the friendly pooch wasn't looking very friendly right now. He had his lips drawn back, revealing razor sharp teeth as he growled at Thorn, his hackles up, ears pressed back and brush-like tail puffed up.

"You...fucking...mutt!" snarled Thorn through gritted teeth as he tried to staunch the bleeding in his arm, "You'll regret that!"

Binaca felt her joy turn to horror as she realized the puppy didn't stand a chance against the grown man armed with apparently poisoned knives. She was about to watch her little friend die for her!

"No Chibi, you can't fight him!" she yelled, "Run away!"

The little dog ignored her.

"Aww, don't worry about Chibi girly," said a voice from right next to her ear, making her jump.

She looked and saw...a tiny, green firefly perched on her shoulder.

"Hes a lot tougher than he looks," said the firefly, "He can take the overgrown pussy cat."

"Wha…" started Bianca, not sure how to react to a talking bug.

She glanced at Percy and Nico, but neither of them seemed to have noticed it. A moment later, her attention was drawn back to Chibi as his growling got louder and deeper as Thorn advanced on him, clearly intending to hurt him up close and personal for the injury. Then, the puppy tilted his head back and _howled._

The sound was unlike anything Bianca had ever heard in her life, even in recordings of a wolf's howl she'd listened to for a school project once. It was incredibly powerful for such a small dog and seemed to light a fire in her heart, an ancient and primal fire that burnt with the intensity of the sun. In response to the howl, the trees around them seemed to shift and move, despite there being no wind and the dark forest seemed to light up. Then, it really did light up. As the howl reached its crescendo, Chibi began to glow brightly, forcing Thorn to stumble back as the snow around the puppy began to melt and new grass grew around his paws. The light was warm and bright, like the sun in the middle of summer, making the dark, winters night feel like a bright summer's day. Hell, even the trees close to the light were beginning to show signs of new leaves! What in the world was going on?!

Then, the light began to dim, although the warmth didn't fade, and Bianca's jaw dropped. Gone was the tiny white puppy and in its place was a large wolf. It was clearly an adolescent and still growing, but it was still nearly as large as her at the shoulder. Its fur was the same pure white with a black tail tip as Chibi and it even had the same odd tufts on the shoulders, but now it had red markings over its face and shoulders and what looked like a round mirror wreathed in flames floating over its shoulders.

"Huh, looks like Chibi's all grown up," said the firefly, "Good for him."

"I...wha...huh…" was all Bianca could say.

Percy and Nico looked equally shocked by the sudden change in the puppy, but Thorn looked less stunned and more...scared? Why would he be scared?

"N-no, it can't be!" gasped the crazy vice principal, "You're…"

He was cut off by someone new charging out of the woods. It was a girl with short, spiky black hair and punk clothes wielding a spear and a frankly horrible shield that made Bianca want to run as fast as she could.

"FOR ZEUS!" roared the girl as she slammed into Thorn, sending him flying.

For a moment, it looked like the girl would mange to stab Thorn, but he snarled and took a swipe at her, forcing her back with...massive, orange paws with equally large claws that used to be his hands. Bianca let out a whimper of fear and disbelief. All this weirdness was becoming too much damn it!

Thorn launched another volley of missiles at the girl and Bianca let out another whimper when she spotted the source of the odd throwing weapons. A leathery, scorpion-like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off the girls shield, but the force of their impact knocked her down. Thorn pounced, but before he could attack the downed girl, Chibi pounced. The massive wolf slammed into Thorn, sending him flying with a powerful blow from the disk floating behind him as it shot out like a discuss. Thorn landed heavily and scrambled to his feet, roaring in pain and rage as he did. He also changed, discarding his Human form in favour of something Bianca vaguely recognized as a Manticore from her brothers cards. He was larger than Chibi, but that didn't seem to phase the wolf as he kept up the assault with his mirror, claws and fangs, clashing with the Manticore with enough force to shake the snow from the surrounding trees.

"A Manticore!" said a blond girl who seemed to appear out of thin air as she took off a hat.

Bianca nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden appearance, but it also served to make her realize that her classmate Grover was also present.

"Who are you people?" Bianca demanded. "And what is that?"

"A Manticore?" Nico gasped, "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws! And that wolf...it looks like Ammy!"

Bianca frowned. She knew that the nonsense about points came from Mythomagic, but who in the world was Ammy? The name sounded familiar, but…

Her thoughts were cut off as a helicopter suddenly appeared over the nearby clif, its searchlight blazing as it opened fire with its mounted machine guns. Chibi was forced to jump back away from the Manticore as bullet holes peppered the ground around it, allowing the monster to swat away the girl who was attacking it with her spear. Chibi tried to go after the Manticore again before it could attack the girl, but the helicopter opened fire again, forcing it back. Chibi snarled in frustration as he turned to glare up at the gunship. Then, he flicked his tail and the world seemed to flicker. Bianca could have sworn a black line momentarily appeared over the helicopter, like ink across a landscape, before the craft suddenly split down the middle as if cut by a blade. The stricken helicopter hung in space for a moment, before it exploded.

Thorn responded to his backups sudden destruction by letting out a roar of fury that forced Bianca to cover her ears in pain. Almost faster than she could see, Thorn pounced, sending both the spear girl and Percy flying with powerful swipes from his paws.

"Thats it!" he snarled, "Fuck taking you alive, I'm just gonna eat you all!"

He advanced on the group of teens, but before he'd gone more than a few steps, Chibi landed in front of them again, crouched defensively and once again growling at the Manticore as the flames around the disk on his back increased in intensity. Thorn sneered and opened his mouth, revealing a mouthful of fangs that had no business being in a Human face. Before he could say anything though, Chibi's ears perked up and a clear, piercing note from a hunting horn came from the woods. The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the slowly dispersing smoke from the helicopter.

"No," whispered Thorn, "It cannot be..."

His sentence was cut short when something shot past Bianca like a streak of moonlight and a glowing silver arrow sprouted from his shoulder. He staggered backward, wailing in agony.

"Curse you!" Thorn cried.

He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two. By this point, Bianca was pretty much numb to impossible things so the only thing she felt was a vague sense of disbelief at the apparently impossible shot.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain, breathing heavily. Percy tried to swipe at him with his sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged the attack and slammed his tail into Percy's shield, knocking him aside. Bianca watched in detached interest as the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten while the oldest, about fourteen. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows.

"The Hunters!" shouted the blond girl.

At this point, Bianca's legs decided that they'd had enough and gave way under her. However, instead of falling to the muddy ground, she found herself being caught by something warm and furry. She looked and saw Chibi's face inches from her. She smiled at the wolf, who gave a doggy grin back and licked the tip of her nose.

"Nice work kiddo," said the firefly as it jumped from her shoulder to Chibi's head.

The wolf growled in annoyance and glared at the green spark, but didn't do anything else. Bianca was glad because, if he had moved, she'd probably had fallen.

A sudden yell suddenly drew Bianca's attention back to the unfolding standoff between the Manticore and Hunters, just in time to see the Monster stumbling around with the blond girl on his back, stabbing at him with a bronze knife. Then, the Hunters opened fire and the Manticore fell over the edge of the cliff, taking the girl with him.

 **And I'm going to end this here. Well, that was certainly an interesting wasn't it? I hope I did a good job with the fight, it was certainly fun to fight.**

 **Haru changing to a more grown up version of himself for the fight comes from the Gods ability to change the age they look like and also because pitting a puppy against a Manticore sounds like a terrible idea. Plus, someone gave me the idea of having Bianca riding Haru like Chibiterasu's partners do. I like the idea so much, I decided to use it. He can still use his puppy form though, don't worry.**

 **Issun's shown up! That won't end well once Artemis wants to chat with them...eh, the little firefly'll deserve it I'm sure. I hope I did a good job of him, I've only recently bought the HD remaster on Steam and I haven't had much time to play it.**

 **And with that, I think I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	61. Bringing Full Power Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Bringing Full Power

Getting reborn into a world of Heroes and Monsters was almost more than I could take, especially when my sister is potentially one of those monsters. However, the Monsters that infest the Human World are barely scratching the surface when it comes to what could kill me. My name is Jonathan Hebert and I can see ghosts.

 **So, here we go with an idea thats been brewing for a while. It was inevitable I'd eventually do something like this, so lets get started. My original idea was to have John be a Substitute Shinigami thanks to circumstances similar to what Kari went through in the Bleach/Digimon crossover Masked Angel (Incidentally, go read that, its awesome, even if it hasn't been updated in a while). However, everyone uses Shinigami and Zanpakuto, so I decided to do something a bit different. Instead of a Soul Reaper, or even a Quincy, our protagonist is gonna be a Fullbringer! Just wait till you see what I have in mind for his power. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, for a world as fucked up and insane as Earth Bet, it says something when you can definitively say that theres no one quite like you alive. Or at least, I've never met anyone. After all, how many people can say they died and was reborn into a fictional world? Apart from bad Fanfic protagonists that is. Plus, I'm even stranger because I can see dead people. Yeah, I have no idea if thats because I'm a reincarnated Soul myself or something else entirely, but I can genuinely see ghosts. I suppose it could be a Cape power, but somehow I don't think so. Mainly because, although dieing is pretty traumatic, I don't think I've actually undergone a trigger event. Plus, I found out the reason at a later date.

* * *

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't remember much about my birth (thank god), but I can say that I was reborn in a place that would likely result in me ending up smack bang in the line of fire for someone, namely as Taylor's twin brother. Yeah, this is gonna blow…

* * *

Growing up in Brockton was actually surprisingly normal, despite the overabundance of supervillains. That said, I really wasn't willing to leave things up to fate and thus, decided it would be a good idea if I learnt how to fight. With that in mind, I got Mum and Dad to enroll me in a martial art class...which was where I met some people that made me realize just how fucked this world potentially was.

* * *

It started on my first day at the dojo when Mum ran into an old friend who was dropping her son off for the lesson. Said friend was a beautiful, motherly looking woman with fair skin, dark brown eyes and wavy, brown hair that her son shaired. She was also oddly familiar to me, despite the fact I'd never met her before. Then, Mum greeted her.

"Masaki, god its been years!" said Mum.

"And whos fault is that?" asked Masaki with a smile as she and Mum embraced, "Although I can't blame you that much."

"Can we not talk about that?" asked Mum, before catching sight of the little boy hiding behind Masaki's legs, "And whos this little fellow?"

"Oh, this is my Son, Ichigo," said Masaki, "Come on Ichigo, stop being silly and say hello!"

Ichigo blushed and ducked his head as he stepped out and mumbled a hello.

"This is my oldest, John," said Mum, putting her hands on my shoulders as I smiled politely as I swore violently in my head.

Suddenly, the Endbringers and even Scion seemed a lot less dangerous compared with the nasties that potentially waited in the future of the shy boy across from me.

Now, you might think that Ichigo could possibly be a coincidence, but nope, no chance of that! Not when Tatsuki spent most of the lesson time beating the crap out of Ichigo. Oh, and the fact that now I was looking for it, I could see that the Ghosts I could see had chains emerging from their chests and I occasionally heard the faint howls of what had to be Hollows...I think I'm in trouble…

* * *

So yeah, things went as you can probably guess from there. Taylor and I continued to grow, attend school and generally do what kids do. Of course, Taylor was kinda lacking in friends, having only Emma while I ended up making friends with Tatsuki and Ichigo. Kinda hard not to when I spend three days a week sparing with them and sat next to the latter in class. Ichigo's mother still met her end at the hands of Grand Fisher when we were Nine, he developed a habit of getting into fights with thugs over his hair colour and various ABB members trying to press gang him into the gang...that never went well for them, doubly so when Chad entered the scene. The fact I regularly helped out certainly didn't help the thugs from staying out of hospital, although it did often result in me getting scoldings from Mum about getting into fights.

Speaking of my family and the none Spiritual side of things, things were...normal surprisingly. I'm still not entirely sure who I got my insanely high Spiritual Powers from (and considering I could see ghosts as clearly as Ichigo, they had to be pretty fucking strong), but frankly, I didn't really care. While we weren't necessarily close, Taylor and I got on well and I tried to help my sister out when she needed it and she returned the favour. We didn't really spend that much time hanging out in school, but I think thats largely because I wasn't entirely sure I could hide the disdain I held towards Emma for the bitch I knew she'd turn into.

* * *

However, that was for later. For now, lets focus on the event that revealed the reason why I could see Souls. It was six months before the start of highschool and Mum and I were in the car heading to pick Taylor up from Emma's house. To be honest, I'm not sure why I was tagging along. Maybe it was because I thought that my presence might prevent the event I was pretty sure was about to happen, or maybe it was because I was bored….nah, it was the former. Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account the fact that A, I had an obscene amount of Spirit energy, B, that energy HAD to come from somewhere and C, this world had Hollows in it. Yeah, you can probably guess where this is going.

* * *

The first indication that the shit was about to hit the fan was when a girl in white suddenly appeared in the middle of the road through the driving rain, forcing Mum to swerve to avoid her. The car skidded, hit the side of the road, flipped and ended up upside down in a ditch.

"Owww, what was that?" I groaned as I released myself from my seat belt and fell to the roof of the car with a thump.

"No idea," said Mum, "Are you OK John?"

"I think so," I said as I rubbed my head.

My hand came away slick with blood, but the wound didn't seem to bad.

"Thats good," said Mum, "Come on, we need to…"

 **GYAHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

Both Mum and I froze at the sudden howl.

"Wha…" I gasped as I felt a strange pressure start to press down on me, "W-whats going on?"

"No, not here!" gasped Mum, "Not now!"

CRASH!

We both jumped and looked up as something big landed next to the car and grabbed it.

" **Hmmm, whats this?"** rumbled a deep voice, **"Two powerful Souls? My, what a treat!"**

The car shifted as the creature pushed it, causing it to shift and bringing a white, skull-like mask and a furred body into view. My eyes widened as I recognized the monster. Well, that explained where the girl came from. Grand fucking Fisher. This...could end badly. Like, really bad!

"No, it can't be…" whispered Mum, her eyes widening.

I glanced over at her in surprise. She could see that thing? More to the point, she recognized it? How was that even…

My thoughts were cut off as Grand Fisher reached into the car towards me. I flinched, but before he could grab me, there was a flash of light and the Hollow wrenched its hand back as multiple cuts appeared on its limb.

" **ARRG, what was that?"** growled the Hollow.

"You won't touch him," growled Mum, snatching something up from the center console.

" **What…?"**

Mum brought the object to her mouth, tore something out and there was another flash of light and I found myself being shoved back out the door and away from the Hollow as Mum vanished in a flash of green light. She appeared a short distance away and did something that caused a blast of fire to shoot at the Hollow. Grand Fisher jumped out of the way as the fire hit the car and exploded.

" **This power...what is this?"** growled the Hollow.

"Words of Creation," said Mum, "My power."

Grand Fisher shifted to glare at her.

" **Hmm, very interesting,"** he said, **"That felt almost like a Hollows power...and familiar at that...have we met somewhere?"**

"14 years ago," said Mum, "You attacked me while I was walking home from work. You massively underestimated me then and nearly ended up paying the price. This time, I won't let you get away!"

She held up the thing she was using, revealing that it was a small notebook of flashcards. She flicked a couple out and tore them out.

"Rain of Blades."

Grand Fisher jumped, just barely evading the glowing blades of green energy that appeared out of thin air and nearly cut him to shreds.

" **Whats going on, what kind of power is this?!"** spluttered the Hollow.

"Ice."

Another bit of paper and a wave of ice appeared bearing down on the Hollow. Fisher jumped out of the way of the attack and tried to charge Mum, only to meet a faceful of glowing ashes that exploded into a massive ball of fire.

" **DAMN YOU!"** roared Fisher as he emerged from the could, his fur smouldering and smoking, **"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"**

Mum vanished in a flash of green light as Fisher slammed into the ground where she had been standing, only to appear behind him with a blade of green energy in her hands.

"Blade."

Fisher jumped, barely dodging the swing, but he still lost an arm to the attack.

" **This Spirit Energy...it feels like a Hollow!"** growled Fisher as his arm regenerated.

"Yeah, Fullbringers tend to do that," said Mum, "Now, hold still and let me kill you!"

What happened next can best be described as an utter slaughter as Mum proceed to use a frankly obscene number of different types of attack to batter Fisher while using Bringer Light to evade his attempts to counter. Frankly, the only reason he wasn't turned to a pincushion in the first couple of seconds was because Fisher was a lot faster than he looked.

" **Tch, annoying bitch,"** growled Fisher, **"I'm outta here!"**

He dodged a rather large boulder that appeared out of thin air to squash him and used it as a jump point...to shoot right at me.

" **BUT I'M NOT LEAVING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!"** he roared.

"NO!"

The sudden change in direction and sheer speed of the attack meant that I barely had time to close my eyes before he was on me. However, instead of teeth closing on my body and Soul, all I felt was something warm and wet splashing against my cheeks. Ahh shit, I knew enough about cliches and Bleach to know where this was going. I hesitantly opened my eyes and, sure enough, Mum was stood in front of me, defending me from Fishers attack with her body.

"You...won't...touch...him," she growled through the blood pooling in her throat, "Now, go to hell!"

She released her grip on the bloody book of cards that served as her Fullbringer. The book gleamed as it fell, before it exploded in a blast of green energy that shot straight up into the air, blasting away the cloud cover and sending me flying back. I hit the barrier at the side of the road, followed by Mum's body landing a short distance away with a splat. I ignored the slowly rising cloud of smoke from the crater Mum's last attack had made as I dashed to her side and fell to my knees. I could here the sirens approaching, but just by looking at her, I knew they wouldn't make it in time.

Mum opened her eyes and looked up at me, a pained smile on her lips.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

I couldn't answer, but I nodded.

"Thats good," she said, before coughing up a mouthful of blood, "John, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your powers. If I knew you could see them, I would have taught you sooner…"

"Its OK Mum," I said, "I'll...I'll just have to figure it out on my own."

Mum gave a pained chuckle and shook her head.

"No, theres no need for that," she gasped, struggling to reach up to her throat.

She pulled an old fashioned key on a piece of twine out from under her shirt.

"Take this," she said, pressing the key into my hand, "It opens a box I put in the bottom of your wardrobe. I always suspected that you'd be the one to inherit my power. If Taylor gains them as well, help her."

"What if I need help?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"I don't think you will," said Mum, "But if you do, look for the Urahara Shop in the Docks. The owners an eccentric old geezer, but he'll help you if he can."

I couldn't stop the choked laugh that escaped through my tears. Of course Hat and Clogs would be here, why wouldn't he be? I bet the Visards are living in the Docks as well…

I was shaken from my hysterical thoughts by Mum's hand on my cheek.

"John...don't let your Father and sister slip," she said, her voice getting weaker with every passing moment, "I know how much my death will hurt them, but you can't let them give up. I will see you all again, but if any of you dare to follow me before your time is up, I'll never forgive you."

I nodded as I felt my eyes begin to well up.

"I promise," I whispered.

"Good boy," said Mum, "Now I can die without regrets."

And with that, she gave one last smile and closed her eyes. I distinctly heard something snap and, a moment later, a black butterfly fluttered away from my Mothers body. I like to think I took it well.

"RAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

 **KRACKOOOOM!**

When the emergency services arrived ten minutes later, it was to find me kneeling in the middle of a massive spiderweb of cracks in solid stone and asphalt, soaking wet and covered in blood as I cried over my Mother's body.

 **Hoo boy, that got brutal. Then again, this is Worm...of course, its also Bleach so some humorous angst should be expected.**

 **Yes, I made Annette a Fullbringer. Since I have no idea whether or not Fullbringer powers are genetic, she was also attacked by Fisher while she was pregnant with John and Taylor. Whether or not that means that Taylor has Spiritual Powers as well is unknown for now, although considering one of the ideas I have for this she'll probably end up with some at the very least.**

 **Incidentally, Annette's powers work very similar to Oriana Thompsons Shorthand from a Certain Magical Index.**

 **And Brockton gets to replace Karakura town as the center point for all the shit going down in the future and also has the distinction of being Bet's current Jūreichi. I'm going to be changing some names into Western ones, but the main cast of Bleach will likely go unchanged.**

 **Due to the fact that, if I keep the timelines consistent, Bleach will start in the middle of Leviathans attack or before the Locker event, I'm obviously gonna have to flip the script slightly. Instead of using one or the other, I'm going to be using a combination of the two. Alternatively, I could use the former considering what I have planned, but then I might as well just do a Bleach fic. Plus, I'm making Ichigo and his friends a tad older so their in the same school year as Taylor and John. Yes, I do have a reason for that.**

 **Do I really need to address power levels? Sigh, fine. Since Ulquiorra states that simply releasing his Zanpakuto could apparently destroy most Las Noches, a building that, according to Death Battle, is about the same size as California, I think that means that the Espada 4 and up are much more powerful than anything in the Worm verse. And considering that the Captains were able to take them on and win, albeit with a bit of ganging up, I think that likely sits them squarely at the top of the food chain. As for why the SS has never done anything about the Endbringers, remember that their not supposed to interfere with the World of the Living unless it affects the Balance of Souls. Despite the massive death toll, the Endbringers haven't. That doesn't mean a certain Substitute Soul Reaper and his friends can't help out though! Hehe, Tensa Zangetsu Ichigo smacking Leviathan around like a pinball…**

 **Anyway, that'll do for now. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	62. Death Comes for All Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Death Comes for All

Most Outsiders are reborn after death, but I wasn't. I actually found myself in an Afterlife. Just one problem, its not the afterlife I was expecting. No fluffy clouds or harps for me, just swords, Demons and utter chaos. Dear god, I'm boned!

 **Right, more Bleach ideas. This has been sitting in my docs for AGES and I finally got around to posting it now. I probably won't continue it, but what the hell. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I died. Fluffy clouds? Golden Gates? Perhaps a tall fellow in a black cloak with a scythe? As it happened, I got none of the above. What I got instead was reborn into a family that contained one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. And I now had said favorite character as my big brother. While that was cool and all, I wasn't entirely sure whether or not I should be happy about it. Why? Well, my new name was Kurama Kuchiki, the younger brother of Byakuya Kuchiki. You know, the cool, collected Captain who fights with cherry blossoms and still manages to be a complete badass? Yeah, him.

* * *

Growing up as a member of a Noble Family was...interesting. I was the second son, which meant that, although I didn't have anywhere near the level of pressure on me as Byakuya did, I was still expected to exelle as, should anything happen to my brother (not that it would), I would be next in line as head of the clan. Whoo boy, thats a scary thought! Anyway, my training started as soon as I was old enough to hold a sword in just about every aspect of the Shinigami arts, from Zanjutsu through to Kido. Some elements I excelled in, others…

KABOOOM!

"Cough."

"HA! Still can't manage a simple Kido?" said Byakuya from where he was stood at the side of the Kido range in the Manors back garden.

I was currently 13 years old (or at least the equivalent in terms of the Soul Society, which meant I was probably about 50 in Human terms. Time in the Soul Society was a little...odd) and practicing my Kido which, much to my ire, was by far my weakest skill. I probably had about as much talent at it as Renji.

I turned to glare at my 15 year old brother, who was grinning wildly at me.

"I may suck at Kido, but you still can't beat me at a game of tag," I said.

Byakuya immediately stopped laughing and glared at me, before he scoffed and looked away.

"Its not like I have any time for such childish games," he sniffed.

I smirked.

"Oh really?"

I shifted my feet and used what was, by far, the coolest ability I'd learnt so far, Flash Step. There was nothing like the feeling of moving with the technique, it was almost like flying, and the control it gave me… Not to mention the fact that the person who taught me it, and my skills in Hakuda, was Yoruichi herself.

I appeared behind my brother and snagged the ribbon he was wearing in his hair, reappearing a few meters behind him.

"What the...HEY!"

Byakuya jumped up, grabbing the Bokken that had been leaning against the fence next to him as he spun to face me.

"Give that back!"

"Nuh uh, ya gonna have to catch me first!" I said with a grin.

Byakuya's eye twitched and his grip tightened on his wooden sword.

"Why you...you've been spending time with that cat demon again!" he yelled.

"Well, she is fun to be around," I said, spinning the ribbon around my fingers, "And she's taught me a lot...like how to properly rile you up Big Bro! Now come on slowpoke, quit being a grump and lets play!"

Byakuya gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword.

"That does it...I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

He vanished and appeared in front of me, swinging his sword down at my head. I twisted out of the way and vanished in my own flash step, flying backwards as Byakuya charged after me. I shifted out of the way of his wild swings, my hands in my pockets.

"Ohhh, so angry," I said, "You really ought to get a better handle on that temper of yours Bro!"

"SHUT UP!"

I caught Byakuya's sword between my palms as he swung it at me and twisted, pulling him closer so I could flip over his head. Before he could react, I had wrapped the hair tie I'd taken from him around his wrists and shoved him over into the grass.

"Well, you two seem to be having fun," said an elderly voice.

We both looked up and saw the elderly, mustachioed form of our Grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki.

"G-Grandfather!" gasped Byakuya, shrugging his way out of the hair tie and scrambling to his feet.

"Hey Grandpa, its been a while," I said as I Flash Stepped in front of him, "Are you gonna stay here tonight?"

Ginrei smiled at me and patted me on the head.

"I see you're just as rambunctious as ever," he said.

"Awww, being serious all the time is no fun," I said.

"Kurama!" hissed Byakuya, looking scandalized as he retired his ponytail.

"Don't concern yourself Byakuya," said Grandpa, "I won't fault Kurama for being himself."

"But the Kuchiki Clan is supposed to serve as an example!" protested Byakuya, "We have to maintain…"

He was cut off by the sudden appearance of a certain purple haired cat-woman directly behind him.

"Your way to serious Byakuya," said Yoruichi.

My brothers eye twitched as his anger once again spiked.

"Its you, Cat Demon!" he yelled, spinning around and snatching up his bokken.

"AHAHAHA, Cat Demon?" said Yoruichi, "Is that how you greet someone who came out of her way to see you?"

Byakuya growled, before he visibly rained himself in.

"I am the next head of the Kuchiki Clan," he said, "I don't have time to play childish games."

"Oh really?" asked Yoruichi with a smirk, "Then what was that I saw you doing with Kurama earlier?"

Byakuya's face burned red.

"T-that was…" he spluttered, "Thats different!"

While this was going on, I snuck up on my brother and snagged his hair tie again, flash stepping away as he spun around, and reappearing next to Yoruichi.

"Thats twice I've snagged your hair tie," I said, "Should I be worried about the fate of our Clan?"

"GRAAAAHHHHH!"

Yoruichi burst out laughing as I took off again with my brother in hot pursuit.

"Later Grandpa, Yoruichi!" I called as I zipped away, avoiding my brothers wild swipes with ease.

"GET BACK HERE SO I CAN BEAT YOU UNCONSCIOUS!" roared Byakuya.

"You'll never take me alive!" I shouted as I vaulted up onto the wall that ran around the Kuchiki manor.

Byakuya took a few swipes at me that I deflected with a few well placed palm strikes, laughing the whole time as Byakuya got more and more angry. I was so focused on riling up my brother (and taking great pleasure in it considering the stick in the mud he'd grow into) that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. As such, it wasn't any surprise that I ran smack into someone, although seeing as we were running around the Kuchiki Clan Compound Walls, I wasn't expecting anyone to be up there. However, it seemed that Fate hated me and someone decided to jump up onto the wall, just in time for me to run into them.

The sudden impact sent both of us tumbling off the wall to land in the shallow koi pond with a loud splash. I sat up, spewing fishy water, only to freeze as I came face to face with a pair of startled looking gray eyes.

"Um, hi?" I said, blushing as I realized that the girl I'd run into was now straddling me in the pond.

The girl blinked twice, before the familiar sound of Yoruichi's laughter reached my ears. I tilted my head back and saw the Shapeshifter doubled over in amusement while my Grandfather wore a slight smirk and Byakuya looked scandalized.

"Well, I have to say its nice to see that my two favorite students are getting on," said the shapeshifter once she'd got enough control over her laughter.

"Wha...OOF!"

I curled up, gasping for breath as the girl suddenly vanished, the force from the sudden flash step off my stomach knocking the wind out of me.

"You sent for me Lady Yoruichi?" said the girl as she appeared, kneeling in front of Yoruichi.

"Calm down Soi-fon, this isn't anything official," said the Squad 2 Captain, "I just wanted to introduce you to a new sparring partner."

"Sparring partner?"

She followed Yoruichi's finger to where she was pointing at me as I slowly got to my feet, holding my still sore stomach.

"I suspect that's me," I said, "Incidentally, that hurt!"

"Are you OK Kurama?" asked Byakuya.

I gave him a flat look.

"Weren't you just trying to brain me?"

Byakuya's eye twitched as he tried to regain his composure.

"Alright you two, thats enough," said Grandpa before I could goad my brother into another chase around the compound.

"Yes Grandfather," we both said.

We knew better than to disobey when Grandpa gave an order in that tone of voice.

"Now, whats this about a sparing partner?" asked Grandpa.

"Kurama has reached the point in his Hakuda training that the only way he'll improve is through actual combat," said Yoruichi, "I'd do it myself, but I thought it would be better if he and Soi-fon spared together. It'd save time for all of us."

I shrugged.

"Eh, I'm game," I said, "Could be fun."

Soi-fon didn't look quite so eager, but she nodded anyway.

* * *

And so began the start of a friendship that was every bit as strong as the one between Yoruichi and Urahara. At first, we only sparred and it was clear that my general distaste for formalities grated on her at first, but I quickly grew on her. Like its said, the best way to learn about someone is by fighting them and we learnt a lot about one another in our spars. Eventually, we started meeting up for things other than sparing. She even helped me with my Kido to the point where I could finally use it without blowing myself up.

* * *

It had been nine years since then and I had grown from a gangly teen to a skilled young Soul Reaper. My brother had entered the 13 Court Guard Squads a couple of years ago as a Seated Officer in Squad 6 and I was due to join the Squads in the next year. Currently however, I was laying back on the roof of the Kuchiki Mansion staring up at the nights sky.

"So peaceful," I murmured, "I wish nights like this would last forever…"

I tilted my head back as I felt Soi-fons Spiritual Pressure appear behind me.

"Hey Soi-fon, need…"

I stopped, my eyes widening as I saw that my friends eyes were red from crying. I scrambled to my feet and darted forwards, catching her as her legs gave way.

"Soi-fon, whats wrong?" I said as she clutched at my shirt and cried into my chest.

"Shes gone," sobbed Soi-fon, "Lady Yoruichi, shes gone…"

My eyes widened, before I let out a sigh. I knew it was coming and soon, but I had no idea it would happen so soon. I wrapped my arms around her, rubbing circles on her back as she sobbed into my chest.

"Why didn't she take me with her?!" she wailed, "Doesn't she care?"

"Of course she does," I said, "And I imagine thats why she didn't take you with her."

Soi-fon looked up at me in surprise.

"If she took you with her, you'd be branded a traitor and never be able to return. Do you honestly believe that she would want that for you?"

Soi-fon sniffed and rested her head back on my chest.

"But why did she have to go in the first place?"

I smirked.

"For the same reason you're currently sobbing your eyes out," I said, "Loyalty. I know you don't like him, but Yoruichi and Urahara have been best friends for a very long time, probably even longer than we've been alive. Is it really that surprising that she'd help him, even if it meant abandoning everything?"

"I guess not," mumbled Soi-fon.

"Besides, its not all bad," I said, "You still got me, right?"

Soi-fon snorted.

"Idiot," she mumbled.

I felt her relax as her breathing evened out. I smiled. I probably just obliterated the timeline in one way or another but I honestly couldn't bring myself to care.

 **And done. So, what do you think the addition of another Kuchiki, and one without the massive log up his rear, will do for the story? We'll just have to wait and see.**

 **I actually don't have anything else I can really say here, so I'm gonna sign off. Please leave a review!**


	63. Death Comes for All Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Death Comes for All

Most Outsiders are reborn after death, but I wasn't. I actually found myself in an Afterlife. Just one problem, its not the afterlife I was expecting. No fluffy clouds or harps for me, just swords, Demons and utter chaos. Dear god, I'm boned!

 **Nothing to say here, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

It had been just over 40 years since that day, during which time I had reached the point where my aging had basically stopped at about 23 years old in Human terms. I had long since entered the 13 Court Guard Squads as the 6th seat of Squad 6 under my Grandfather while Byakuya held the post of 3rd seat. Our parents had been killed in action around 20 years ago during a battle with a group of particularly strong Hollows while saving a group of Souls from the monsters. Soi-fon and I continued to train together until my friend had reached the rank of Commander in Chief of the Stealth Force and was well on her way to earning the rank of Captain. Other than that, the only other thing of note was Byakuya meeting and falling for Hisana during a patrol of Rukongai. That lead to my current position, in the Clan Meeting room, being forced to listen to the Elders as they argued.

"This is an outrage!" yelled one of the more traditionalist elders, "We cannot allow our bloodline to be tainted by those of lesser standing!"

"While I do not agree with how my brother put it, he is correct," said another Elder, "The rules are in place for a reason."

"The problem is that they are completely incorrect," I muttered.

"Hmm, did you say something Kurama?" asked Grandfather.

I twitched. I had forgotten how good the old mans hearing was. I glanced around at the Elders and my Brother, before letting out a huff.

"Look, I get where you're coming from," I said, "Tradition is important and all that, but its not like Byakuya is trying to get out of an arranged marriage or something. He has no other outstanding duties that prevent him from marrying Hisana. To add to that, adding some new blood to the family can only be good."

"What do you mean by that?" asked one of the more open Elders as the others all started muttering.

"Well, its a proven fact that intermarrying too much between a small number of families eventually causes problems," I said, "Besides, if you're honestly worried about our Clan losing strength, don't be. Hisana has an incredible amount of Spirit Energy."

"This is pre…"

"Enough," said Grandfather, "Kurama is correct in this matter."

He opened his eyes and fixed Byakuya with a stare.

"You can marry her," he said, "I trust in you and your brothers judgment. I hope you and Hisana will be very happy."

He stood and walked out of the room as the rest of the Elders started muttering among themselves. Taking the opportunity to escape, Byakuya and I quickly left the room.

"Thank you for your support in there Brother," said Byakuya.

I smiled and patted him on the back.

"Its not a problem," I said, "Hisana's good for you."

Byakuya paused.

"You've met her?" he asked.

"Of course. How do you think I know about her Spirit Energy? And I know for a fact that Grandfather has spoken with her as well."

"I see…" muttered Byakuya.

I smirked and gave him a shove.

"Now get going and get your girl," I said, "I want to meet her properly this time."

Byakuya gave me a small smile and vanished in a Flash Step.

* * *

Shortly after that, Byakuya and Hisana were married and I was treated to a sight that I'm sure Ichigo would never have believed was possible in the future. Byakuya smiling in genuine happiness and I could see why. Hisana was a joy to be around, the sort of person who radiates good feelings like a miniature sun. Even with the aura of melancholy she had whenever she returned from searching for Rukia in Rukongai, she always smiled whenever she saw Byakuya.

Speaking of Rukia, I did my best to help my sister and even asked the Stealth Force for help through Soi-fon, but the Outer Districts were simply too far for the Seireitei influence to do much and trying to find one street kid in that mess...yeah, not a chance.

* * *

Six years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, during which time Hisana managed to worm her way into the hearts of even the coldest of the Kuchiki Clan elders. However, even in the Soul Society, life can be fragile at times. Despite my best efforts and the help I gave her, it seems that Hisane was doomed from the start. Besides, what could I possibly do? Grandfather even got Captain Unohana in to try and heal her after Hisana collapsed one day, but even the legendary healer was unable to do anything.

"The Human body is an amazing thing," she had said, "If it so chooses, even someone who appears on the brink of death can be healed with the right treatment. However, by the same vain, if it gives up, nothing a healer can do will coax it to heal."

After Hisana died, Byakuya withdrew, becoming more of the cold character he was in the Anime.

* * *

Shortly after Hisana's death, I was promoted and transferred to Squad 2 as the Lieutenant under Soi-fon who managed to earn the rank of captain. Considering we were old friends, she immediately requested me as an officer in her Squad.

"Alright maggots," said Soi-fon as she stared out over the gathered Shinigami of Squad 2, "I am the new Captain of Squad 2, Soi-fon. As I am also the Commander in Chief of the Stealth Force, from this day on, the two will operate as one. The heads of each division will serve as the first five seated Offices. I'll be making changes to the line up over time as I get some idea of your abilities and you adapt to the new training regime I have for you. To help me with that, I have requested some help from an old friend of mine who has been in dire need of a promotion for a while. With that in mind, please welcome your new Lieutenant…"

She was cut off by a loud crash.

"WHAT?!" roared the source of the yell, a large man I recognized as Marechiyo Ōmaeda.

He looked annoyed by something.

"And you are?" asked Soi-fon, looking the Lieutenant up and down with a barely hidden sneer.

"I'm the Lieutenant of this Squad, Marechiyo Omaeda!" said Omaeda.

"Really? You're the Lieutenant?" sneered Soi-fon, this time not bothering to hide it, "Now I'm really glad I had Kurama assigned to me. I can tell just by looking at you that he is much more powerful, both in skills and Spiritual Pressure."

Omaeda gritted his teeth in anger.

"I expect you to turn your Lieutenant's badge in by the end of the day," said Soi-fon.

"But Captain you can't be serious!" protested the large man, "I have been the Lieutenant of Squad 2 since my Father retired! Surely you understand that I know the Squad better than anyone, least of all someone from an entirely different Squad!"

"Thats true," said Soi-fon, "However, you are completely unsuitable to be the second in command of the Punishment Force if you can't even detect a blade thats at your neck."

Omaeda's eyes widened as he looked down and saw that the blade of my Zanpakuto was pointing at his jugular.

"I strongly suggest that you don't underestimate me," I said, my eyes and blade reflecting the light dangerously.

"W-what the..?!" gasped Omaeda, "Who the hell are you?"

I smirked.

"Kurama Kuchiki, your new Lieutenant," I said, "And thanks for this."

I held up the Lieutenant's badge I'd slipped off Omaeda's arm while he was distracted. I removed my blade and Flash Stepped over to join Soi-fon, returning my sword to its sheath across the back of my belt. Said sword took the form of a katana with a horseshoe shaped hilt and a red and black wrapped hilt.

"Howdy everyone, I'm Kurama Kuchiki, formerly of Squad 6," I said, "From now on, I will be your Lieutenant."

"Alright, you lot are dismissed," said Soi-fon, I'll have your new schedule drawn up for you tomorrow. For the next few weeks, we'll be whipping you into shape."

She gave a dark grin.

"Its going to be extremely fun...for me and Kurama at least."

"I suggest you all get plenty of rest tonight," I said, "Trust me, you're going to need it."

"NO!"

Soi-fon paused.

"What was that?" she growled as she fixed Omaeda with a glare that would have made lesser man cower.

"I refuse to accept this!" said the large man, ignoring the Squad members that tried to get him to shut up, "The Lieutenant's seat is mine!"

I let out a huff.

"Captain?"

"Go ahead," said Soi-fon, "Just don't kill him."

I smirked and turned back to the gathered Soul Reapers.

"Alright then Omaeda, how about you prove it," I said, "If you don't think I'm worthy of being Lieutenant, prove it in the sparring ring. If you beat me, I'll give you back your Lieutenant post."

Omaeda blinked then smirked.

"Fine, you're on," he sneered, "Kuchiki or not, a weedy brat like you can't beat me!"

I smirked. This was gonna be fun.

* * *

A few minutes later, Omaeda and I were stood across from one another in the sparring ring behind the Barracks.

"Alright you two, you are permitted to use Shikai, but please try to avoid lethal strikes," said Soi-fon, "Now then, BEGIN!"

"I'll crush you in one shot!" roared Omaeda, whipping out his sword, "Crush him, Gegetsuburi!"

He swing his sword, sending the massive spiked ball at me. I smirked and drew my own sword, deflecting the flail with a flick of my wrist.

"Well, you're certainly not wasting any time," I said, "Alright then, I guess I'll show you my Zanpakuto."

I held my sword out to the side.

"Attract, Satatsu," I said.

The entire weapon turned black and dissolved into black dust, before reforming into the shape of a guardless sword.

"Huh? What kind of Shikai is that?" growled Omaeda, "Its so puny!"

I smirked.

"Oh really?" I asked, "You have no idea what my Satetsu can do and your already brushed it off? Big mistake fatso."

Omaeda twitched.

"DON'T YOU CALL ME FAT!" he roared and flung his Zanpakuto at me.

I flicked my wrist again, only this time, my blade cut straight through the heavy ball and extended into a black whip-like form. Omaeda let out a rather undignified yelp and jumped out of the way as my blade carved a deep furrow in the ground.

"Satatsu is a blade composed of iron sand," I said, "As such, I can manipulate its shape and form with ease. Not only that, but the grains vibrate at high speed, granting it incredible cutting power."

"Y-y-you bastard!" stuttered Omaeda.

I smirked.

"So, are you ready to give up or am I going to have to really hurt you?" I asked as my sword began to ripple and shift and black sand began to swirl around me.

"Rggggg, SCREW YOU!" roared Omaeda as he charged me with his fists.

I sighed and raised a hand. The black sand swirled and surged out.

"Black sand coffin," I said.

Omaeda yelped as the sand swept him off his feet and wrapped around him, blinding him in place with ease.

"Why do I even bother?" I grumbled as the idiot tried to struggle against the bonds, "And quit struggling, you won't be able to break free from that."

"SCREW YOU!"

"You already said that," I said, "Anyway, I'm bored. Time for you to get going."

I waved a hand and sent him flying out of the ring.

"Winner, Kurama Kuchiki," said Soi-fon, "Not that I was expecting any other outcomes."

"Nice to know you think so highly of me," I said as I sealed my Zanpakuto.

"Oh, its not that, I just don't want to be the sparring partner of someone who'd lose to that tub of lard."

I twitched.

"Man, thats cold," I said.

Soi-fon ignored me.

"So, are there any others who want to protest my decision?" she asked.

Everyone in the Squad quickly shook their heads.

"Alright then, someone take that moron back to the Barracks and get his stuff out of the Lieutenant's Quarters," said the Captain, "Dismissed."

Everyone hurried to obey.

"So, what now?" I asked.

"Now?" said Soi-fon, "Now we do our jobs and whip this bunch of idiots into shape."

She turned and started walking towards the Captains Quarters. Just before she left the ring area, she paused.

"Kurama, I'm putting a lot of trust in you," she said, "Don't let me down."

I smiled slightly.

"Never."

 **And with that, I'm done. So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Not sure? Eh, no matter.**

 **If your wondering why Soi-fon is acting a little OOC, the reason is largely due to Kurama. She's still serious, driven and does not take kindly to traitors, but shes nowhere near as hard as she is at the start of canon.**

 **I've always wondered how Omaeda managed to remain Lieutenant, even if he is much better than he appears at first glance. To that end, I gave him the boot and replaced him with a much better choice.**

 **Kurama's Zanpakuto is not what it appears to be. I won't spill what its actual ability us, but suffice to say its a lot more than just manipulating a small amount of iron sand.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	64. Bringing Full Power Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Bringing Full Power

Getting reborn into a world of Heroes and Monsters was almost more than I could take, especially when my sister is potentially one of those monsters. However, the Monsters that infest the Human World are barely scratching the surface when it comes to what could kill me. My name is Jonathan Hebert and I can see ghosts.

 **And we're back! I have a few ideas for this story which will basically result in canon getting given the finger even more than it would normally by the addition of people who could flatten the Endbringers without breaking a sweat. They should be fun to see your reactions to. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

I think it goes without saying that the death of my Mother shook my entire family pretty hard. I spent the next two days after the accident in the hospital in a state of shock, even after Panacea fixed my injuries, and then when I returned home, it was to a house drowning in grief. That served to break me out of my own shock, both over the sudden and violent death and the fact that I was apparently a Fullbringer and I set about trying to keep the promise I made to Mum.

Fortunately for me, I wasn't alone in trying to cheer my family up, with Dad having some drinking buddies who had gone through the same thing to help him get over Mums death. Who were those drinking buddies? Well, who else but Isshin Kurosaki and Ryuken Ishida of course! Taylor on the other hand was a little more difficult, probably because she didn't have anyone who could truly understand. Oh, Emma tried alright and did her best to cheer Taylor up, but she just couldn't understand what it was like to lose someone that central to ones world. I was willing to give her room to grieve, but after nearly a month of Taylor locking herself in her room and barely eating, I'd had enough.

* * *

"Tay, open up!" I called as I banged on her bedroom door, "I know you can hear me!"

I waited a moment but got no response.

"Right, I'm coming in!" I shouted, "You'd better be decent in there!"

I opened the door and stuck my head in to see Taylor splayed out on her bed, staring at something hidden in her hand. As I entered, she glanced up at me and I felt my heart clench when I saw her red rimmed eyes.

"Hey John," she mumbled, "Did you need something?"

"I've been worried about you," I said as I walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed, "You haven't been eating lately and you hardly ever leave your room."

Taylor just made a vague noise and looked away. I sighed and put a hand on her head.

"Come on Sis, don't be like this," I said, "Talk to me, whats really bothering you? I'm pretty sure its not just Mum's death."

Taylor didn't say anything. After a moment, I let out a sigh and stood.

"Alright, but remember that I'm always here for you," I said and turned to leave.

Before I could, Taylor caught my wrist.

"No, don't go," she said.

"Hmm?"

She hesitated for a moment, before she sighed.

"The day that Mum...died, we had an argument," she said, "It was before I went out with Emma."

"What did you argue about?" I asked.

Taylor gave a strangled laugh.

"Hairpins," she said, "It was stupid and pointless, but I got so angry I stormed out without saying goodbye."

"Yeah, I think I heard that," I said, "You guys were pretty loud. And you say this was about hairpins?"

Taylor nodded.

"Some old ones from when I was a kid," she said, "I wanted to throw them out, but Mom thought it was a waist…"

"And your worried that Mum somehow held that against you?" I asked.

Taylor's silence was enough. I sighed. Damn teen angst was a pain and grief certainly didn't help. I reached over and gently bopped Taylor on the head. My sister looked up in surprise.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"You idiot," I said, "You really think something like that would make Mum angry with you?"

"Well, I…"

I gave a sad smile.

"She wouldn't want this," I said, "Hell, if she could see you now, she'd probably scold you for wasting your life moping over something so stupid. In fact…"

I stood and opened Taylor's wardrobe, pulling out a pink shirt and a pair of jeans that I threw at her.

"Wha...what are these for?" she asked as she caught them.

"Get dressed, we're going out," I said.

"But…"

"No buts, now hurry up or I'll drag you out in your PJs!" I said as I left Taylor to get changed.

* * *

"I hate you so much right now," grumbled Taylor as we walked down the street.

"You can't stay inside your whole life," I said.

"Humph," grumbled Taylor, "Where are we going anyway?"

I grinned as I stopped.

"Right here," I said.

Taylor blinked and looked around. We were standing in front of a footbridge that crossed the river that flowed through Brockton and into the bay. It was in the alright part of town, so, other than a bit of graffette, there was nothing broken or defaced by gang markings.

"Here? But theres nothing here," said Taylor.

"You'd be amazed at what teenagers can do to find places to hang out they really shouldn't," I said, "Come on."

I led Taylor of the road and down the steep embankment that protected the residential district from flooding. At the bottom of the embankment, there was a stretch of grass between the bottom and the river itself and, underneath the bridge supports, there was a small hangout that had been created out of rubbish, bits of scrap metal and a few rescued, ratty looking bits of furniture, including a fridge that was being powered by a rig that looked suspiciously like Tinkertech.

There were already a few people present, including the massive form of Chad idly strumming at a guitar, a head of orange hair kicking back with a can in his hand and Tatsuki going through Kata's near the waters edge.

"What the hell?" said Taylor, "What is all this?"

"Its a place where we can come and hang out in peace," I said, "Not many people know its here and those that do generally keep their distance for...various reasons. Come on."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the hangout. As we approached, Ichigo glanced up and gave what might have been a smile, if he wasn't still scowling.

"Hey John, its about time you got here," he said, "We were starting to think you weren't coming."

"Sorry, I had to drag my sister out of the house," I said, "Taylor, you remember Ichigo, right?"

"Yo, been a while," said Ichigo.

Taylor blushed slightly and ducked behind me.

"Y-yeah, nice to see you again," she mumbled, shifting awkwardly.

I gave her an odd look, before shaking my head and moving on.

"Anyway, the big guy with the guitar is Yasutora Sado, but we all call him Chad," I said, indicating to Chad.

"Hello," said Chad in his normal deep yet quite voice.

"And last but not least, thats…"

"Tatsuki, Tatsuki Arisawa," said Tatsuki as she approached, "Nice to finally meet you Taylor."

"Um, likewise," said Taylor, looking a little taken aback at the other girls greeting for some reason.

"By the way John, some woman dropped by here earlier looking for you," said Ichigo.

I blinked.

"Really? Who?" I asked.

"No idea," said Ichigo, "But she gave me the creeps."

I frowned. That was odd. It took a lot to rattle Ichigo. This was a guy who regularly fights monsters that eat souls without even flinching after all.

"It was really weird," said Ichigo, "She didn't look like much, just a normal woman in a suit, but something about her really set me on edge…"

I froze, a shiver of fear shooting up my spine. Could it be...no, it couldn't. What would the Cauldron want with me? I was just your regular, everyday Fullbringer.

"She asked me to give you this when I saw you," continued Ichigo, handing me an envelope.

I opened it and pulled out the contents. It was a black card with a white line over the top and the words 'Welcome to our Xcution' printed across the bottom. Well, that was certainly interesting. It looked like the training I'd done with my Fullbring abilities had attracted some attention. I just hope they don't plan to try and steal my power. I flipped the card over and found an address printed on the back.

"So, any idea what she wanted?" asked Ichigo.

"I think so," I said, slipping the card into my pocket, "But its not something I need to follow up right now."

I turned back to where Taylor and Tatsuki were chatting.

"For now, lets just hang out and have some fun."

The rest of the day was spent messing around and generally acting like the kids we were, although I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

While I was pretty sure that Contessa didn't have anything to do with the Spiritual World, the idea that the Cauldron could have their fingers anywhere near that particular pie was not one I knew how to feel about. They were as ruthless as Aizen after all, even if they did technically have the worlds best interest at heart. Even so, whatever the truth of the matter, I really didn't have any choice but to follow up on the card. The information Mum had left for me in the box at the bottom of my wardrobe was all well and good, but I had a feeling that I wouldn't get much further without an actual teacher. Besides, I wasn't to keen on the idea of blowing myself up once my Fullbring stabilized.

* * *

It was that thought that lead to me heading out early the next day to find the address listed on the back of the card. It was an apartment building near the docks, on the very edge of the border between ABB and the Empire's territory. It looked abandoned, but considering what the hidden based of Xcution was like in Bleach, I was willing to bet that it wasn't anywhere near that bad inside.

"Hmm, lets see," I muttered as I glanced between the card and the building, "If I remember that map right, the actual door to this address should be around the side."

I walked around into the alley beside the building and quickly found a door with a card reader and keypad.

"Well, this looks like the place," I said, "What…"

I was cut off by the sound of something clattering to the ground. That sound was the only warning I got and I flung myself back, just in time to avoid a chunk of concrete that would have caved my skull in.

"Heh, not bad kid!"

I turned to the source of the voice to see a teenage girl in a green robe floating chunk of concrete with a number of smaller chunks of concrete in orbit around her. I narrowed my eyes. What was Rune doing here? Sure, the building was on the edge of E88 territory, but there was no reason for her to attack me.

"So, who are you?" asked Rune, "And why are you here?"

I scowled.

"Thats none of your business," I said.

I really didn't want to give the E88 any indication that I had any powers thanks. Rune smirked under her hood.

"I see," she said, "In that case, I guess I need to see you off. Let see if you can dodge this."

She snapped her fingers and the rocks around her suddenly froze and sharpened into stone spears. My eyes widened in surprise, before she pointed at me and the spears shot down towards me. I immediately clapped my hands together and pulled on the Souls in the air around me, solidifying the air into a solid wall. The wall held for about a second, before the spears shattered my barrier. I jumped back, barely avoiding the attack, but that didn't stop me from taking a few cuts across my arms, legs and face. Whats more…

"That was aimed to kill," I muttered, narrowing my eyes at the Cape, "Why would she…"

"Huh, thats interesting," said Rune.

Then she did something that surprise me more than the potentially lethal attack. She vanished in a flash of green light.

"Wha…"

SHING!

I froze as a razor sharp blade appeared under my chin.

"That wasn't a bad trick kid," said Rune, "So what, you one of that idiot Kaiser's goons? Stormtiger, right?"

"Wha...no, I'm not…" I protested, but was cut off by the knife twitching.

"Save it," said Rune, "You really shouldn't have come here alone."

"But…"

The knife twitched again and I gulped when I felt the sharp edge cut my skin.

"Now, how should I…"

"JADE, THATS ENOUGH!"

Rune twitched at the sudden voice and I twitched as the knife moved even closer. I kept one eye on the knife as I glanced in the direction of the voice. The owner was a tall, dark-skinned woman with straight chin-length dark hair, brown eyes and full lips. She was wearing a dark brown long-sleeved low cut shirt with form-fitted trousers and dark knee lengths boots that were giving out a rather odd signal to my senses. She was holding what looked like a bag of groceries from the nearby corner store.

"Let him go," said the woman.

"Wha...but Jackie, this guys with the Empire!" protested Rune.

"If hes with the Empire, why does he have a card?" said Jackie as I tried to figure out what in the hell was going on.

Rune blinked.

"He does?" asked Rune.

"Yes, and that ability he used to block your attack was Fullbring, not Aerokinesis," said Jackie, "Now let him go."

Rune looked between me and Jackie, before she sighed.

"Fine."

She took the knife away and vanished in another flash of green light.

"Sorry about her," said Jackie as I rubbed my neck, "Jade doesn't exactly have the best experience with the Empire and she tends to overreact when she thinks they're around."

"Well, I suppose I can't really fault her for that," I said, "So, are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

Jackie smiled.

"Come inside," she said, "I think it would be best if you spoke to our leader."

She walked past me, heading for the door.

"Oh, before I forget, whats your name?" she asked as she reached it.

"John," I said.

"Nice to meet you John," said Jackie, "I'm Jackie Tristan. Oh, and you'll need this."

She tossed the card I'd dropped when Jade attacked me to me. I caught the card as Jackie opened the door and led the way inside and up a flight of stairs. Eventually, we reached another door lined with steel with another card reader and keypad.

"Well, here we are," said my guide, "The Headquarters of our organization, Xcution."

She opened the door, revealing a bar with a number of people, some I recognized, some I didn't, scattered around the room. As we entered, all eyes turned on me, the gazes ranging from curiosity to apathy. Then, someone stood.

"So, you've finally come," he said, "She said you would. My name is Kugo Ginjo and we have a lot to discuss."

 **And done. Well, that was certainly interesting and with a lot of revelations and clue to what I have planned for the future...sigh, I wonder if its even worth it sometimes…**

 **Anyway, why did I give Danny Isshin and Ryuken as drinking buddies? Because why the fuck not!**

 **Hmm, Taylor's hairpins…**

 **And shes apparently got a crush on Ichigo and is making friends with Tatsuki. I wonder where I'm going with this. Note the sarcasm.**

 **Uh oh, that can't be good. If Contessa's got her fingers in the Fullbringer pie, just what does that mean for John? More to the point, Rune's a Fullbringer and has a bone to pick with the E88 and shes far from the only 'Parahuman' who's actually a Fullbringer in this world! Hell, I might even turn a couple into Quincy's or Bounts...probably not the latter though. Then again, maybe I will. Who knows.**

 **Not entirely sure why I called Rune Jade, but it seemed appropriate for some reason.**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	65. Mask of the Dreamer Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Mask of the Dreamer

I had no idea what to expect when I died, but I certainly wasn't expecting to find myself in what could either be a dream...or a nightmare. Fortunately, I make a good Hunter.

 **Well, this is certainly one of my more twisted ideas. Its also not quite what it appears. At the risk of revealing to much and giving myself away, lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I died. Fluffy clouds? Golden Gates? Perhaps a tall fellow in a black cloak with a scythe? As it happened, I got none of the above. What I got instead was and old man with bandaged over eyes looming over me.

"Oh, yes... Paleblood…" he said, making me grimous at the stench of his breath, "Well, you've come to the right place. Yharnam is the home of blood ministration. You need only unravel its mystery. But, where's an outsider like yourself to begin? Easy, with a bit of Yharnam blood of your own... But first, you'll need a contract…"

I felt myself paling and I tried to get up and run away before he could do anything, but unfortunately, I was strapped to the table. I winced as I felt a prick in my arm and felt even more blood drain from my face as the old man straightened with a bit of paper covered in archaic scrawl and a drop of blood on the line meant for a signature.

"Good, all signed and sealed," said the Blood Minister, "Now let's begin the transfusion. Oh, don't you worry. Whatever happens... You may think it all a mere bad dream…"

I opened my mouth to yell, but before I could, the sensation of boiling lead entered my vain and I passed out.

* * *

One terrifying dream of the Bath Messengers and a burning Beast later and I awoke in Iosefka's Clinic. Needless to say, the first thing I did was curl up and nearly start crying in terror. I had no idea how I got to Yharnam or what in the world possessed me to even entertain the idea of coming anywhere near the Cursed City. Actually, that wasn't completely surprising as I couldn't even remember my own name. After a few moments of cursing whatever life choices had led me to this point, I eventually got of the table and stumbled over to a nearby cabinet. Maybe seeing my reflection would help me remember something. It didn't.

Looking back at me was an unfamiliar face with unremarkable brown eyes and short, brown hair, clad in the foreign armour set with the only difference being that the trousers were baggier than I remember from the game and the lack of a red waistcoat..

"Well, thats unhelpful," I muttered, "Well, I guess I can't stay here all night. Guess I ought to get going and find out what in the hell is going on."

I turned to the staircase that led to the outside and gulped.

"I can do this," I muttered.

I squared my shoulders and walked down the stairs, only to freeze at the sight and sound of the Beast eating the poor sod.

"Nope, can't do this," I muttered.

Unfortunately, that mutter seemed to have attracted the Beasts attention as it looked up and saw me.

"Crap."

With a horrible howl that was half way between a Human scream and a wolfs howl, the Beast lunged at me, claws leading the way. I yelped and dove out of the way, avoiding the filthy claws by inches. The Beast landed and immediately pounced at me again, only to meet a foot to the face as I instinctively lashed out. Much to my surprise, the Beast went flying, smashing through the tables and into a cabinet that collapsed onto it. I hesitantly walked over to the shattered pile of wood and glass to find the Beast laying still, blood leaking from between its teeth.

"Huh...maybe this won't be so bad…" I muttered.

Then, the Beasts eyes snapped open and its claws flashed.

* * *

"Well, that'll teach me not to get cocky," I grumbled as I stumbled to my feet, rubbing my throat that had just been torn out by the Beast, "Now then...whoa!"

I was in the Hunters Dream, a place I'd always thought was cool as hell, but being here...whoa. It was truly a beautiful, peaceful place. Here, I felt like I was free of the Nightmares of Yharnam below. I slowly made my way up the steps, pausing as a group of Bath Messengers appeared baring gifts. I hesitated as I eyed the three Trick Weapons. For some reason, none of them seemed...right, almost like I was expecting something different. Still, I needed something, so I took the one that seemed the least foreign to me, the Cane. For the gun, I took the Blunderbuss and I accepted the notebook, before giving the locked doors an experimental tug. It didn't work, but I wasn't really expecting it to.

Instead, I turned back to the gravestones and took a deep breath.

"Well, back to the Hunt," I muttered.

* * *

"SHIT!"

Roll under a wild swing from a crazed Hunter and cave its head in with my Cane.

* * *

"BALLS!"

Sidestep the cleaver of another one, shoot it in the side and then crush its ribcage with a sharp jab.

* * *

"I can't take this!" I gasped as I reappeared in the Hunters Dream, "Two foes killed and I'm already out of breath! Shit, I'm gonna die! Repeatedly!"

" **Stand strong."**

I jumped at the sudden, breathy voice and spun around. No one was there, no one other than the Doll and she wouldn't be moving for a bit. I frowned. Something...wasn't right here. I shook off my misgivings and walked up the stairs to the Workshop. Might as well meet Gehrman. As I entered, the old man looked up and gave a weak smile.

"H-hah, you must be the new hunter," he said, "Welcome to the Hunter's Dream. This will be your home, for now. I am... Gehrman, friend to you hunters. You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it..."

He turned his head to look out of the window at the Dream.

"This was once a safe haven for hunters," he whispered, "A workshop where hunters used blood to enhance their weapons and flesh. We don't have as many tools as we once did, but... You're welcome to use whatever you find. ...Even the doll, should it please you..."

I shuddered. Somehow, the idea of doing that just seemed...wrong and not for the ick factor.

"No thanks," I said, "So, any idea how long I'll be here?"

Gehrman looked up and gave a smile that sent a shiver up my spine.

"For as long as you need to be," he said.

Needless to say, I bugged out after that.

* * *

CRASH!

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!" I screamed as I desperately jumped out of the way of the Cleric Beasts swings.

The stupid thing was even worse than I was expecting.

* * *

"Please Sir, could you find my Mommy?"

I winced. I really didn't want to be responsible for this little girls death...stupid grimmdark stories…

* * *

"Beasts all over the shop…"

BANG!

"Shut up Old Man, I'm not interested!" I yelled as I shot Gascoigne in the face with my Blunderbuss.

He went down like a sack of potatoes.

"Huh, that was easier than I thought…"

"RAGGGGHHHH!"

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"

* * *

SPLAT!

"Ewwww, gross!"

" **ROWWWWWW!"**

"AHHHH, FUCKING MUTTS!"

* * *

"I….Hate….This….Place!" I snarled as I wrenched my Cane out of the blooded remains of the Blood Starved Beast.

* * *

CRUNCH!

"FUCK THOSE GIANTS!"

* * *

"Fucking...hell...how...much...more?!" I gasped as I tried to regain my breath.

I was currently on the edge of the Forests outside of Yharnam after taking out Amilia after what felt like an entire month of dying and reviving. I had long given up on trying to figure out a way out and had become uncomfortably used to dieing in various horrible ways at the hands of mutated monstrosities. Fortunately, I had found that I was oddly talented at fighting with a cane, although I wielded it in a way that made me think I had some training in swordplay. I definitely had some training in hand to hand combat, as proven by my fight with Djura, which had devolved into a fistfight and I had ended up snapping his neck in an impressive move that I'd instinctively pulled off and was in no way an accident. I had no idea where the skills were coming from, but I didn't really care, so long as they kept me alive. I took a deep breath and shook off my musings.

"Right, onwards!" I said and marched through the gates.

* * *

"SHIT!"

BANG!

* * *

"BUGGER!"

CRUNCH!

* * *

"PISS OFF!"

WHAM!

* * *

"HISSSSSS!"

"IEEEE!"

* * *

"ROWAR!"

"FUCK OF YOU FUCKING SHADOW FUCKS!"

* * *

"And I thought my walk to school was hard," I groaned as I lay against a tree, resting my aching muscles from the long journey through the forest to Byrgenwerth.

* * *

"I HATE SPIDERS!"

And so it continued.

* * *

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity of fighting one cosmic monstrosity after another, I finally managed to reach Mergo's Wet Nurse and put my Cane through its none existent face. By this point, I had given up on giving a fuck and was just ready to have this Nightmare be over. As such, it was with heavy, exhausted feet that I stumbled up the hill towards Gehrman, ready to accept a chance to wake up and get away from the horrors of the Hunt. As I approached the old man under the massive tree, he looked up and smiled.

"Good Hunter, you have done well," he said, "The night is near its end. However, you are not quite done yet."

I twitched.

"What?" I said flatly.

Gehrman's smile widened as he shifted and slowly started to get to his feet.

"Come, Good Hunter, show me that you have the strength to wield this power," he said as he pulled out the Burial Blade.

"Aww shit," I muttered and threw myself back to avoid his opening slash.

Well, this was certainly unexpected. I honestly wasn't expecting Gehrman to attack me right off the back and something about that opening line set off alarm bells in my head. What did he mean 'this power'? It sounded like he was keeping something for me, but what in the hell could that be? I quickly shook my head as I deflected another slash. I could think of that later, for now, I needed to defend myself! I surged forwards and swung at Gehrman, who deflected it with a flick of his wrist.

As we fought, I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. I shouldn't be fighting against the Burial Blade, I should be using it. Where that thought came from, I have no idea why considering I'd never even laid hands on the weapon, but I quickly shrugged it off. I didn't need to be distracted in this fight or Geherman would kill me. Normally, that wouldn't bother me since I could just respawn and try again, but something told me that something very bad would happen if I died here.

"Your open!" shouted Geherman as he suddenly surged forwards and slashed me across the chest.

My eyes widened as blood sprayed...before I suddenly appeared behind Geherman and slashed him across the back with my Cane, leaving my shredded coat behind. Geherman stumbled forwards, but didn't fall. He glanced over his shoulder and gave a smirk.

"Heh, not bad," he said, "It looks like your starting to realize the truth."

He vanished. I narrowed my eyes and spun around, catching his blade with my Cane.

"I...can see your movements," I said.

Geherman smirked.

"Good."

We vanished and the fight continued at speeds beyond that of Human senses, although that didn't stop the flowers and tree from taking a beating from missed strikes and deflected force.

" _This is going nowhere_ ," I thought as I deflected another swing and responded with a stab that was dodged, _"I need to get him to hold still somehow…"_

Then, the perfect method hit me and, without thinking, I pointed at Geherman as he appeared above me.

"Carriage of Thunder, bridge of the spinning wheel, with this, divided into six!" I said, "Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro!"

There was a flash of light and, before Geherman could react, six bars of golden light appeared out of thin air and slammed into his midsection.

"WHAT?!" he roared, struggling against his prison.

"I have you now!" I snarled as I appeared above him.

I drove my Cane down in a stab that somehow passed right through Gehrmans body and out the other side. As it did, the Cane seemed to shatter in my hands and was replaced by a Katana with a red wrapped hilt and crescent shaped guard. Gehrman coughed up blood as he stared down at the sword sticking out of his stomach in shock. Then, he smiled.

"Excellent work, my Master," he said.

However, his voice was no longer that of an old man, but instead that of a young woman with an eastern european accent. I smiled back as I stepped back, the sword desoliving as I did. Geherman got to his feet, his form rippling and shifting as he did into a young woman with silver hair, clad in a black leather coat and tricorn hat.

At the same time, the world rippled and reformed, the burning Workshop and gravestones around the area vanishing as it transformed into a field of flowers surrounded by trees.

"You know, that was incredibly mean," I said, "Bloodborne, really? Come on Yumemiruhito, I know this trainings supposed to be tough, but did you have to put me through all that? And sealing away my memories at that!"

I looked around.

"Actually, how did you do all that? I thought Bankai training was supposed to be done in the real world, not the inner world?"

Yumemiruhito smiled.

"My powers work within Dreams," she said, "Do you really think I couldn't create a world where we could train for Bankai without tipping your hand?"

I blinked.

"So wait, all of that was…"

"A dream, yes," said my Zanpakuto, "However, it works the same as if we were doing it in the Waking world."

"Huh, thats handy," I said.

"Indeed," said Yumimiruhito, "Now, we can talk more later. For now, you should wake up. It is morning and I think the Captain wants to talk to you."

I sighed.

"Deep joy," I muttered and closed my eyes.

* * *

"GOOOD MORNING YUMEJI!"

My eyes snapped open and I flipped out of bed, just in time to avoid taking a double foot kick to the gut as my Captain slammed into my Futon.

"GOD DAMN IT CAPTAIN SHIBA, WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?!" I roared as I punted my idiot Capitain out the window.

 **Hehehe, well, that was fun. I originally intended to just leave it with a reveal that he was in fact training in Bankai, but decided that that would only really work while its in the Vault and kept going for a bit longer. Frankly, considering the fact I was skipping through the events of Bloodborne, it should have been a massive clue that I was planning something.**

 **For those interested, Yumimiruhito translates as the Dreamer and she looks like Lady Maria from the Old Hunters DLC.**

 **As for Yumeji, he's the current Lieutenant of Squad 10 under Isshin Shiba...and apparently going through much the same thing as Ichigo. Yes, I know that Rangiku was his Lieutenant, but you'll see what I have in mind. Actually, you can probably guess from the title.**

 **And that'll do. The next chapter will be the standard 'heres what happened till now' chapter. For now though, please leave a review!**


	66. Mask of the Dreamer Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Mask of the Dreamer

I had no idea what to expect when I died, but I certainly wasn't expecting to find myself in what could either be a dream...or a nightmare. Fortunately, I make a good Hunter.

 **And we're back. I know that Isshin wasn't Captain during the Past Arc, but I'd forgotten that when I was writing the first chapter and can't be arsed to go change it. So, for the purposes of this story, he was Captain at the time. With that said, Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

So yeah, I should probably back up a bit, right? My name is Yumeji Fujiwara. Or rather, that was my name now. I had long forgotten what my old name was, before I died and found myself in the Soul Society. Truth be told, I don't remember that much about my life, but I do remember watching an Anime called Bleach. That's why I was so taken aback when I realized where I was, not to mention the fact that I quickly figured out I had a large amount of Spirit Energy after I nearly collapsed from hunger the three days after I woke up. That put me in a bit of a bind as I wasn't sure what I should do. I mean, I could just try and live a good life in Rukongai, especially as I was in District 2, meaning that the quality of life was pretty damn good.

On the other hand, knowing what I did meant that I knew that that was likely a terrible idea. Remaining weak and powerless seemed like a good way of meeting an untimely demise at some point at the hands of any one of the number of crazy people who would be attacking in the not too distant future. With that in mind, I entered the Shinigami Academy.

It was then that I found that the 'not too distant future' was a lot further away than I thought. Why? Well, considering my classmates included Mashiro Kuna, Kensei Muguruma and Hiyori Sarugaki, I was at least a full century out from the start of Bleach, if not more. I just hope I won't end up getting sent out to deal with the disappearing Souls incident...oh, who am I kidding, I'll almost certainly end up getting dragged into that!

* * *

Anyway, back on track. I was no genius, so it took me the full six years to graduate. However, despite that, my marks and skills were enough that I was able to enter the Gotei 13 as a Seated officer in Squad 10 under Captain Isshin Shiba. I wasn't aware that Isshin had been Captain back then, but I brushed it off as irrelevant. I could be remembering it wrong after all. I was only ranked 18th, but it was better than some of my classmates and it didn't take long for me to start climbing the ranks, especially after I gained my Shikai. Yumemirahito was an absolute godsend, even if she could be a tad annoying at times and the fact she was a Duel type got me a fair amount of attention, especially from Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake. Training to use her Shikai was a right pain in the neck, but I managed and my sheer skill with a sword saw me jump from Tenth Seat right the way up the Third Seat. Five years later, the Lieutenant was forced to step down after losing a leg to a Hollow and Captain Shiba jumped at the chance to make me Lieutenant.

Naturally, I jumped at the chance, only to promptly regret it. Shortly after I'd joined the Squad, Captain Shiba had taken me under his wing (I have no idea why) and, after I had been made Lieutenant, he decided to up his game in teaching me...by launching sneak attacks whenever he could. Now I know how Ichigo feels.

On the other hand, he did help me get started on Bankai training, so that was something. Like I previously mentioned, I was no genius, but my Zanpakuto's ability to manipulate dreams and reality gave me a leg up on learning to manifest Yumemirahito in the real world and I managed it in eight years, a record time for mastering Bankai. Once I managed that, it was simply a matter of passing her test...which, as mentioned, was playing what amounted to Bloodborne in VR while being completely unaware of the fact it was basically a glorified training session.

* * *

And with that, it brings us back to the present and me jumping out the window after my Captain to give him a piece of my mind.

"DAMN IT CAPTAIN, WHY THE HELL DO YOU INSIST ON WAKING ME UP LIKE THAT?!" I yelled as Captain Shiba got to his feet, probing his bruised nose where I'd kicked him.

"Haha, its for your own good Yumeji!" said Captain Shiba, "You must always be ready for a sneak attack!"

"Not while I'm in my own bed, in the middle of the Seireitei I don't," I growled, "Or at least, I shouldn't!"

Captain Shiba just laughed, before he looked me up and down with a raised eyebrow.

"By the way Yumeji, you really should have thought it through before you jumped after me," he said.

I blinked, before I became aware of the draft and looked down. A moment later, I went bright red and dove back in through the window. I didn't sleep naked, but I was currently wearing nothing but my underwear.

* * *

"I really hate you," I growled as I stalked into the Squad 10 mess hall with Captain Shiba, studiously ignoring the many blushes and appreciative looks I was getting from the female squad members.

"I fail to see how this is my fault," said Captain Shiba as we took a seat with breakfast, "Your the one who wasn't paying enough attention to his surroundings."

"And your the one who tried to kick me in the stomach!"

Captain Shibai just laughed and held up his hands in surrender as I meniced him with my chopsticks.

"So, other than giving the entire Squad a flash, how was your night?" asked the Captain.

My anger immediately dissolved. I knew what he was asking. I grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"Done and dusted," I said, "I managed to pass the test."

Captain Shiba grinned.

"Thats great news!" he said, "Now we just need to get you trained in using it and you'll be shoe in for a Captains post when one opens up."

I grinned.

"Yeah, sounds good," I said, before sobering, "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"Why me?" I asked, "Out of all the new recruits that have entered since me, why did you pick me to train?"

Captain Shiba shrugged.

"Why not?" he asked.

I blinked.

"So what, you picked me at random?" I asked.

"Well, not exactly," said Captain Shiba, "The truth is, I don't really like 'geniuses'."

"Eh?"

"You know, kids like that Ichimaru guy?" asked Captain Shiba, "The kid who graduated after just a year at the Academy?"

I resisted the urge to scowl at the mention of Gin. Sure, the guy turned out to be against Aizen in the end, but just like the fact he 'loved' Lily didn't make Snape a good person, that didn't mean Gin wasn't creepy as fuck! And this is coming from the guy who went through a literal nightmare to learn Bankai! Still, I hadn't met the future Squad 3 Captain, so I kept my face in a neutral setting as best I could.

"I've heard of him," I said.

"Kids like that are both boring and dangerous," said Captain Shiba, "People who are good at everything and advance to quickly sometimes start to look down on others or let their skills dull because they think they're better than those around them. People like you on the other hand are a bit different. You worked for your skills. I know for a fact that you trained until your hands were bloody after you unlocked your Shikai and even now, after reaching the rank of Lieutenant, you continue to push your limits, on top of helping the new recruits. It takes more than a lot of power and a Bankai to be a Captain ,Yumeji, and I think you have what it takes to be a good one."

I blushed at the complement and looked down at my hands and the many scars that littered them and my forearms. Captain Shiba hadn't been kidding when he said I trained till I dropped, both at the Academy and now. A lot of my old classmates believed that I was incredibly talented, but that wasn't the case. In reality, I had trained hard to reach the level I was at now, often to the point that I collapsed or fell asleep in class due to exhaustion. Still, I managed good grades because of my hard work and still made time for my classmates who were struggling for whatever reason. Incidentally, that included Kensei, who was now a Captain, so I had to be reasonably good at teaching.

I was broken out of my thoughts by a large hand landing on my head and ruffling my hair.

"Aww, don't look so glum Yumeji!" said Captain Shiba as he ruffled my hair, "Now is a time to celebrate!"

I growled and batted his hand away, but before we could start another argument, a Jigokucho flew through the window. We immediately stopped as the black butterfly fluttered down towards us and landed on my fingertip. I furrowed my brow as I listened to the message, before my eyes widened.

"Whats the message?" asked Captain Shiba.

"Apparently tomorrow they'll be a new Captain inaugurated," I said, "Captain Hikifune's replacement has been chosen."

Captain Shiba let out a breath. Apparently I hadn't been the only one worried that the Jigokucho had been bearing bad news. They were generally only used for important messages after all and, unfortunately, that tended to mean we would be going into combat shortly.

"Well, thats good news," said Captain Shiba, "In fact…"

I blanched as he jumped up on the table, drawing all attention to us.

"ATTENTION SQUAD 10!" he roared, "In light of the announcement of a new Captains promotion, lets get a head start and have some fun!"

The room erupted into cheers and the booze was quickly broken out. Let it never be said that Squad 10 was ever without boozehounds.

"Just remember that we'll have to go tomorrow," I said as Captain Shiba downed his first cup of Saki, "Plus, its nine in the morning!"

"Aww, its never too early to drink!" said Captain Shiba, "Come on Yumeji, have some fun!"

"Maybe later," I said as I got to my feet, "For now, I'm gonna go do some training."

I grinned.

"That way, next time the celebration might be more personal."

Captain Shiba smiled and tipped his glass.

"Let me know if you need any help," he said.

I nodded and left the Mess Hall.

* * *

It didn't take me long to reach an area of the Seireitei that was well out of the way. It was a place I'd found shortly after I joined the Squad and had used it as a training ground ever since. It was isolated, well hidden and the rocks had a large concentration of Sekiseki, which meant that it was difficult to sense my Spiritual Pressure from the outside. It was a good place to practice with my new Bankai. I took a deep breath and drew my sword.

"Alright, lets get started," I said, "Ban-kai!"

My sword erupted into a black and silver explosion.

 **And thats where I'm gonna leave it. Its a tad short, but thats as good a place as any. Plus it has you on tenterhooks for when I actually have him use his Bankai in combat...or you could just go look him up on my profile if you don't mind some spoilers.**

 **Incidentally, the Harry Potter comment is not an indication I'll be adding it, it was just an observation Yumeji made.**

 **By that same logic, although I based this Yumeji on the one from Dream Eater Merry, he's not the same character. I just like his design and thought it was appropriate for a character with powers over dreams.**

 **Like I mentioned, I am making a few slight alterations, mainly the fact that Isshin is Captain at the same time the Visords are active in the Soul Society. Like I mentioned up top, thats because I forgot he wasn't and I can't be bothered to change the entire chapter and the last one.**

 **Anyway, that'll do. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	67. Born as a Blade Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Born as a Blade

Most people who get reborn into other world have a choice, join the hero, become a villain or attempt to live a normal life. I didn't have that luxury. Oh no, instead here I am, reborn bound to a broken girl as something other than Human. I just hope some moron doesn't decide to dissect me...

 **One of the games my brother and I got for Christmas was Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and, although I haven't played it yet cus ASO, the concept of the Blades fascinates me. I'll probably end up playing it once by Brother gets done with it, but for now, I'll play around with some concepts. Our protagonist as a Blade will probably be the limit of Xenoblade for now, but that just means I'll be pulling out all the stops when it comes to Outsider bullshit. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, I never really held any beliefs about life after death. It was always one of those things that I thought wasn't really worth thinking about. We couldn't know what it was actually like until after it happened. However, I never would have expected it to come so soon or even for me to end up where I was. One moment I was stepping out to cross the road and the next I found myself floating in darkness. I'm not sure how, but I knew I'd died and was now waiting for something. What that something was, I have no idea, all I knew was that, on occasion, I'd have flashes of consciousness. I KNEW that I was somehow leaving the darkness, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how or why and they never felt long compared with how long I was floating in the darkness.

* * *

Then, something changed. What that something was, I don't know, but I felt my body suddenly shift and begin moving quickly. I have no idea how I knew that considering the darkness was all consuming and I had little in the way of sensations to go on (frankly, I have no idea how I hadn't gone insane, but whatever). Suddenly, my body came to a stop and the darkness pulled away, revealing a breathtaking sight of the Earth from outer space.

"Where am I?" I muttered, "Is this a dream?"

" **Of a sort."**

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice as a glowing, green light appeared beside me.

"Wha...who are you?"

" **I am...Alvis,"** said the light, **"Well, that name will do for now."**

"Alvis?" I asked, eyeing the light with trepidation, "You mean the AI thing from Xenoblade?"

" **Indeed, I am he,"** said Alvis, **"And you are far more than you believe yourself to be. Tell me, do you know what you have become in Death, young Outsider?"**

I blinked.

"Err, a spirit?" I asked.

" **No, actually, your Soul was taken from your Homeworld and used to fashion something new,"** said Alvis, **"To be honest, not even I can figure out how it happened. I have run countless simulations, but I cannot determine how what happened to you is possible. My best postulation is that you were somehow caught up in the interdimensional shockwave that destroyed my original homeworld and created the one that replaced it. Or it could have been the death of Zanza and subsequent creation of a third world that did it. What I do know is that, during the production of a certain Core Crystal, your Soul was drawn in and became permanently bound to said Crystal."**

I blinked a couple of times as I mentally translated that from JRPG exposition dump to english. Then I blinked again and gaped at the AI turned God Weapon.

"Wait, did you just say I'm a Blade?!" I spluttered.

I didn't wait for Alvis to respond and looked down at my body. What I saw wasn't the scrawny, pale body I was used to, instead I was met by a well muscled form, covered in a pale blue kimono with a dark blue chestplate underneath with a hole in the center where a teal coloured, star shaped gem was pulsing faintly. My kimono was held closed by a long piece of pale green cloth that extended back like a tail, tipped in ice and, unless I was very much mistaken, was under my control. As I looked down, a few strands of pale teal hair fell into view and I glanced back to see that my hair now reached my lower back. There was a scarf shaped piece of ice around my neck and my hands and feet were also covered in ice, creating the illusion that I had draconic claws. Slipped through my belt was a sheathed katana with a light blue hilt, a blue sheath and a star shaped guard.

"O...K," I said as I tried to keep from hyperventilating, "So all those times I felt like I was conscious…?"

" **Were when you were active, yes,"** said Alvis, **"However, during those times, your memories of your other life were suppressed, otherwise you would probably have gone mad."**

"Well, thats comforting," I muttered, "So, why am I here?"

The light shifted slightly and I'm pretty sure he'd just turned away from me.

" **Look."**

I followed his gaze, just in time to see what looked like a massive cloud drift across the sun.

"What is that?" I asked.

" **A threat, one that looms over all versions of Earth, not just the one below us,"** said Alvis, **"I believe you'd know it as an Entity."**

I frowned.

"You mean like the things from Worm?"

" **Exactly,"** said Alvis, **"I do not think I need to tell you why we need to do something about them, do I?"**

"Interdimensional destruction on a planetary scale?" I asked.

" **Exactly."**

"Fair enough, but why pick me?" I asked, "Out of all the Blades, why me? I mean, I'm obviously not just a run of the mill common type, but I don't think I'm as powerful as an Aegis."

" **You are not,"** said Alvis, **"In truth, as a Blade, you are completely average. However, you have the advantage of knowing how to deal with both the Entities and the Endbringers."**

"Alright, I get the Entities, but the Endbringers as well?" I asked, "I thought the Smirug was the only one with the power to draw things from other Worlds?"

" **I am not willing to risk it,"** said Alvis.

"Fair enough. So, exactly how are we doing this? Am I being punted into that world as a Core Crystal or are you bonding me to someones Shard?"

" **The latter,"** said Alvis, **"See, theres one going now."**

I turned back to the Entity and, sure enough, there was a glowing shard hurtling towards the Earth, specifically North America.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm about to end up helping my new Master out of a locker?" I grumbled.

Alvis ignored me.

"So, before I go, have I got any limitations on what I can do or tell them?"

" **No, I shall leave that up to you,"** said Alvis, **"Good luck."**

He flashed brightly enough to blind me and by the time I could see again, I was right in the path of the Shard. It hit me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me despite the fact I'm pretty sure I'm still Astral, and carried me down towards the planet. I had just enough time to swear violently and call Alvis some very unflattening names, before I hit the atmosphere and everything went black.

* * *

WHAM!

"Owwww...fuck that god damn AI right in the coolant unit," I groaned as I peeled myself off the hard floor I'd just slammed into.

How nothing was broken, I have no idea. Then again, Blades are a tad more sturdy than Humans...how the fuck do I know that? Actually, now I thought about it, I seemed to know a lot of stuff I shouldnt, ranging from how to use the blade strapped to my hip, to how to bend the water in the air to my will, bringing the frozen heavens themselves under my control...huh, I think those must be my Blade instincts talking…

I shook my head to clear those thoughts for later examination and got to my feet. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone around to see a tall, teal haired man with icy limbs appear out of thin air. In fact, it looked like I'd arrived in the middle of the night if the position of the moon was anything to go by. It also looked like I was right on the money about who was the lucky sod to gain a sentent, trash talking sword as their weapon. Fortunately, I had not appeared in the Locker, otherwise I'd probably have been back in the Darkness before I even had chance to draw breath. I turned in the direction I could feel the bond linking me with my Master was leading me and scowled. Looking at the locker from the outside, it was blatantly obvious that people HAD to have been deliberately ignoring it. I could see a disgusting, reddish brown sludge leaking from the bottom of the locker and the grills near the top and the _smell..._ I'm pretty sure my senses are stronger than a Humans, but SOMEONE should have investigated the source of the smell as it was clearly a potential danger to all students, not just the owner of the locker. Good god, this school was shit!

I gave a rather inhuman growl as I stalked over to the locker and dug my sharp tipped fingers into the metal. With an almighty heave and a snarl of exertion, I tore the door off its hinges, releasing a flood of used, decaying biowaste, bugs, vomit and one catatonic girl, covered in filth and twitching slightly, her eyes wide and glazed. I quickly crouched beside her, ignoring the mess, and pressed a finger to her throat. Her pulse was all over the place and, while I wasn't a medical practitioner by any means, I'm pretty sure that was a bad thing. I growled again and gathered Taylor into my arms. Instead of getting to my feet however, I tensed my legs as the temperature around me plummeted. Then, I pushed off, shooting straight up through the ceiling as a pair of icy wings flash froze on my back, along with most of the corridore getting coated with ice that I somehow knew would take at least a week to melt, even if they turned up the heat, added salt or attacked it with a flamethrower. I couldn't really bring myself to care however. Mainly because I was to busy flip flopping between amazement that I could apparently fly and worry for the girl in my arms.

"Right, screw subtly," I muttered, "Daiguren."

Ice cold air swirled around me, momentarily hiding my form, before it was blasted away by a flap of my newly massive wings and revealing a massive, icy blue serpentine dragon. Considering how big my Dragon form was, it didn't take me long to reach the hospital and when I did I let out an echoing roar that sounded like a glacea cracking apart combined with the sound of the worlds biggest avalanche smashing into the ground. I probably gave at least a few people in the hospital a heart attack, but at that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care. Plus, it did the job and brought people running, even if that did include security armed with what looked like Tinkertech rifles. Before they could open fire or start shouting at me, I allowed my Dragon from to shatter, resulting in a shower of tiny, diamond-like ice crystals and me floating in mid air like an icy angel.

I touched down lightly, my wings dissolving into more diamond dust as I did, and started walking towards the Hospital.

"FREEZE!" shouted the leader of the security guards.

I paused. Did he actually just say that? I ruthlessly squashed the urge to do as he asked or make a snarky comment. I did NOT need them opening fire while I had the still out of it Taylor in my arms after all. The man seemed to take my incredulity for obedience and, to be fair, I was actually staying put. Like I said, as much as I wanted to turn him into an icicle for saying something so stupid to a cryokinetic, Taylor took precedence over that.

"Identify yourself!" shouted the same man.

"My name is Hyorinmaru," I said smoothly without thinking, "I've got someone here who needs immediate medical attention."

I tilted my arms so the crowd could see Taylor. Seeing the poor girl got the doctors moving, ignoring the protests of the security guard as they wheeled out a gurney.

"What happened to her?" asked the lead doctor as I layed Taylor on the trolley.

"Locked in a school locker with a rather large amount of biowasist for at least a few hours," I said shortly.

"Good lord," breathed the doctor, "I think we'll have to bring Panacea in for this one…"

Then he gave me an odd look. Frankly, I'm surprised it took him that long, but I guess odd looking people are part and parcel of working in a city crawling with Capes.

"And who are you?" he asked, "A Cape? How did you even find her to help her?"

I snorted.

"Not exactly," I said, "As for how I found her, suffice to say, I have a vested interest in keeping her alive. Without her, I lose my link to this world and I really don't want to go back into that Darkness any time soon."

Plus, something told me that, when I went dorment again this time, I'd remember what happened. Considering that, I really didn't want to get punted back into that darkness after just a few hours. Plus, I didn't want to deal with Alvis disappointed tone and look I somehow knew he'd have, despite not having a face to look disappointed with. Stupid AI's…

 **Right, that'll do. I had a bit more planned, but this is actually as good a place as any to end it. I probably won't do any more for this one, it was just a silly idea I had while watching my brother play Xenoblade 2. Its also what triggered me to make a bunch of Bleach stories, so you can thank it for that.**

 **Yes Hyorinmaru is based on the Zanpakuto spirit and has all the same abilities, albeit altered slightly to work as a Blade. His personality won't be the same though. Originally he was going to be Archer, but I couldn't figure out how to work his powers within the bonds of being a Blade, so now hes an Ice Dragon.**

 **And that'll do. Don't forget to review!**


	68. Born as a Blade Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Born as a Blade

Most people who get reborn into other world have a choice, join the hero, become a villain or attempt to live a normal life. I didn't have that luxury. Oh no, instead here I am, reborn bound to a broken girl as something other than Human. I just hope some moron doesn't decide to dissect me...

 **Right, I didn't actually intend to do any more of this, but since I got a lot of interest, fuck it. This is probably gonna end up flip flopping between Taylor and Hyorinmaru's POV, although only the latters section will be in first person. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Taylor was pretty sure she was going to die. Surrounded by darkness and all manner of disgusting refuse with no one to free her, it was frankly just a matter of time before something killed her, be it shock, hyperthermia as the schools heating system shut down for the night, infection or even being eaten alive by the many bugs that slithered across her skin. Fortunately, whatever her fate was to be, she wouldn't be conscious to witness it.

* * *

Taylor groaned, turning over as she tried to resist the irritating pull of wakefulness. Her bed was so comfortable, if a little cold. Then, something landed on her cheek. Against her will, her eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to realize that the soft, white substance she was looking at wasn't in fact her bed sheets. No, it was...snow? Then, memories of what happened to her slammed into her and Taylor sat bolt upright, looking around wildly as the snow that had slowly been covering her was dislodged in a flurry of flakes.

To her surprise, Taylor found herself, not at home, in a locker or even at hospital on the off chance she had been saved or it was all a bad dream, but instead sat in a large drift of snow atop a mountain. The view was breathtaking. From where she was sat, she could see for miles, even with the black rock mountains that stabbed like daggers into the sky, each one covered in snow that was slowly drifting from the clouds above yet somehow managed to be thin enough that the blue sky and sun was visible. Somehow, despite the height and snow, Taylor wasn't cold. Oh, she could feel the cold, but it didn't bother her like it should. It was quite, with the only sound being the occasional creak of shifting snow and the faint whistle of the wind.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said a voice from nearby.

The voice was as deep and soft as the snow around her and, despite the suddenness of it, Taylor didn't jump. It was like she had already known its owner was there. Taylor turned and saw that the owner of the voice was a short distance away, sat cross legged on a large, flat rock that was clear of snow. She stood and slowly approached, examining her companion as she did. He was tall, she could see that despite the fact he was sitting down, with long, teal coloured hair, gray eyes and an icy blue x shaped mark on his face. He was wearing a dark blue chestplate under a teal coloured robe that was held shut by a pair bronze, star-like clips joined by a pale green rope and a dark green cloth belt that extended back like a tail with the tip covered in ice. Around his neck was a scarf shaped piece of ice and his hands and feet were covered in the same stuff. Resting at his side was a long sword she recognized as being Japanese in origin.

As Taylor approached, the man looked up and smiled. Despite the ice on his body and clothing, the smile was warm.

"Hello Taylor," said the man, "I was beginning to think I was to late."

Taylor blinked.

"How do you…?"

"Your Father came barging into your room screaming your name shortly after I brought you to the Hospital," said the man.

Taylor frowned.

"Wait, Hospital?" she asked, "Is that where I am?"

"Thats where your body is," corrected the man, "I created this place and drew you here so we could talk without being interrupted."

"Talk about what?" asked Taylor, a tickle of fear appearing in her chest, "And who are you?"

That sounded a bit to much like a Master power to her. She really didn't want to have anything to do with a Cape who could do something like that. The man blinked, before giving a sheepish chuckle.

"Oh, how rude of me," he said, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hyorinmaru and, well, I suppose the simplest way of putting it would be to say that I'm your powers."

Taylor blinked

"My power?" she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you Triggered in that Locker," said Hyorinmaru.

Taylor's eyes wided.

"Triggered? Wait, you mean I'm a Cape now?"

Hyorinmaru made a face and made a sort of gesture with his hand.

"Ehhh, kind of, not really," he said, "Technically, you are, but theres a bit more to it than that."

Hyorinmaru made another gesture and the snow was blown away from a nearby rock, leaving the black rock clear.

"Take a seat and I'll explain," he said, ignoring Taylor's wide eyes.

Taylor slowly did as she was told as Hyorinmaru shifted on his rock so they were facing each other.

"Alright, where to begin?" he mused.

"How about with where we are," said Taylor, "And what you meant by 'you being my powers'?"

"I guess thats fair enough," said Hyorinmaru, "Alright, this place is basically a mental plane I created using the bond between the two of us. It doesn't really exist, although I think I did a good job if I do say so myself. As for what I am, well, I dare say that the PRT will designate me a Master construct, but the truth is, I'm my own being. You didn't create me, you merely called me here."

Taylor frowned.

"Called you?" she asked, "You mean like from another world?"

Hyorinmaru nodded.

"Yep, although I'm not sure how," he said, "What I do know is that you somehow dragged my Core Crystal across to your Dimension and activated me."

"Core Crystal?"

Hyorinmaru nodded and placed a hand on his chest where a star shaped gem was glowing faintly.

"I am a Blade, a sentient weapon with incredible power," said Hyorinmaru, "Our origins are shrouded in mystery, not helped in the least by the fact that we lose all memories once our Master dies and we returned to dormancy, but we are very powerful. Our abilities range from being able to heal grievous wounds to being able to control the elements."

He gestured to their surroundings.

"As you can probably guess, my power is over water and ice. As my Driver, my powers are yours to command, although I strongly suggest you also learn to use my weapon as it is."

He patted the sword next to him. The motion served to draw Taylor's eyes to the weapon. Even to her inexperienced gaze and in its sheath, she could tell that the weapon was exquisite. Its lacquered sheath was painted dark blue with a dark bronze cap at the end, matching the for pointed star shaped guard and pommel, while the hilt was wrapped in light blue silk over white rayskin.

"You...want me to learn to use that?" she asked, not quite sure what to make of that.

Hyorinmaru smiled thinly.

"If you want to use my powers, you're going to have to," he said.

"Oh…"

Taylor had no idea what to make of that. Hell, she had no idea how to respond to any of this! She, Taylor Hebert, victim extraordinary, was a Cape? And with a power that apparently had a physical, sentient form at that! How in the world was she supposed to tell her Dad about this? Telling him about the bullies and what they had done was looking to be hard enough, without adding the Blade across from her to the mix!

Speaking of the Blade, despite how outlandish his story sounded, Taylor somehow knew that he was being mostly honest with her. She wasn't sure how, but she did. Everything he had said was true, although a few parts of it were slightly twisted. He wasn't telling her everything.

Hyourinmaru perked up slightly as that thought crossed her mind and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, that was quick," he said, "I thought it would take longer for you to notice that."

Taylor blinked.

"Are you reading my mind?" she asked.

"More like your emotions," said Hyorinmaru, "We are bound together after all. Its what allows Blades and Drivers to operate efficiently in combat. I can't read your thoughts, but I can get some idea of what your thinking, just like you can with me. You are right though, I'm not telling you everything. I'm also not going to."

Taylor opened her mouth to protest, but Hyorinmaru cut her off with a raised hand.

"I'm not keeping secrets because I don't trust you, but rather for your own good," he said, "If you knew some of the things I do, you would likely lose all hope or possibly go insane. I may tell you when you get stronger, but for now put your trust in me and don't ask."

For a moment, Taylor was tempted to do just that, but she ruthlessly crushed it. She might have just met the teal haired man, but she found that she did trust him. Probably due to the bond he mentioned. Plus, the idea of having a friend who wouldn't stab her in the back was a nice one. Taylor took a deep breath and bet Hyorinmaru's eyes.

"Alright, what now?" she asked.

"Now? Now we wait for you to recover," he said, "Then I teach you how to use a sword, followed by your real weapon."

Taylor frowned.

"Isn't the sword my weapon?" she asked.

Hyorinmaru smiled.

"No, thats just a conduit," he said, "I am a Blade of water and ice, but I go far beyond what most can do. Your weapon, once to master my powers, will be every drop of water in the atmosphere."

Taylor's eyes went wide. Hydrokinesis on that scale...that was on the same level of Leviathan! The idea that she might one day have power to rivel an Endbringer...it was a scary thought.

"Don't worry Taylor, it'll be a while before you get to that point," said Hyorinmaru, "Before that, you'll have to master my sword…"

He trailed off and glanced up as if listening to something.

"However, the first thing we should to is wake up," he said, "Oh, and Taylor? Trust your Father. He can do a lot more to help than you might think."

Taylor opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Hyorinmaru reached across and flicked her forehead.

* * *

Taylor's eyes opened, blinking blerally up at the white ceiling above her. She could tell that she was no longer on the mountain simply by the fact she was now warm as opposed to the strange not-cold sensation of the snow in the mental realm. She slowly sat up and looked around. She was in a small, sparsely decorated room that she recognized as a hospital room. There was an empty chair next to her bed and a familiar head of teal coloured hair sat cross legged in the corner with his sword resting against his shoulder. She wasn't exactly sure how the Blade had managed not to get kicked out or relieved of his sword, although she had the distinct impression that it likely involved threatening to freeze something or, more likely, someone. She wasn't sure where that came from, but it tickled her nonetheless.

She looked back at the chair next to her bed and reached out, absently noticing that her arm was shaking slightly. The seat was still warm. Whoever had been sitting there had only just left. At that moment, the door opened and a startled gasp followed by a paper cup hitting the ground reached Taylors ears. She turned, just in time to be pulled into a tight hug by her sobbing Father. Taylor froze in shock at the sudden display of affection. She couldn't remember the last time her Dad had given her a hug, but it certainly hadn't been since her Mom died. A moment later, Taylor teared up and hugged her Dad back, finally letting out a year and a halfs worth of hurt and loneliness into her Fathers shoulder.

* * *

Unfortunately, the Father-Daughter cry session was cut short by the arrival of the doctors who promptly ran Taylor through a battery of tests, before declaring her healthy but that she needed to stay in the Hospital a bit longer for observation. Once they were left alone, Danny returned to his seat. For a moment, Father and Daughter sat in an awkward silence, before a slight shift and the sound of metal on metal drew attention to the corner of the room as Hyorinmaru got to his feet and stretched. Taylor winced as she heard the sound of popping joints. The Blade let out a groan as he rubbed the back of his neck and rolled his shoulders.

"Right, next time I have to do anything mentally, I'm sitting on a chair," he muttered, "Fuck tradition, I think my butts gone to sleep."

Taylor giggled. She couldn't help it. Hyorinmaru's statement just seemed so at odds with his dignified appearance and voice. Danny glanced between his Daughter and the tall, teal haired man who had been sitting in the corner like an ice sculpture since his Daughter had been brought into hospital in no small amount of confusion. Up until now, he had brushed the man off, being more interested in making sure his Daughter was alright, but now…

"Um, pardon me, but who are you?" asked Danny, "Are you a friend of Taylors?"

Hyorinmaru blinked and looked at Danny.

"Hnn, I suppose thats one way to put it," he said.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" growled Danny, his mind immediately jumping to conclusions as all Fathers with teenage daughters are want to do.

"Whoa, cool it, thats not what I meant!" said Hyorinmaru before Danny could do something stupid.

It was at that point that Taylor decided to step in before an argument between her Father and Blade could start.

"Dad, calm down!" she said, "Hyorinmaru was the one who helped me. And…"

She took a deep breath. Somehow, she just knew this would go over about as well as telling Danny about the bullying.

"Hes part of my powers."

She was completely correct.

 **And done. I have no idea if Blades other than the Aegis can do the mental construct thing to talk to their Drivers, but frankly, I don't much care. FANFICTION AND CAPE BULLSHIT FTW!**

 **Speaking of, considering that the fight between Halibel and Hitsugaya boiled down to them using each others weapons against them, do you lot think that Hyorinmaru's power would let Taylor turn Leviathans attacks back on him? I just have this idea of her using Hyoten Hyakkaso or Sennen Hyoro to give Brockton its very own Endbringer ice sculpture in the bay.**

 **Next question for those who like Xenoblade, would you want to see Taylor somehow manage to summon more Core Crystals and other Parahuman's gaining Blades? Huh, for some reason, I'm now picturing Amy armed with Dromarch and/or Tattletale with Brighid...and maybe a Tinker somehow making Poppi, although I guess that wouldn't really be Taylor's doing. Maybe have Greg Trigger and build her...this is gonna end up as more of a crossover than I was expecting at this rate so I'll sto...OH, JIN WITH DINHA!...sorry.**

 **Anyway, I'd better sign off. Don't forget to review on your way out!**


	69. Teufel der Zerstörung Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Teufel der Zerstörung

When I died, I wasn't expecting to wake up again. Then again, that's nowhere near as unexpected as discovering that I'm descended from a group of Demon destroying Humans with a love for white, angst and archery. Oh, and I'm a Devil now! Fun times.

 **Yes, its another DXD story. What? I like the world. Its also another Bleach idea, this time with a Quincy as the protagonist, although exactly how much Bleach will have to do with it other than that, I don't know. Probably not much, although I might have some members of the Wandenreich and an inept Soul Reaper show up...anyway, lets get started! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

There are many stories of reincarnation, of heroes fighting against impossible odds, of the battle between good and evil. I like them all as much as they next guy, but I never thought I'd be in the middle of one. Perhaps I should back up a little, yes? Lets start from the beginning. When I died from an electric shock from faulty wiring, the very last thing I expected was to wake up again, and in the body of a baby at that.

Surprisingly, growing up was normal, with the only slightly odd thing being my parents insistence of me learning archery and even then it was really just the choice of sport that threw me off slightly. I had no problems with it though and took to the sport like a duck to water. Yes, things were looking up for me…

That is until I turned nine and both my Parents suddenly died. At the same time. Of heart attacks, despite being in perfect health. Yeah, I really should have smelt a rat, but I was to busy drowning in shock and grief. It certainly didn't help that my last remaining relative, an Uncle I'd never met, didn't even bother to show up to see me. Hell, he didn't even really take me in! All he did was send a big bloke with a suit and an earpiece to take me to an apartment he owned and set me up with a monthly stipend! Fucking asshole!

On the other hand, my new home was in a place that served to shake me out of my stupor, if only because I was wacked over the head with disbelief, quickly followed by rage instead. Why? Well, my new home and school (which I wasn't entirely pleased with to begin with as it meant uprooting and leaving my friends behind) was located in Kuoh Town. Yeah, I had NOT been pleased to find out about that. On the other hand, just because DXD was apparently a thing in this world, that didn't mean I'd get dragged in...right?

Actually, my attempts to keep well away from the Supernatural went rather well for the next five years. Sure, I was in class with Koneko, once I started high school, but just being the classmate of a Devil does not mean that I had to do anything to get involved. Just the opposite actually. I made it a point to avoid even getting a Flyer, just in case I ended up as Freeds target and kept my head down. Then, I made a mistake.

* * *

I was walking to school as normal, when a sudden eep and a thump reached my ears. I turned and was immediately met with a faceful of white panties. Hmm, well, this might end badly…

Despite that thought, my nature as a decent Human being won out over pragmatism and I approached the fallen girl as she pushed herself to her knees. Lets see, blond hair, blue eyes, blatently not Japaneses and a Habit...god, I hope this dosent bite me in the ass…

"Hey there, you OK?" I asked as I offered her a hand.

"Owwee, yes I'm fine," said the girl, taking my hand and letting me pull her to her feet.

As expected, she was wearing a habit, cross and a vial with a blue cross on the forehead.

"Thats great," I said with a grin, "I'm Shiroe Katagiri."

"Oh, its nice to meet you Shiroe, I'm Asia Argento," said the nun before looking around and seeing her suitcase open on the ground with a large number of clothes strewn over the road, including some rather lacy underwear.

"AH!"

She then moved faster than the eye could follow, grabbing all her clothes and shoving them into her suitcase and slamming it shut, her face glowing like a traffic light.

"Ahh, you saw the bad side of me," said Asia, blushing brightly.

I smirked.

"I saw nothing," I said, "So, I take it your new in town?"

Asia nodded.

"Yes, I was just assigned to take care of the church in this area," said Asia, looking down, "But I'm lost."

I glanced at my watch.

"Hmm, well, I've got a bit of time," I said, "I can show you the way."

"Oh, thank you Shiroe!"

I just smiled and led the way down the street. As we walked, I made a point to point out a few places that were good to visit and generally playing tour guide, despite knowing it was largely pointless. To be honest, I'm not sure why I was showing her around considering the clusterfuck I knew would result in it, not to mention the fact it could utterly destroy any chance of going unnoticed by the Fallen. Then again, if I left her alone, she'd either end up with Issei or dead in a ditch somewhere, neither of which the Nun deserved. OK, that was a little mean. Issei really wasn't that bad.

We started to head in the direction of the church, but the sound of a child crying drew Asias attention to where a young boy had fallen and scraped his knee. The young Nun quickly hurried over to the boys side.

"A big boy like you shouldn't cry over something like this," she said, despite the fact the boy couldn't understand her.

She cupped her hands over the boys knee and I watched, intrigued as a green glow surrounded them, rapidly healing the boys wound.

"There, all better," she said with a kind smile.

The boy just stared up at Asia in awe, before his mother came over and scolded him for running off.

"Yoshi, where did you run off to?" asked the woman, looking relieved.

"Mom, she healed me!" said the boy excitedly.

His mother looked cautiously at Asia before hurrying her son away, scolding him for running off on his own. I glanced at Asia who looked upset.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I fine," said Asia, giving a slightly forced smile.

She certainly didn't look it.

"Thank you big sister!"

We both looked up to see the little boy Asia had just healed waving at her.

"He said thank you," I said.

Asia looked surprised, before she smiled and waved back, earning a massive smile from the little boy.

"Sorry about that," said Asia, "I can be a little meddlesome sometimes."

"No problem," I said, "If more people stopped to help others, the world would be a better place."

Asia smiled at me and moved to pick up her bag.

"Allow me," I said, picking it up for her.

"Ah, no, I couldn't!" she protested.

"Its no problem," I said, "Besides, my Grandpa would kill me if I let a cute girl lug her own bag."

Asia blushed lightly and nodded.

"Thats an interesting power you have," I said as we continued towards the church.

"Y-yes, its a gift from God," said the Nun, "I consider it to be a gift."

"Hmm," I muttered.

She was a bloody terrible liar.

Eventually, we reached the road that lead up to the Church.

"And I'm afraid this is where I must leave you," I said, "If you follow this road up the hill, you'll find the church at the top."

"Thank you for the help and I'm sorry for being a bother," said Asia, "If your ever in the neighborhood, please, come by the Church for a cup of tea."

I chuckled.

"Sorry, but I've never been to comfortable in Churches," I said, "But if we meet out and about, I'll be happy to share a cuppa."

Asia blinked.

"But...your wearing a cross," she said, indicating to the flash of silver that could be seen under my shirt.

"Oh, you mean this?" I asked, pulling out the necklace and revealing it was actually a pentacle, "Its not actually a Crucifix. It belonged to my Mum, before…"

I trailed off. Asia seemed to notice my sudden melancholy and looked horrified.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, I…" she said.

"Don't worry about it, you didn't know," I said, tucking the pendent away, "Anyway, see ya."

I waved and continued on my way to school.

* * *

Surprisingly, I managed to get through the day without being smote from on high by Fallen, but I guess I shouldn't be totally surprised. I mean, I'm just a normal Human being after all. That said, that night I found myself restless and unable to sleep. The problem I was having was simple. If I was the one who helped out Asia, that meant that she and Issei had not met. That in turn meant that him trying to help her later on was unlikely, meaning that she was going to die. As a result, I'd have the life of an innocent girl on my shoulders. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I could do about it.

I'm a Human, one with no reasons to know about the Supernatural world, so I couldn't approach Rias or Sona for help and, even if I did, there was likely little either could, or would, do to help a Sister at the word of a random Human. For the first time since I'd found out about the DXD world being a thing, I cursed being powerless…

I growled and threw off my covers. I wouldn't be getting any sleep like this, so what was the point? I rolled out of bed and grabbed my exercise gear. If I couldn't sleep, I might as well go for a run. It'd take my mind off things if nothing else. Without even really thinking about it, I grabbed my cross on the way out, absently flicking my wrist in such a way that the chain wrapped securely around my wrist and stayed there. As it settled, the cross momentarily flared blue.

* * *

My run took me out of town towards the woods that bordered it. It was a run I did quite often, so I knew the route by the back of my hand. Sure, it was a little dangerous at night, but the route I took was well lit by the full moon. My feet carried me along familiar paths towards a small brook that I'd found shortly after I'd arrived in town. I liked the area as the trickle of the water was calming and helped me think, something I desperately needed right now. Plus, the area was incredibly pretty, especially at night as the fireflies danced over the pool.

Unfortunately, it seemed that someone was against me that night as, halfway to my destination, I suddenly found myself sensing something nearby. It wasn't the first time I'd sensed something I couldn't explain, there had been a few times I'd felt something… _arrive_ for want of a better word in the apartment across the hall from me, but this time was a bit different. I could feel that, somewhere nearby, someone was fighting. A lot of someones actually. How I knew thats what I was feeling, I couldn't tell you. I also couldn't tell you why I thought it was a good idea to investigate the source of the feeling, bit thats exactly what I did.

It didn't take me long to reach it, a run down house for within which I could hear the sounds of combat.

"This is a fucking horrible idea!" I groaned as I snuck around the house, following the sounds of fighting.

* * *

Sure enough, it didn't take long to find it in a large room towards the back of the house with some very large windows that gave me an excellent view of what was going on. Inside, I found Rias and her Peerage fighting against Viser. Despite all logic telling me to leave now that I knew what was going on, for some reason I stayed put. Something inside me was demanding that I stay and do...something. What that something was, I have no idea, but any idea of sneaking away was lost a moment later as Viser threw a chunk of concrete at Kiba. Naturally, the Knight jumped out of the way without trouble, but unfortunately the rock was flying right at me.

The chunk of concrete smashed straight through the window I was looking through and showered me in glass shards. I yelped and crossed my arms over my face to protect my eyes as the shards, thrown with incredible force by the speed of the rock that broke the window, hit me. However, instead of stabbing pain and gaining a painful new set of bling, all I felt was a rush of heat in my arms and a sensation similar to being caught in a heavy rainstorm as the glass bounced of my skin without even scratching it. I blinked and looked down at my arms to see that my vanes were glowing very faintly with a blue light.

"What the…"

My utter shock was interrupted by a frankly horrible howl of complete and utter fury, before I found myself being snatched up by a pair of monstrous talons and staring into the face of Viser in full monster mode.

" **YOU! I'LL KILL YOU YOU FUCKING MONSTER!"** she roared as she started squeezing.

I would have mentioned the pot and the kettle, but considering she was squeezing hard enough that I could feel my ribs creaking, I couldn't exactly talk at that moment. I struggled against Visers grip, but she was way to strong and I could already see my vision starting to fade. In desperation, I reached for the energy that had flowed through me just a moment ago and _pushed._ The result was that my next blow, as weak as it was, somehow hit with enough power to break Visers arm with a loud crack.

She immediately let out a howl of pain as one arm went limp, but rather than drop me, she threw me into the house, past the stunned looking Peerage, and into a wall that immediately collapsed on me. Considering my ribs were crushed and I'm pretty sure my lungs were pierced, I couldn't even scream as the rubble crushed my arms and legs, but I was fortunately spared the pain as another chunk of rubble smacked into my head, sending me into darkness.

 **And done. Well, that wasn't the most dignified end I've ever given an Outsider, but he'll be back. No comments about him becoming a Devil cus it'll be happening no matter what. I do have enough changes planned that it won't be stail though and not just the fact our hero's a Quincy. What changes? Well, you'll just have to wait and see! Oh, and before I forget, the title means Devil of Destruction in German.**

 **It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to have him realise he was a Quincy without just spelling it out for him. Speaking of which, while both his parents were Quincy's, guess who his uncle is. It probably won't really tie into anything, I just like the idea is all. Plus, it explains how he has enough money to support his nephew but doesn't care enough to actually take him in. In the end, I decided to have him instinctively use Blut to protect himself.**

 **Speaking of Quincy's and their powers, although they call their bows and arrows holy, they aren't actually holy in nature. They're still very effective against Devils, but their just as good a hurting Fallen and Angels as well. Also, Quincy Crosses don't affect Devils like Crucifixes. That said, Seele Schneider can be used to cut through and break down Light Spears, Light Swords and even some types of magic...so long as the user isn't to strong. It wouldn't really work on one of Kokabiels spears unless the wielder was as powerful as a Captain.**

 **Speaking off, I'll come up with a power comparison later, but suffice to say that the Soul Society is taking the place of the Underworld and Grim Reapers. What that means for Brienna, I'll also think about later. For now it can be assumed that standard Quincy's are considered the equivalent of Magicians and Captain class Soul Reapers are pretty high up the food chain, with the Head Captain likely making at least the top 20 strongest beings.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	70. Teufel der Zerstörung Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Teufel der Zerstörung

When I died, I wasn't expecting to wake up again. Then again, that's nowhere near as unexpected as discovering that I'm descended from a group of Demon destroying Humans with a love for white, angst and archery. Oh, and I'm a Devil now! Fun times.

 **And we're back. Get ready for an exposition dump cus I've let the Exposition Fairy out of her cage and now she won't shut the hell up! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The first thing I became aware of when I woke up the next morning was that I was in surprisingly little pain considering how many broken bones I had the night before. The second thing was that I was naked and apparently wasn't alone in bed. My eyes snapped open and I immediately found myself staring at a pair of massive mammaries.

"HOLY SH…!"

CRASH!

Without thinking, I threw myself back from my unexpected bedmate and found myself toppling out of bed to land in a heap on the floor. I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my head where I'd banged it on the bedside table. A quite mumble drew my attention back to my bed as the girl slowly sat up, revealing thick tresses of red. Yep, looks like Rias has come a calling. Well, at least that explains why I'm still alive.

"Hmm, is it morning already?" she mumbled as she stretched.

I quickly turned away as the movement did interesting things to her chest.

"Apparently so," I said, "Now would you mind explaining why the hell you are in my bed?! And naked at that!"

"Aww, are you embarrassed?" purred Rias as the bed creaked.

I twitched as I sensed Rias approach from behind and wrap her arms around my neck, pressing her soft breasts to my bare back.

"Yes, I am," I said as calmly as I could as my body reacted to the presence of the smoking hot Devil.

"Hmm, don't be," said Rias, "I don't mind my Servants seeing me in the nude. It helps us get closer after all."

"S-s-servants?" I stuttered, more because my brain was currently entering Blue Screen of Death mode than anything.

"Yes, thats just one of the many things we'll have to discuss," said Rias as she let me go, "But first, we should get washed and dressed. Its the weekend, so we have plenty of time to talk. Both about the future and what an Echt Quincy is doing here."

That hit me like a bucket of cold water, but before I could react, Rias let me go and sauntered out of the room.

* * *

Half an hour later, I had my head back on straight and my other head back under control and Rias and I were sat at my kitchen table enjoying the meagre offering I could make. I usually just had cereal in the mornings, so I really didn't have that much, although I had got some bacon, which Rias was currently enjoying in a butty.

"Hmm, very nice," she said, "Your a good cook Shirou."

"Thanks, now would you mind telling me what in the hell is going on?" I growled, "What happened last night, who are you really, why are you here and why did you call me an Echt Quincy?"

Rias paused and gave me a shrewd look.

"Wait, so you mean you don't know?" she asked.

"Know what?" I asked, my patients thinning.

Rias swallowed her mouthful and lent forwards.

"You really don't know about your power?" she muttered.

"My...power? Damn it Rias, stop dancing around the issue and just tell me what in the hell is going on!"

I was really starting to get agitated now as my mind went to work, cutting apart everything that had happened in my life. My parents both dying of heart attacks on the same day, the loud noises I occasionally heard but had always brushed off as my imagination, the five pointed cross I always wore, my sudden ability to boost my defence and strength last night and the fact my Uncle was the director of Karakura General Hospital. Suddenly I had a horrible feeling that DXD was going to be the least of my troubles.

"Alright, I suppose I should stop beating around the bush," said Rias, "Lets start with the most important thing. This world is not as simple as it might appear…"

Rias launched into an explanation of the existence of Devils, Angels, Gods and so on, much the same as the one she gave Issei, if a little more comprehensive. She also explained the basics of the Evil Piece system, all stuff we already know from countless other stories like this one, so I won't rehash it.

"Alright, so I'm now a Devil and your apparently my Master after you saved my life last night," I said, "Fair enough…"

"Your taking this remarkably well," said Rias as she folded her wings again.

"Oh trust me, I'll probably have a breakdown later," I said with a weak smile, "I'm just...trying to absorb the fact that I got killed by a giant mouth monster last night."

Rias winced.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she said, "Normally, we'd have stopped her, but she moved a lot faster than we were expecting to attack you. She must really hate Quincys."

"You keep calling me that but you still havent told me what it means," I said, "And how do you know I'm one anyway?"

Rias smiled and put my pendent on the table between us.

"This is a Quincy Cross," she said, "Only Quincy's would carry one, although I suppose you could have picked it up in a second hand shop or something. However, last night, you used Blut, a Quincy technique to defend yourself. Only a Pure Blooded Quincy could have used Blut like you did, especially since you apparently don't know about your lineage."

She held up a hand, stopping my question before I could ask it.

"The Quincy's are...or rather were a Clan of Humans with Spiritual Powers," she said, "Understand that something like that is INCREDIBLY rare. Even Magicians rarely have enough Spirit Energy to see into the Spirit World. However, this power made them easy and delicious pray for a type of monster called Hollows, fallen Souls that devour the living and dead. This fact lead to them developing methods to fight and destroy Hollows to defend themselves. Spiritual Powers like that are typically very strong and they allowed the Quincy's to quickly cement themselves as one of the more powerful factions in the world."

She paused to take a sip of tea.

"Unfortunately, this power quickly went to their heads and they became increasingly arrogant. Before long, they were targeting, not just Hollows, but also Devils, Fallen, Angels and just about every other non-human being they came across. To make matters worse, their excessive hunting of Hollows began to mess with the balance between the World of the Living and the Land of the Dead. It got so bad that the leaders of the various factions, including the Soul Society who normally stays out of the other factions business, got together and attempted to convince the Quincy's to stop. They didn't just refuse, but also attacked the negotiation party. That was the last straw for everyone involved and an agreement was reached. The Quincy's were a threat to the continued existence of all Factions and the balance of the world and the order was given to wipe them out."

Rias gave a deep sigh.

"Virtually all of the Quincy's were killed, but some survived, either because they had already left the Tribe, or because they defected. Today, all that remains are a few scattered family's, most of whom had long forgotten their heritage. The only remaining practicing Quincy's I'm aware of is Ryuken Ishida and his son."

I gave a strangled laugh.

"His names Uryu," I said.

"You know them?" asked Rias.

"Ryuken's my Uncle," I said, "Hes the guy who gave me this place."

"And he never told you any of this?" asked Rias with a raised eyebrow.

"He didn't even bother to show up and make sure I was alright after my Parents died," I deadpanned.

Rias winced.

"Sorry," she said.

"No problem," I said.

For a moment we sat in silence, before I reached out and picked up my Cross.

"So, this thing is used as a focus for a Quincy's powers, right?" I asked.

"Thats right," said Rias, "But how did…"

"Lucky guess," I said, "Now then, lets see…"

I wrapped the cross around my wrist and stood. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and focused on the strange ability I had that I was now pretty sure was the ability to sense Spiritual Pressure. Immediately, I picked up Rias as a mass of black and red power. A startled gasp from Rias made me open my eyes to find myself surrounded by a number of ribbons emerging from thin air. Most were white, but I could see one red one, likely belonging to the Soul Reaper stationed in the town, a few were black and a few more were purple, probably the Devils and Fallen in town. Still, as impressive as manifesting the Reiraku was, it wasn't what I wanted. I let go of the Spirit Energy, causing the ribbons to disperse, and focused again. This time, I tried to draw in the power around me and focus it into cross on my wrist.

The Quincy Cross reacted, floating up to rest in my palm as blue energy began to radiate from it. An instant later, there was a flash of light and I found myself holding a bow made of blue energy. The bow was a recurve and the arms of the bow were shaped vaguely like the jagged, bat-like wings of a Devil, with the spikes turned outwards, making it look rather menacing and like it could do some serious damage in melee.

"Huh, that was easier than I was expecting," I muttered.

"Thats because your a Devil," said Rias, "Your powers still work the same as every other Quincy, but the power to use Magic simply through imagination and will helps your body to gather Spirit Particles from the air. Still, its only forming your bow and arrows that will come naturally, the rest you'll have to learn like everyone else."

"Well, I'm already a fairly good archer, although I haven't practiced in a while," I said as I let my Heilig Bogen dissipate, "As for the rest...I guess I'll have to talk to Uncle Ryuken."

I grimoused. I can't imagine that conversation going over well…Then, I remembered something.

"Actually…" I muttered and got to my feet.

"Whats up?" asked Rias as I walked into the living room and started pushing bits of paper, books and a few video game boxes of the 'coffee table'.

"My parents left me this when they passed away," I said as I revealed that it was actually a large chest, "I didn't open it at the time because I couldn't face it and, eventually I just forgot about it because of life and other things. However...aha, just as I thought."

Sure enough, the chest had a large Quincy Zeichen carved into the lid and the lock had a keyhole shaped exactly like my Cross. I slotted my Cross into the lock and, as expected, it clicked open. I opened the chest to reveal that it was full of Quincy paraphernalia, ranging from Ginto to Seele Schneider and even what looked like a Sternritter uniform, carefully folded and tucked into the corner of the chest. There were also a fair few leather bound books with the Quincy Zeichen on the cover and spine. I pulled on out and flipped it open, revealing that it was a training manual on the use of something called Heilig Schritt.

"Well, this will make things easier," I said.

"You can say that again," said Rias, who was leaning over my shoulder, "But you'll have to start training later. For now, its time to introduce you to your new comrades."

I nodded and shut the chest. I kinda wanted to go through some of it now, but it'd still be here when I got home. I stood and followed Rias over to where she'd made a Magic Circle on the floor.

"By the way, you said that the Evil Pieces are based on chess, right?" I asked.

"Thats right," said Rias.

"So, what piece am I?"

"You are a Pawn."

I blinked. Wait, what? Does this mean that Issei isn't as strong or that Rias is stronger than in canon? Before I could figure out how to ask without outing my future knowledge, Rias activated the Circle and I was blinding by a flash of crimson light. When I could see again, my living room had been replaced by a dimly lit clubroom with circles on the walls and floor, a freestanding tub in one corner and a few sofas around a coffee table. Said sofas were playing host to the other members of Rias' peerage. Well, other than Gasper of course. And...Issei? Wait, where was Issei? I frowned, but decided not to say anything. I'd find out what was going on soon enough after all.

I quickly pushed that though aside and focused on the here and now. The other Devils were all eyeing me with no small amount of interest and I couldn't help but squirm under their gaze.

"Alright everyone, I'm pleased to introduce our newest member, Shirou Katagiri," said Rias, resting her hands on my shoulders.

"Um, hi," I said with an awkward wave.

"Ufufufu, so, this is the boy that Stray killed last night," said Akeno, eyeing me up and down, "You said he was a Quincy, right Rias?"

"Thats right," said Rias.

Kiba smiled and walked up to me, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you Shirou," he said, "I'm Kiba Yuuto."

"Likewise," I said, shaking his hand.

"I'm just glad I'm not the only guy in the Peerage any more," said the blond.

"Gasper," said Koneko.

"Who's never here," said Kiba.

I blinked. Wait, Kiba was the only guy? Then what happened to Issei? Did that mean…

BANG!

The door suddenly slammed open to emit a rather annoyed looking girl who I vaguely recognized from the year above me. She was rather pretty and in possession of a figure that was, while nowhere near as voluptuous as Rias and Akeno, was still full enough that I wouldn't be at all surprised if she attracted the gaze of the perverted trio. She had long, wavy brown hair tied back in a braid, light brown eyes and was wearing the girls uniform with a dark red jacket over the top. Oh, and even to my fledgling senses, I could clearly sense that she had a crap ton of power.

"Oh, there you are Karin," said Rias, "What kept you?"

"Those stupid morons, the Perverted Duo," growled the girl, apparently called Karin.

I blinked. Perverted duo? What...ohhhh, I think I know where this is going.

"Alright then, I guess I'll let you off," said Rias, sounding more amused than anything, "You're just in time to meet our newest family member. This is Shirou Katagiri. Shirou, this is my other Pawn, Karin Hyoudou."

Yep, I was right.

 **Bit of a weak ending, but I really don't care. Why did I make Issei a girl? Because why not? Why is her name Karin? See my previous response.**

 **So, for once, the crossover isnt just being brushed off as Outsider Bullshit and instead is a genuine crossover. That said, the Soul Society generally does not get involved in the affairs of the various factions in the World of the Living and vise versa, unless an enemy is a threat to all factions, like the Quincy's were. Also, Soul Reapers and Hollows generally aren't considered when ranking people in terms of power, but Captains are as powerful as Leader Class/Ultimate class and the Head Captain is acknowledged as being Satan Class.**

 **Next point, Spiritual Powers. In virtually every race, they are EXTREMELY rare, even rarer than Sacred Gears. They are separate from Magic, Youkai and so on, with the closest being Senjutsu. That said, most non-Human being can see into the Spiritual World. As a result of this, the interactions between the Spiritual World and the Supernatural World is usually limited to the Soul Reaper assigned to an area meeting with whatever Supernatural being holds territory in the area to introduce themselves or occasionally to warn them if a particularly powerful Hollow has been detected. Hollows generally don't go after Supernatural beings, although they may go after recently reincarnated Humans, but thats incredibly rare. Finally, Hollows and Soul Reapers can be reincarnated as Devils through the Evil Piece system.**

 **Although rare and the users are generally pretty high up the food chain, Spiritual Powers aren't actually any more powerful than any other form of power. They don't seal any type of power, there not extra effective against any other race, its just another form of power used by a specific faction.**

 **I hope that all makes sense cus I really don't feel like rehashing this, although I'll probably have to in the story itself as exposition towards the characters...eh, it'll serve as a reminder. Anyway, I'm gonna sign out. Until next time, don't forget to review!**


	71. Hollow Hero Chapter 1

**WARNING, THIS ENTRY TO THE VAULT CONTAINS A RATHER LARGE AMOUNT OF GORE AND VIOLENCE. READER DISCRETION IS ADVICED**

Outsider Chronicles: Hollow Hero

I knew that getting reborn into a world like Worm could be dangerous, but I wasn't expecting to get kidnapped by a crazy cult dedicated to the Endbringers to be used as a sacrifice. True, I'm now strong enough that no one will ever be able to permanently hurt me again, but I still could have done without the oversized needle to the heart.

 **This probably won't get continued, but its an interesting idea and it won't stop bugging me. With that in mind, lets get this written out and maybe it will leave me alone. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, there are several things about dying that I never wanted to know. To start with, its bloody uncomfortable. Of course, being reborn is even more uncomfortable. Yea, I'm living proof that the Soul is real, despite the fact that I'm a sceptic at the best of times. Of course, that doesn't stop me from feeling like I've ether won the lottery or been sent here due to some horrific sin I committed in my last life. Why? Well, I'd been reborn in a world full of superpowered beings, but it wasn't one where heroes and villains balanced each other out and the heroes always win. It wasn't even My Hero Academia where EVERYONE has powers in one form or another. Oh no, I'm not that lucky. Instead, the world I now lived in was one where the greatest hero was actually its greatest potential threat and was definitely under threat from a bunch of OP monsters. Yep, I'd ended up being reborn in Worm. This is really gonna blow…

* * *

Man, I was right but I had no idea how right I could be. At first, everything seemed fine, my family was reasonably well off, I did well at school and everything seemed to be looking up. Then, my hometown was attacked. Not by an Endbringer, or even the Slaughterhouse Nine, but by a new group who apparently decided that the Endbringers were here to bring about Armageddon and the faithful would be raised to Rapture. Fair enough, the problem was that, in order to prove ones faith, you had to kill the unbelievers in various horrible ways. The result was anarchy, with more than a few people being taken in by the leader, a Father Comstock's, ramblings and joining the Cult, including my own mother. That lead me to now, tied to a post as the last survivor after the rest of the town who didn't jump on the crazy train had been either massacred or had escaped. I had no doubt that the few who had got away would try to call for help, but I doubted they'd arrive in time to save my sorry butt.

"Come now Alexander, stop being so stubborn!" shouted my Mother, religious fervor in her eyes, "You know the truth! Just accept it and walk with me into the light!"

I just fixed her with a flat look.

"I think I'd rather burn in hell than have anything to do with a God that would allow something like this," I said cooly.

Mothers face contorted into an ugly grimous and my breath rushed out of me as she kicked me in the stomach.

"Ohh, try that again, I almost felt it," I growled through clenched teeth.

"Why you little…!"

Mother raised the kitchen knife in her other hand, still stained with my Dads blood. I just stared up at her. If she was going to kill me, I wanted her to do it while looking me in the eye. However, before she could stab me, Comstock suddenly stepped out of the crowd and grabbed her wrist.

"Wait my child," he said.

"But Father…"

"Worry not, you have already done your part," said Comstock with a fake kind smile, "However, Alexander has not done his."

Mother hesitated, before bowing and returning to the crowd as Comstock turned to me.

"I really hope your not planning to waste your breath trying to convince me," I said.

Comstock smiled thinly.

"Of course not," he said, "However, even Unbelievers have their roles in Gods plan. You are a young, healthy man, which makes you the perfect choice."

He reached into his robe and pulled out a rather large needle full of a strange, green fluid that seemed to be glowing faintly.

"What is that?" I asked, eyeing the substance with no small amount of fear.

I highly doubted that would be good for me if it got into my body.

"I am not a fool," said Comstock, ignoring my question, "I am well aware that some of the Heathens escaped and that means that the Protectorate will soon be after us. However, I cannot allow those fools to stop me now. So, I shall leave them a little...gift. Congratulations Alexander White, you will serve Gods plan...as his Demon!"

He drove the needle into my chest and injected the glowing fluid straight into my heart. My body went rigid as I felt it rush through my veins, burning like fire. I have no idea what it was he gave me, but I'm pretty sure it was a Cauldron Viel. That was good news for me...and horrible news for him. As soon as I got loose from these bonds _I was_ _ **going to kiLL HIM!**_

The burning hit my brain and I screamed.

* * *

Comstock straightened, pulling the needle from Alexander's chest and threw it aside. He wasn't entirely sure what it was he'd just injected into the poor boy, but his visions had shown him that it would help stall the Protectorate. However, they had to leave now, before it could take full affect. There was no telling what he'd become after all. With that in mind, he turned to his flock and spread his arms.

"Here me my children!" he called, "You have all done well here today. Many of you have paid your toll and we have gained more Brothers and Sisters who will join us in Heaven. Now, it is time to leave this place and…"

He was cut of by a massive blast of force and a howl that was part Human part...something else.

 **(Might as well play What Can You See In Their Eyes from the Bleach OST for this bit. Thats the theme that plays when Hollow Ichigo is kicking the crap out of Ulquiorra)**

" **GRRRRRRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

Comstock spun around, just in time to see a massive blast of black and red energy erupt off Alexander's body as the thick chains keeping him tied up began to shrek in protest, joining the boy in the horrible howl that sounded like it was coming from the depths of hell. Then, the howl was muffled slightly as a strange, white substance suddenly erupted from the boys mouth, nose and eyes, quickly covering his face and shaping itself over his features. The boy howled again and pulled on his bonds, snapping the metal with ease and allowing him to fall forwards onto his hands and knees as his body began to change as well, becoming visibly more muscled as the colour leaked out of it, leaving it bone white except for a horseshoe shaped marking on his chest with lines coming out of it across his chest and shoulders and his hair rapidly grew out to his waist and turned white. Small tufts of what looked like white fur appeared around his wrists, ankles and neck. Then, there was a loud crack and the still writing fluid on his face erupted, forming a pair of forward facing horns, and solidified into a black and white, skull-like mask.

For a moment, complete silence filled the devastated town, broken only by the faint hissing of cooling ground that had been heated somehow by the transformation. Then, the monsters head snapped up, momentarily revealing yellow eyes, before he vanished and someone in the crowd screamed as the person next to them was sliced in half by a black sword that had appeared out of thin air in the Demon's hand. An instant later, someone on the other side of the crowd was relieved of her head and the crowd broke.

That didn't seem to phase the Demon however as he continued his rampage, using his sword, raw strength, claws, horns and bolts of black and red energy to slaughter the Cultists. Several were decapitated, more had their heads crushed into paste, a few were reduced to ashes by beams of crimson energy fired from between his horns and Alexander's mother had her heart torn out and crushed. All of this was while it completely ignored any attempt to pled or attack it. Bullets simply sparked off its skin like it was made of steel, blades broke on impact and it seemed to have some innate way of targeting Parahumans as the few the Cult had were killed before they could even attempt to attack him. The only one who managed to get a shot off, taking the Demons arm off in the process, was impaled on its horns and then vaporized after seeing the Demon simply regenerate its arm.

* * *

While his flock were being slaughtered, Comstock was busy running for his life. He had quickly realized that nothing short of complete annihilation would be able to stop the Demon. With that in mind, he took advantage of the distraction offered by his Flock and ran for his life. He could rebuild, start again. There were always fools willing to believe just about anything for salvation. All he needed to do was…

THUMP!

Comstock gave a rather undignified squeak and stumbled back as the Demon appeared in front of him with a dull thud of displaced air. The Cult leader stumbled backwards away from the horned monster and ended up tripping over his own feet as the Demon stalked towards him.

"N-no, stay away!" he gasped, "Y-you can't touch me Demon, I am Gods chosen...GLUMPH!"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as the Demon suddenly appeared right in front of him and grabbed him by the face, throwing him away hard enough that he smashed through three walls before sliding painfully to a stop. Before he could recover, a clawed foot slammed into Comstock's chest, splintering what few ribs remained intact. The Cult leader watched in terror as the Demon bent over as red energy began to gather between its horns. Never in a million years did he believe that he would die in a place like this at the hands of a monster…

BANG!

 **(end track)**

The Demon twitched as a rubber bullet bounced off its mask. It hissed in annoyance as the orb of death between its horns vanished and it glanced over its shoulder. Comstock craned his neck to to see a group of PRT troopers led by Miss Militia, Assault and Battery, indicating that they were from Brockton Bay, the closest city to the town. Comstock never in a million years thought he'd be happy to see the Protectorate, but he'd take being sent to the birdcage any day of the week over facing off against the Demon again.

"Step away from him," said Miss Militia, her voice surprisingly calm considering the enemy she was facing down.

The Demon shifted and, for a brief moment, Comstock thought it was going to attack the Heroes. Apparently, they thought so to as they and the Troopers tensed. Then, Comstocks side erupted into pain as the Demon kicked him right in his destroyed ribcage, sending him flying to land at the Protectorates feet in a broken heap. Then, the Demon did something that scared Comstock more than anything. It spoke.

" **There, I'm away from him,"** it said, its voice echoing and distorted.

Comstock wasn't the only one surprised as the Heroes looked just as taken aback.

"Wait, you can talk?" asked Assault, earning him an elbow from Battery.

The Demon scoffed and stabbed its sword into the ground, it before reached up to its mask. He pushed it up onto his forehead, revealing snow white skin, black lips and yellow eyes with black where the whites should be.

"Of course I can talk you moron," he said, his voice now less distorted but still not exactly normal.

Miss Militia frowned.

"Your a Cape?" she asked.

"Apparently so," said the Demon, "That moron injected me with something and this was the result. The idiot apparently didn't think I wouldn't take offence to being kidnapped, have my home destroyed and injected with glowing goo against my will."

"You did all this?" asked Battery, looking around at the devastation and many, many body's in various states of intactness.

"Sort of," said the Demon, "I think I went into a berserker state for most of it. Most of the ones in the Square were done by the Cultists, but the rest…?"

He gave a grin that made everyone present step back.

"You're damn right I killed them! They destroyed everything I cared about, murdered my friends and family, all for some madman with a god complex because he happens to have Precognition and a bit of charisma! Hell, the only reason I didn't turn that bastard into dust was because I don't feel like accidentally killing anyone just trying to do their job!"

He took a deep breath and fixed Miss Militia with an intense glare.

"With that in mind, what will you do now?" he asked, his hand twitching back to the hilt of his sword.

Miss Militia held up a hand, stopping the Troopers, who had tensed at the white Capes outburst, from doing anything stupid. She could tell that, while appearing (mostly) calm, the white Cape was on a hair trigger and wouldn't hesitate to attack if anyone pulled the trigger. If that happened, she wasn't sure if they could actually stop him. He was clearly a high level Brute at the very least, most likely with Mover and Blaster powers on top of that. All in all, not someone she wanted to fight with just three Capes.

That said, she knew that the PRT would want him brought in, even if the killings would likely end up being ruled as in self defence in exchange for him joining the Wards. Now she just had to hope that he didn't take the request to come in as a threat.

"For now?" said Miss Militia, "I'm going to ask you to accompany us."

White raised an eyebrow.

"Am I under arrest?"

"Not yet," said Miss Militia, "For now, I just want to get everything sorted out. I think we can rule this all as self defence if it does come to that, but before that, we need to get you back to HQ and properly questioned."

White stared at her for a moment longer, before he shrugged.

"Alright, thats fair enough," he said, "Lets…"

CRACK!

Everyone jumped at the sudden sound as a large crack suddenly appeared in White's chest.

"Ohhh, that can't be good," he muttered, "I think I'm about to pass out…"

Those words proved prophetic as his knees buckled and more cracks started appearing across his body, one of horns outright breaking off. Miss Militia jumped forwards as he treated on his feet, first falling to his knees, then forwards as bits of his body began to fall away. She caught him, just as a large crack appeared across his face, before his entire body seemed to shatter, leaving a normal looking teen in its place. Even his sword turned to dust, followed by the remains of his apparent Changer form.

For a moment, there was silence, before Assault broke it in a way that only he could do.

"Well, that was a thing," he said.

A resounding smack echoed around the destroyed town.

 **And done. Phew, well, that was certainly interesting. Like I said up top, I doubt I'll continue this since I really want to keep going with one of my actual Bleach stories. That said, knowing me, I'll probably end up continuing with this anyway…**

 **So, before I sign off, a few things. First off, Alexander's 'Hollow' form. Its basically identical to Ichigo's second Hollowfication, only the red fur is white. It looks better I think. He has all of the powers displayed by Hollow Ichigo/Zangetsu, including Getsuga, Cero, Sonido and instant regeneration. That said, he ISN'T actually a Hollow.**

 **Yes, Comstock is a reference to Bioshock, no I have no intention of adding it to this or any of my stories. I just needed a name for the Cult leader and that seemed like a good one. Incidentally, he is a Cape, but his power is just a minor Thinker one that manifests as something similar to Precog, although more along the lines of seeing vague visions of possible futures that only become properly interpretable after the fact. How he got his hands on a Cauldron Vail is unknown, although it was probably deliberate on someone's part considering how it turned out.**

 **I'm not actually sure if Alex's power would be considered Changer or Breaker. He can only use most of his powers while in his Hollowfied state, although his regeneration remains intact, which I think would be classed as a Breaker. The Wiki's not being very helpful here.**

 **Anyway, my confusion aside, I'm gonna sign of. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	72. Hollow Hero Chapter 2 Hallibel Version

Outsider Chronicles: Hollow Hero

I knew that getting reborn into a world like Worm could be dangerous, but I wasn't expecting to get kidnapped by a crazy cult dedicated to the Endbringers to be used as a sacrifice. True, I'm now strong enough that no one will ever be able to permanently hurt me again, but I still could have done without the oversized needle to the heart.

 **And we're back. I didn't actually intend to do more of this, but since it got such a good reception, fuck it. Oh, and before I forget, I changed his surname. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Two week had passed since my 'Trigger' and subsequent rampage and things had mostly been sorted out. Considering what had happened and the fact that the Cult was on the verge of getting a Kill Order anyway due to the massive body count they had reportedly stacked up, I ended up not even being charged for slaughtering most of the Cult. Comstock ended up getting sentenced to the Birdcage shortly after, despite his apparent attempts to set up an insanity plea by screaming about God and the end of the world and how we were all heathens who would burn in Hell. The Judge had been unimpressed and ended up having him gagged.

* * *

I still ended up being drafted into the Wards though. I was a still a Minor and all my family was dead or, in the case of my Grandmother, my last living relative, locked up in an old folks home mumbling about pickles and gumming down sweets. Combine that with my high levels of power and the Protectorate would be fools to not get me under their banner. Unfortunately, that meant I was left at Glenn Chambers mercy...unfortunate for him that is.

Seriously, the man might be good, but how the fuck are you supposed to turn a six foot, horned monster with a skull for a face into anything even remotely PR friendly? It certainly didn't help when I demonstrated my powers and ended up blasting a hole in the wall of the Rig with a Cero and somehow managed to knock Aegis unconscious after he told me to go all out. I did and the Ward leader couldn't even keep up with my base speed without me using Sonido. Needless to say, the big man was currently tearing his hair out in despair.

Speaking of my powers, it didn't take me long to figure out that I had all of the abilities of Vasto Lorde Ichigo, up to and including Getsuga Tenshou, although I could only use them while I was in my 'Hollowfied' state. Well, other than my regeneration. I discovered I still had that in my Human form after I cut myself by accident and it healed within a half hour. I was also in way better shape than I had been, although I think that might have something to do with my regeneration taking my body to the peak of Human ability rather than anything superhuman. Oh, and I could also summon my mask whenever I wanted for a boost in strength, speed, endurance and so on, although I wasn't anywhere near as powerful as when I was fully Hollowfied. To bad I couldn't summon my sword outside of my full Hollow form or I might have chosen that as my primary Hero mode. Sure, my mask was still scary, but it was infinitely less intimidating than my Demonic full Changer state.

* * *

"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked as I followed Miss Militia down the halls of the PRT Headquarters.

"Well, Glenn might still be pulling his hair out over trying to come up with a way of making you a little more PR friendly, but you still need to meet your teammates at some point," said the Patriotic Heroine.

I blinked.

"I've been in and out of here and the Rig for the past two weeks," I said, "Why now?"

"Mostly because of the circumstances surrounding you," said Miss Militia, "Between trying to figure out what your capable of, the trial and deciding how to deal with you, its sort of fallen by the wayside."

"Because its a given that I'm joining," I grumbled.

"Yep."

I scowled. I still wasn't really pleased with having my options taken away like that, but considering my other option was running and becoming a Villain, I'd suck it up and deal with it. Besides, I was 16, so it was only for two years and after that, I was going solo.

"Fair enough I guess," I grumbled, "So, should I suit up or…?"

"No, I wouldn't bother," said Miss Militia, "None of the other Wards will be in costume and, since you'll be a team, you'll know each others identities anyway."

"Fair enough," I said again.

"Oh, cheer up," said Miss Militia, "I know its not ideal, but it really is the best option."

I let out a huff, but didn't respond. I wasn't entirely sure that was true, but I wasn't about to risk the PRT changing their minds and punting me into the Birdcage. Miss Militia just patted me on the back and stopped as we reached the door to the lift that would take us down to the Ward HQ. She lent forwards and let the retinal scanner do its thing. A moment later, the lift opened and we stepped inside.

"So, anything I should know before I meet em?" I asked.

"Well, you met Aegis briefly when we were testing your powers," said Miss Militia.

"And then promptly knocked him unconscious," I said.

Miss Militia coughed awkwardly.

"Yes, that, although he won't hold a grudge for that," she said, "Hes to professional. Other than that, the only thing I can think of is to watch out for Shadow Stalker. She can be a little...confrontational."

I scowled. Yeah, I really wasn't looking forwards to meeting that bitch. I wasn't confident I wouldn't punt her through the wall if she tried anything with me. The main problem was that my powers had actually had an affect on my psyche. Nothing overt, but I was now more in tune with my instincts, a state that only amplified when I fully transformed. That was how I could wield my sword and throw around my attacks like I'd been doing them for years. It sort of made sense since I was basically a Hollow, minus the whole eating Souls thing, and it came in rather handy in keeping me from feeling any guilt over slaughtering the Cultists. They had tried to kill me, so I responded by removing the threat. Permanently. It was also that mindset that made me weary of joining the Protectorate permanently. I wasn't entirely sure I could hold back enough to avoid killing someone if I ever met someone capable of hurting me. All of this together meant that, if Shadow Stalker tried her shtick with me, she'd end up finding out what a real predator looked like when pissed off.

The lift dinged and the doors opened, revealing the Ward HQ. It looked like the living room of a large University flat, a large, round room with a large TV on one wall with a few sofas in a circle, a couple of games consoles and a coffee table covered in wrappers, books and a few scattered games. A number of doors led off the area, although I had no idea what was through them. Sitting on the sofas were the Wards themselves, all in costume for some reason, although none of them were wearing their masks. As we entered, the teen heroes looked up and I found myself under the scrutiny of six superpowered teenagers. It...was actually rather underwhelming. Just by looking at them, I instinctively knew that the only threat to me here was Vista and that was only because she could potentially bend my attacks back at me. I quickly wrenched my mind away from strategizing how best to take down each individual member of the Wards (ranging from decapitation to complete obliteration vire Gran Rey Cero...huh, I didn't know I could do that...neat.) and refocused on the here and now.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce your newest teammate," said Miss Militia, "This is Alexander White."

"Um, hi," I said awkwardly.

How exactly where you supposed to greet a group of people your powers had just finished feeding you the best methods of tearing them into little pieces? I immediately realized my mistake in the 'weak' greeting as Shadow Stalker gave a quite scoff, barely audible.

"Great, another weakling," she muttered, although it was still clearly audible.

Miss Militia scowled and opened her mouth to berate the dark Ward, but before she could I lifted my hand to my face and summoned my mask. Before anyone could do more than blink, I'd vanished and reappeared in front of Shadow Stalker, close enough that her nose was practically touching my mask as I loomed over her. Shadow Stalkers eyes went wide and, frankly, I can't blame her. Even if I didn't have the oppressive Spiritual Pressure Ichigo did while Hollowfied, the mask was still incredibly intimidating, not helped in the slightest by the black and yellow eyes that glared out from the eye slits and I highly doubt the fact I just crossed the room in the blink of an eye helped matters.

" _Want to say that again girly?"_ I hissed.

"ALEXANDER!" shouted Miss Militia.

I glanced over my shoulder at the shocked looking Wards and angry Heroine, before taking a step away from Shadow Stalker and dispelling my mask.

"Sorry about that," I said, directing the apology to the rest of the Wards and Miss Militia, "I don't like being underestimated."

For a moment, there was silence, before Clockblocker spoke up.

"Aww, don't worry about it," he said, "Believe me, there are plenty of worse things you could have done if what Carlos told us about you is anything to go by."

He stood and held out his hand.

"Names Dennis," he said.

I eyed his hand.

"Your going to freeze me, aren't you?"

Dennis tried to look hurt, but a snort of laughter from Vista told me I was 100% correct.

"Looks like hes got you there Dennis," she said.

"But I…"

Vista ignored Dennis' stuttered protests and turned to me with a massive smile.

"Hi, I'm Missy," she said, "That was a cool trick with the mask. Is that your power?"

"Ehh, kind of," I said as I shook her hand, "The mask lets me tap into a small portion of my full power, without transforming."

"Transforming?" asked Kid Win as he came over to introduce himself.

Aegis snorted.

"Oh, you should see it," he said, "he could give Hookwolf a run for his money in sheer intimidation factor."

Shadow Stalker scoffed, apparently getting over her brief moment of fear towards me.

"This guy?" she asked, "What could he possibly do to scare you _oh fearless leader?"_

The rest of the Wards glowered at Shadow Stalker, but Aegis just smirked.

"Lets just say that the mask as nothing on the full thing," he said.

All eyes turned on me.

"What? You want to see it?"

Nods all around, although Shadow Stalker just scoffed. I could still see a glimmer of interest in her eyes though. I glanced around again, before shrugging.

"Alright, but I suggest you take a few steps back."

They did as I asked and I lifted my hand to my face, black and red energy gathering in my hand. It wasn't really necessarily necessary to do it like this, but I felt like showing off. I pulled my hand down, my mask appearing on my face, but the energy didn't dissipate. Instead, it surged out, wrapping around me and momentarily hiding me from view. Then, I took a step forwards. I heard a startled intake of breath as my now clawed foot emerged from the black cloud, followed by my horned head and the rest of my body. As I left the energy cloud, the last of it solidified and transformed into my black blade. I let out a deep, rattling breath that somehow also released a blast of steam from between my masks teeth.

I looked over at the Wards to find that they were all staring at me with wide eyes. I honestly can't blame them considering my showboating, but I couldn't help but shift awkwardly under their stares. While joining the Wards wasn't really what I wanted, that didn't change the fact that I'd be working with them for the next few years and I really didn't like the idea of my comrades being scared of me.

"That...is….AWESOME!" said Dennis suddenly, breaking the tension in an instant.

That seemed to be the cue for the Wards to snap out of it and start asking questions, ranging from my sword to the lengths of my powers. I answered them as best I could and we ended up sharing a laugh over the fact I was causing Glenn a minor coronary as he tried to figure out how to make me PR friendly and failing.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting and socializing with the Wards (well, most of them. Shadow Stalker bugged out as soon as she was able) and by the time I left, I was confident that I'd be able to make friends with most of my future teammates. Not Shadow Stalker though, but considering a good portion of me wanted to vaporize the bitch, thats not that surprising. Eventually, we broke apart and headed out for our nightly duties, whether that be a patrol or heading home, leaving me with little to do. Oh, I headed back to the small apartment the Protectorate had been nice enough to provide after I proved to be capable of taking care of myself, but I quickly got restless. It was something I'd found happening a lot lately, not helped in the least by the fact the amount of sleep I actually needed had plummeted to just an hour every night (not entirely sure where that ability had come from, but I think it had something to do with my regeneration), leaving me restless and with nothing to do with myself. Normally, I ended up just going out and wondering around the Boardwalk or sitting up binge watching Anime or playing games, but tonight I needed something different.

I needed to get out and run, just...do something, stretch my muscles and maybe fire off some attacks into the bay or something. I wasn't supposed to be going out in 'costume' yet, but its not like I planned to do anything. Besides, I was fast enough that, if I did stumble across something going on, I wouldn't be seen knocking the crook for six.

* * *

Two hours and three muggers knocked unconscious later saw me making my way across the rooftops of the Docks in full Breaker mode. I wasn't really patrolling, just letting my feet guide me and enjoying the feel of the wind blowing through my hair. Honestly, I'm not sure what I was doing, just...cruising I guess would be the best word for it. I stopped any crime I spotted, but I was more interested in trying to burn of some energy and frustration. A fight would work better, but I didn't feel like getting scolded by Piggott, so I couldn't really go looking for Lung or anything…

A flash of moonlight on metal was my only warning. I slammed the brakes on and jumped back, barely avoiding the tip of the sword that came out of thin air, arching down to slice my head in half. Despite that, I was still nicked by the blade, scratching a thin line across my mask where my nose should be. I landed on the roof of a warehouse and skidded to a stop, my claws cutting furrows into the surface as I did. I looked up and glared at my attacker, a figure in a white, hooded cloak that hid their form. In their hand, they held a sword in a reverse grip, hiding the blade in her cloak. Something deep inside me warned me that, Hierro or no, that blade could cut me.

I narrowed my eyes at the Cape as I slowly stood, my body tense and ready for a fight. Looks like I'd be getting that fight after all.

"I don't know how you got here, but I won't allow you to harm anyone in this city," said the person in a soft, feminine voice that still managed to hold enough steel that Kieser would be jealous.

I frowned, but before I could ask what in the hell she was talking about, she vanished in a flicker of movement and a dull static sound. My eyes widened and I ducked, evading the swing that would have taken my head off. I spun around, lashing out with my claws as the womans blade flashed again. We jumped apart, leaving a few drops of blood and floating scraps of fabric where we had been locked. I scowled as I felt the cut in my side begin to seal up as the woman reached up and brushed the small trickle of blood from her cheek. My strike had managed to tear her hood slightly, revealing pale skin and the edge of a white mask on her cheek.

"Impressive," said the woman, "You're good for a beast."

I frowned under my mask.

" **Who are you calling a beast?"** I growled, **"Your the one who attacked me out of nowhere."**

The woman looked surprised.

"You can talk?" she muttered, "Interesting…"

I felt my eye twitch. I really hate being underestimated and this woman was managing to push my buttons like nobody's business. Suddenly, the idea of being scolded didn't seem that bad and my instincts were roaring to stop holding back anyway.

I took a step forwards and vanished in a Sonido, my claws flashing as I appeared behind her. The woman looked surprised at my speed, but still managed to turn and avoid my attack. She swung her sword, cutting a deep gash across my chest that immediately started healing as I continued my assault.

"Tch, instant regeneration," muttered the woman.

I didn't bother saying anything, instead I dropped and spun, aiming to take her legs out from under her. She jumped over the attack, putting her in the perfect position to aim a claw strike at her. At the same time, she swung her sword, once again aiming for my mask. I barely managed to avoid having my head split like a melon by grabbing her sword in my free hand as she deflected my strike with her free hand. Then, we both vanished again and reappeared on opposite sides of the roof.

"Hmm, it looks like I underestimate you," she said.

My eye twitched. Oh, thats it! I'm through playing nice, shes going down!

" **UNDERESTIMATE THIS!"** I snarled, lowering my head and charging a Cero between my horns.

I made sure to hold back enough that I wouldn't kill her and blow away half the docks, but it would certainly be enough to hurt her enough to take her out of the fight. The woman didn't move as the red orb grew between my horns, although I did notice she tensed slightly. I fired the attack, sending the massive beam of crimson energy shooting across the roof towards the swordswoman. I expected her to try and dodge, but instead she swung her sword, the blade now glowing with a yellow light, hitting the blast and cutting it cleanly in half, sending both halves flying out into the bay where they exploded, sending massive pillars of water sky high. Even so, the force of the blast served to tear away her cloak, revealing a form that made me freeze in complete and utter shock.

Considering her skills with a sword, she looked young, possibly even younger than I was. Despite that, she was rather...gifted shall we say. She had black hair, cut short and messy except for three braided locks. Her eyes were a light shade of green and rather apathetic, although I noticed that she did look a tad weary. She was wearing a white, midriff baring, white jacket with a high collar that served to hide the lower part of her face and extended all the way down to cover her hands in black gloves, a pair of white trousers and black boots. The sheath for her sword was strapped horizontally across her back and the blade in question was thick and short, although it held the vague shape of a Katana. It was also completely hollow.

" **...what the fuck?"**

Seriously, what else could I say? There were a lot of things I was expecting might be under that cloak, a black haired Harribel was NOT it.

 **Hmm, I feel a bit mean leaving it on a cliffhanger like this seeing as I have no intention of continuing it...eh, I've done worse.**

 **I think its kinda obvious where I'm going with this, right? The idea actually came from another story I had that isn't on OC based one based on a similar concept to The Once and Future Hero by Lewascan2. In that, Taylor gets turned into Artura and lives her life before finding herself back in the Locker upon dying in battle. In my version, she turned into Harribel. Originally, I was going to use Nel, but decided to do this instead. Mainly because I like the idea of Harribel turning Leviathans attacks back on him….actually, you know what, I can't decide which one I like better, so I'll write another version with Nel and see what kind of reaction it gets to.**

 **I hope my explanation as to why his agreed to join the Wards makes sense because otherwise I'm going to get a load of people pointing out that he really doesn't need to and, your right, he really doesn't. Hes powerful enough that he could take care of himself and there are very few people in the Protectorate who could match him. The thing is, he doesn't want to need to find out if he could actually match said heroes and he also doesn't want to give them any reason to toss him in the Birdcage. Besides, as he said, its just for two years, then hes gone.**

 **With that in mind, I'm out of things to say, so lets sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	73. Hollow Hero Chapter 2 Nel Version

Outsider Chronicles: Hollow Hero

I knew that getting reborn into a world like Worm could be dangerous, but I wasn't expecting to get kidnapped by a crazy cult dedicated to the Endbringers to be used as a sacrifice. True, I'm now strong enough that no one will ever be able to permanently hurt me again, but I still could have done without the oversized needle to the heart.

 **And we're back. I didn't actually intend to do more of this, but since it got such a good reception, fuck it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Two week had passed since my 'Trigger' and subsequent rampage and things had mostly been sorted out. Considering what had happened and the fact that the Cult was on the verge of getting a Kill Order anyway due to the massive body count they had reportedly stacked up, I ended up not even being charged for slaughtering most of the Cult. Comstock ended up getting sentenced to the Birdcage shortly after, despite his apparent attempts to set up an insanity plea by screaming about God and the end of the world and how we were all heathens who would burn in Hell. The Judge had been unimpressed and ended up having him gagged.

* * *

I still ended up being drafted into the Wards though. I was a still a Minor and all my family was dead or, in the case of my Grandmother, my last living relative, locked up in an old folks home mumbling about pickles and gumming down sweets. Combine that with my high levels of power and the Protectorate would be fools to not get me under their banner. Unfortunately, that meant I was left at Glenn Chambers mercy...unfortunate for him that is.

Seriously, the man might be good, but how the fuck are you supposed to turn a six foot, horned monster with a skull for a face into anything even remotely PR friendly? It certainly didn't help when I demonstrated my powers and ended up blasting a hole in the wall of the Rig with a Cero and somehow managed to knock Aegis unconscious after he told me to go all out. I did and the Ward leader couldn't even keep up with my base speed without me using Sonido. Needless to say, the big man was currently tearing his hair out in despair.

Speaking of my powers, it didn't take me long to figure out that I had all of the abilities of Vasto Lorde Ichigo, up to and including Getsuga Tenshou, although I could only use them while I was in my 'Hollowfied' state. Well, other than my regeneration. I discovered I still had that in my Human form after I cut myself by accident and it healed within a half hour. I was also in way better shape than I had been, although I think that might have something to do with my regeneration taking my body to the peak of Human ability rather than anything superhuman. Oh, and I could also summon my mask whenever I wanted for a boost in strength, speed, endurance and so on, although I wasn't anywhere near as powerful as when I was fully Hollowfied. To bad I couldn't summon my sword outside of my full Hollow form or I might have chosen that as my primary Hero mode. Sure, my mask was still scary, but it was infinitely less intimidating than my Demonic full Changer state.

* * *

"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked as I followed Miss Militia down the halls of the PRT Headquarters.

"Well, Glenn might still be pulling his hair out over trying to come up with a way of making you a little more PR friendly, but you still need to meet your teammates at some point," said the Patriotic Heroine.

I blinked.

"I've been in and out of here and the Rig for the past two weeks," I said, "Why now?"

"Mostly because of the circumstances surrounding you," said Miss Militia, "Between trying to figure out what your capable of, the trial and deciding how to deal with you, its sort of fallen by the wayside."

"Because its a given that I'm joining," I grumbled.

"Yep."

I scowled. I still wasn't really pleased with having my options taken away like that, but considering my other option was running and becoming a Villain, I'd suck it up and deal with it. Besides, I was 16, so it was only for two years and after that, I was going solo.

"Fair enough I guess," I grumbled, "So, should I suit up or…?"

"No, I wouldn't bother," said Miss Militia, "None of the other Wards will be in costume and, since you'll be a team, you'll know each others identities anyway."

"Fair enough," I said again.

"Oh, cheer up," said Miss Militia, "I know its not ideal, but it really is the best option."

I let out a huff, but didn't respond. I wasn't entirely sure that was true, but I wasn't about to risk the PRT changing their minds and punting me into the Birdcage. Miss Militia just patted me on the back and stopped as we reached the door to the lift that would take us down to the Ward HQ. She lent forwards and let the retinal scanner do its thing. A moment later, the lift opened and we stepped inside.

"So, anything I should know before I meet em?" I asked.

"Well, you met Aegis briefly when we were testing your powers," said Miss Militia.

"And then promptly knocked him unconscious," I said.

Miss Militia coughed awkwardly.

"Yes, that, although he won't hold a grudge for that," she said, "Hes to professional. Other than that, the only thing I can think of is to watch out for Shadow Stalker. She can be a little...confrontational."

I scowled. Yeah, I really wasn't looking forwards to meeting that bitch. I wasn't confident I wouldn't punt her through the wall if she tried anything with me. The main problem was that my powers had actually had an affect on my psyche. Nothing overt, but I was now more in tune with my instincts, a state that only amplified when I fully transformed. That was how I could wield my sword and throw around my attacks like I'd been doing them for years. It sort of made sense since I was basically a Hollow, minus the whole eating Souls thing, and it came in rather handy in keeping me from feeling any guilt over slaughtering the Cultists. They had tried to kill me, so I responded by removing the threat. Permanently. It was also that mindset that made me weary of joining the Protectorate permanently. I wasn't entirely sure I could hold back enough to avoid killing someone if I ever met someone capable of hurting me. All of this together meant that, if Shadow Stalker tried her shtick with me, she'd end up finding out what a real predator looked like when pissed off.

The lift dinged and the doors opened, revealing the Ward HQ. It looked like the living room of a large University flat, a large, round room with a large TV on one wall with a few sofas in a circle, a couple of games consoles and a coffee table covered in wrappers, books and a few scattered games. A number of doors led off the area, although I had no idea what was through them. Sitting on the sofas were the Wards themselves, all in costume for some reason, although none of them were wearing their masks. As we entered, the teen heroes looked up and I found myself under the scrutiny of six superpowered teenagers. It...was actually rather underwhelming. Just by looking at them, I instinctively knew that the only threat to me here was Vista and that was only because she could potentially bend my attacks back at me. I quickly wrenched my mind away from strategizing how best to take down each individual member of the Wards (ranging from decapitation to complete obliteration vire Gran Rey Cero...huh, I didn't know I could do that...neat.) and refocused on the here and now.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce your newest teammate," said Miss Militia, "This is Alexander White."

"Um, hi," I said awkwardly.

How exactly where you supposed to greet a group of people your powers had just finished feeding you the best methods of tearing them into little pieces? I immediately realized my mistake in the 'weak' greeting as Shadow Stalker gave a quite scoff, barely audible.

"Great, another weakling," she muttered, although it was still clearly audible.

Miss Militia scowled and opened her mouth to berate the dark Ward, but before she could I lifted my hand to my face and summoned my mask. Before anyone could do more than blink, I'd vanished and reappeared in front of Shadow Stalker, close enough that her nose was practically touching my mask as I loomed over her. Shadow Stalkers eyes went wide and, frankly, I can't blame her. Even if I didn't have the oppressive Spiritual Pressure Ichigo did while Hollowfied, the mask was still incredibly intimidating, not helped in the slightest by the black and yellow eyes that glared out from the eye slits and I highly doubt the fact I just crossed the room in the blink of an eye helped matters.

" _Want to say that again girly?"_ I hissed.

"ALEXANDER!" shouted Miss Militia.

I glanced over my shoulder at the shocked looking Wards and angry Heroine, before taking a step away from Shadow Stalker and dispelling my mask.

"Sorry about that," I said, directing the apology to the rest of the Wards and Miss Militia, "I don't like being underestimated."

For a moment, there was silence, before Clockblocker spoke up.

"Aww, don't worry about it," he said, "Believe me, there are plenty of worse things you could have done if what Carlos told us about you is anything to go by."

He stood and held out his hand.

"Names Dennis," he said.

I eyed his hand.

"Your going to freeze me, aren't you?"

Dennis tried to look hurt, but a snort of laughter from Vista told me I was 100% correct.

"Looks like hes got you there Dennis," she said.

"But I…"

Vista ignored Dennis' stuttered protests and turned to me with a massive smile.

"Hi, I'm Missy," she said, "That was a cool trick with the mask. Is that your power?"

"Ehh, kind of," I said as I shook her hand, "The mask lets me tap into a small portion of my full power, without transforming."

"Transforming?" asked Kid Win as he came over to introduce himself.

Aegis snorted.

"Oh, you should see it," he said, "he could give Hookwolf a run for his money in sheer intimidation factor."

Shadow Stalker scoffed, apparently getting over her brief moment of fear towards me.

"This guy?" she asked, "What could he possibly do to scare you _oh fearless leader?"_

The rest of the Wards glowered at Shadow Stalker, but Aegis just smirked.

"Lets just say that the mask as nothing on the full thing," he said.

All eyes turned on me.

"What? You want to see it?"

Nods all around, although Shadow Stalker just scoffed. I could still see a glimmer of interest in her eyes though. I glanced around again, before shrugging.

"Alright, but I suggest you take a few steps back."

They did as I asked and I lifted my hand to my face, black and red energy gathering in my hand. It wasn't really necessarily necessary to do it like this, but I felt like showing off. I pulled my hand down, my mask appearing on my face, but the energy didn't dissipate. Instead, it surged out, wrapping around me and momentarily hiding me from view. Then, I took a step forwards. I heard a startled intake of breath as my now clawed foot emerged from the black cloud, followed by my horned head and the rest of my body. As I left the energy cloud, the last of it solidified and transformed into my black blade. I let out a deep, rattling breath that somehow also released a blast of steam from between my masks teeth.

I looked over at the Wards to find that they were all staring at me with wide eyes. I honestly can't blame them considering my showboating, but I couldn't help but shift awkwardly under their stares. While joining the Wards wasn't really what I wanted, that didn't change the fact that I'd be working with them for the next few years and I really didn't like the idea of my comrades being scared of me.

"That...is….AWESOME!" said Dennis suddenly, breaking the tension in an instant.

That seemed to be the cue for the Wards to snap out of it and start asking questions, ranging from my sword to the lengths of my powers. I answered them as best I could and we ended up sharing a laugh over the fact I was causing Glenn a minor coronary as he tried to figure out how to make me PR friendly and failing.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting and socializing with the Wards (well, most of them. Shadow Stalker bugged out as soon as she was able) and by the time I left, I was confident that I'd be able to make friends with most of my future teammates. Not Shadow Stalker though, but considering a good portion of me wanted to vaporize the bitch, thats not that surprising. Eventually, we broke apart and headed out for our nightly duties, whether that be a patrol or heading home, leaving me with little to do. Oh, I headed back to the small apartment the Protectorate had been nice enough to provide after I proved to be capable of taking care of myself, but I quickly got restless. It was something I'd found happening a lot lately, not helped in the least by the fact the amount of sleep I actually needed had plummeted to just an hour every night (not entirely sure where that ability had come from, but I think it had something to do with my regeneration), leaving me restless and with nothing to do with myself. Normally, I ended up just going out and wondering around the Boardwalk or sitting up binge watching Anime or playing games, but tonight I needed something different.

I needed to get out and run, just...do something, stretch my muscles and maybe fire off some attacks into the bay or something. I wasn't supposed to be going out in 'costume' yet, but its not like I planned to do anything. Besides, I was fast enough that, if I did stumble across something going on, I wouldn't be seen knocking the crook for six.

* * *

Two hours and three muggers knocked unconscious later saw me making my way across the rooftops of the Docks in full Breaker mode. I wasn't really patrolling, just letting my feet guide me and enjoying the feel of the wind blowing through my hair. Honestly, I'm not sure what I was doing, just...cruising I guess would be the best word for it. I stopped any crime I spotted, but I was more interested in trying to burn of some energy and frustration. A fight would work better, but I didn't feel like getting scolded by Piggott, so I couldn't really go looking for Lung or anything…

A flash of moonlight on metal was my only warning. I slammed the brakes on and jumped back, barely avoiding the tip of the sword that came out of thin air, arching down to slice my head in half. Despite that, I was still nicked by the blade, scratching a thin line across my mask where my nose should be. I landed on the roof of a warehouse and skidded to a stop, my claws cutting furrows into the surface as I did. I looked up and glared at my attacker, a figure in a white, hooded cloak that hid their form. In their hand, they held a sword in a reverse grip, hiding the blade in her. Something deep inside me warned me that, Hierro or no, that blade could cut me.

I narrowed my eyes at the Cape as I slowly stood, my body tense and ready for a fight. Looks like I'd be getting that fight after all.

"I don't know how you got here, but I won't allow you to harm anyone in this city," said the person in a soft, feminine voice that still managed to hold enough steel that Kieser would be jealous.

I frowned, but before I could ask what in the hell she was talking about, she vanished in a flicker of movement and a dull static sound. My eyes widened and I ducked, evading the swing that would have taken my head off. I spun around, lashing out with my claws as the womans blade flashed again. We jumped apart, leaving a few drops of blood and floating scraps of fabric where we had been locked. I scowled as I felt the cut in my side begin to seal up as the woman reached up and brushed the small trickle of blood from her cheek. My strike had managed to tear her hood slightly, revealing pale skin and the edge of a red marking on her cheek.

"Impressive," said the woman, "You're good for a beast."

I frowned under my mask.

" **Who are you calling a beast?"** I growled, **"Your the one who attacked me out of nowhere."**

The woman looked surprised.

"You can talk?" she muttered, "Interesting…"

I felt my eye twitch. I really hate being underestimated and this woman was managing to push my buttons like nobody's business. Suddenly, the idea of being scolded didn't seem that bad and my instincts were roaring to stop holding back anyway.

I took a step forwards and vanished in a Sonido, my claws flashing as I appeared behind her. The woman looked surprised at my speed, but still managed to turn and avoid my attack. She swung her sword, cutting a deep gash across my chest that immediately started healing as I continued my assault.

"Tch, instant regeneration," muttered the woman.

I didn't bother saying anything, instead I dropped and spun, aiming to take her legs out from under her. She jumped over the attack, putting her in the perfect position to aim a claw strike at her. At the same time, she swung her sword, once again aiming for my mask. I barely managed to avoid having my head split like a melon by grabbing her sword in my free hand as she deflected my strike with her free hand. Then, we both vanished again and reappeared on opposite sides of the roof.

"Hmm, it looks like I underestimate you," she said.

My eye twitched. Oh, thats it! I'm through playing nice, shes going down!

" **UNDERESTIMATE THIS!"** I snarled, lowering my head and charging a Cero between my horns.

I made sure to hold back enough that I wouldn't kill her and blow away half the docks, but it would certainly be enough to hurt her enough to take her out of the fight. The woman didn't move as the red orb grew between my horns, although I did notice she tensed slightly. I fired the attack, sending the massive beam of crimson energy shooting across the roof towards the swordswoman. I expected her to try and dodge, but instead she simply held up her hand...and stopped the Cero cold. My eyes went wide behind my mask, even more so when she opened her mouth and started...eating the Cero. Awww shit, this was gonna hurt…

Within seconds, the Cero had vanished completely down her throat and, for a moment, the air was still. Then, she opened her mouth and screamed, sending a pink blast straight back at me. I quickly summoned my sword and gathered red and black energy around it. I wasn't about to try and use another Cero to disperse that one.

I swung the energy covered sword, just in time to meet the Cero Doble, causing it to falter. I gritted my teeth. The force behind the attack was massive, forcing me back asmy claws dug into the roof. I growled and gritted my teeth harder, forcing more power into my blade. With a roar, I forced the blade through, slicing through the pink Cero and sending the two halves rocketing to either side of me, one shooting off into the night and the other rocketing out into the bay where it hit the water with a massive explosion. The force of the attack also served to blow away the tattered remains of the womans cloak, revealing her for the first time.

Despite her clear skill with a sword, she didn't look any older than me, although she was rather...gifted shall we say. She had long, wavy hair that was an unnatural shade of turquoise and light brown eyes. She wasn't wearing a mask, although with hair that colour, it kinda made it pointless to do so, although she did have what looked like a goat skull with sharp teeth on top of her head and a red line painted across her nose and cheeks. Her outfit looked rather slapdash, like she put it together herself, consisting of a pair of old jeans torn off to make a pair of short shorts and a shirt that looked a few sizes to small. She wasn't carrying a sheath, suggesting that maybe she had not intended to come out. Or she could do what I do and summoned her sword. Frankly, that was probably more likely.

I blinked a couple of times.

" **Errr, OK…"** I said, **"Why do you look like Nel?"**

That was a bit of a stupid thing to say considering Bleach didn't exist in this reality, but I was currently too confused to care. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK!? I know my Breaker State was basically Zangetsu, but where in the hell did a Nel look alike with all her abilities intact come from?! Was she a Parahuman? Or was I in one of those stories where someone lived an entirely different life upon Triggering? Or, on the really crazy end of the spectrum, was this a Crossover? I somehow doubted that as I had never seen anything indicating that was the case.

Not-Nel didn't respond, instead she was staring at the blade in my hand with a look I REALLY didn't like. Then, she shifted her gaze to my mask, scanning my features as if looking for something. Then, she did something completely unexpected. She gave a blinding smile, dropped her sword and threw herself at me.

"ISTYGO!"

 **And heres the Nel version. Yeah, kinda different, right? This version would probably lean more towards comedy thanks to Nelyor's antics, even without those two morons who follow her around.**

 **Actually, my original plan for this involved them getting into a really heavy fight that included Lung trying to butt in and getting smacked across town by two annoyed Hollows and ending with Nelyor releasing her Zanpakuto before she forced Alex to pull out his own sword.**

 **I will not stop referring to her as Nelyor in this or any future ANs.**

 **Anyway, thats me done again, so don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	74. 53 Gamer Chapter 1

53 Gamer

Waking up in a dirty alley with no memory of the night before is NOT what I consider a good time. Of course, the floating text boxes and the fact the rest of my memories were a jumbled mess don't really help matters. Oh, and I'm apparently in Brockton Bay? Thats it, I'm never drinking again!

 **This technically isnt an Outsider story, rather, its an OC insert of a sort. He still knows about Worm though, mostly because of interdimensional fuckery. Oh, and hes a Gamer. I don't foresee myself continuing this, mainly because I don't feel like dealing with all the numbers. Still, I can't resist at least doing this, so lets get started!**

Chapter 1

The first thing I became aware of as consciousness returned to me was the pounding in my temples, closely followed by the realization I was laying in a muddy puddle.

"Urrg, what the fuck did I drink last night?" I groaned as I slowly pushed myself up.

It took a few trys, but eventually I was able to force my eyes open. I found myself sitting in an alleyway between two buildings, with my only company being an overflowing dumpster. Lovely.

"Where am I?" I muttered.

I pushed through the pain and tried to remember what the hell happened last night...only to suddenly realize that I was missing massive gaps of my memories. I could remember bits and pieces, like where I had grown up and that I was a literature student, but I couldn't remember things like my own Parents names. Hell, I couldn't even remember which University I attended! Just about the only thing I remembered with any clarity was reading a web serial named Worm. How scary is it that I could remember that but I couldn't remember what my name was or even what I looked like?

"Whats going on?" I groaned, "Why can't I remember anything? Urrg, I need...I need to…"

I wasn't sure what I needed, but I struggled to my feet none the less.

PING!

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a loud noise echoed through my head, but before I could panic, I froze and my jaw dropped as a translucent, blue window appeared in front of me.

 **WELCOME NOOB!**

Was the window's cheery title. I pinched myself. It hurt. Not a dream then. With that horrible thought, I decided that I should read the message. Even if it was the product of a bad trip from some crazy drug someone slipped me, it might give me some clues as to what was going on.

 **Hello new player and welcome to this horrific game we call Life! In your case, that saying is a tad more literal than most. Yep, thats right, your a Gamer and this is your tutorial! Lets start from the top, shall we?**

A pair of bars appeared in the top corner of my vision.

 **This is your health and Mana bars. Keep an eye on these as, if they run out, you will be in serious trouble. Run out of mana and you won't be able to use any power, leaving you extremely vulnerable. Run out of health and its game over.**

The window closed, right before another one appeared. This one was clearly a status menu judging from the list of numbers and, well, stats in one corner. Next to the stats list was a 3D model of me that moved as I did. I took a moment to study it, trying to see any familiar features that might knock some memories lose. I...actually looked pretty normal. A normal, if a little skinny, young man clad in damp and muddy T-shirt, jeans and tattered looking shoes. My hair was dark brown, as were my eyes...wait.

I lent forwards and took a closer look at my portrait. There was something a little unusual about my appearance, although it wasn't something anyone would notice right off the bat. Instead of a normal pupil, my eyes had a power symbol in the middle. Well, that was interesting.

PING!

Another text box popping up distracted me.

 **Stats, Powers and You!**

 **This is your Character page. It is where you can view all of the stats, modifiers that are affecting you and so on. You can call it up any time by calling out 'Stats'. Do try not to do it to loudly in public or people might think your a tad crazy.**

 **Since you are the Gamer, you naturally have Stats that affect everything from how strong you are to whether or not you can charm the ladies out of their underwear.**

My eye twitched at the last one.

 **Take a look over here.**

The stats section of my Character page.

 **These are your current Stats. Any modifiers provided by Buffs, Debuffs or Items will be shown in brackets next to the base amount. Your stats also affect any powers you may gain in the future, with each stat (except Luck) affecting two Classifications. They are as follows:**

 **Strength: How strong you are. Affects how much you can carry, how good you are at physical feats and how much damage you do in Melee. Linked to Brute and Striker class powers.**

I frowned at the last point. Why did that tickle at my memories? Something about those power classes seemed familiar… I shrugged and went back to reading. I'm sure it'd come back to me.

 **Dexterity: How quick and agile you are. Affects things like climbing, running, jumping and so on. Linked to Mover and Blaster powers.**

 **Constitution: How tough you are. Affects how much health you have, the amount of damage you can take, how well you can resist negative effects. Linked to Breaker and Changer powers.**

 **Finesse: How nimble you are. This applies more to tasks rather than travel, things like pickpocketing, lockpicking, needle threading and so on. Linked to Stranger and Tinker powers.**

 **Intelligence: How intelligent you are. Affects how well you can take in and retain information, make connections and spot things that others might miss. Linked to Thinker and Shaker powers.**

 **Charisma: How charming you are. This stat allows you to talk people into things, get better deals in shops and makes people pay attention to and respect you. Linked to Master and Trump powers.**

 **Luck: How lucky you are. This does not directly affect any power type, but has a slight effect on all of them. It also affects what sort of items you find in the world, the likelihood of certain events happening and the chances of getting away from a fight, should you decide to run.**

 **Of course, many powers will be affected by more than one stat, such as an intelligent Tinker will make better and more affective technology, but they get the most boost from the stat they are tied to.**

I finished reading the text and, after a bit of experimenting, scrolled back up to the stats list. Those power classifications really did look familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. After a moment, I decided to shelve that thought and instead, scanned my Stats.

* * *

Name: Michael Black

Title: The Gamer

Level: 1 (0/100)

Stats:

Health: 50 MP: 10

Strength: 2

Dexterity: 3

Constitution: 4

Finesse: 5

Intelligence: 6

Charisma: 2

Luck: 0

* * *

Well, that certainly wasn't the best set of numbers I'd ever seen. Now if only I had something to compare them to. I suspect that those were the stats of an average, lazy university student though, although I didn't think I was that unlucky...A quick glance at my grimy surroundings made me mentally retract that statement.

However, I didn't have long to think on it as the tutoral got tired of waiting for me and decided to move on. It closed down my Character sheet and instead brought up a new window, this one titled 'Perks and Titles'.

 **The Perks of a Name!**

 **As you progress through the world and level up, you will gain Perks and Titles. Titles are mostly for show, but can be used to gain standing with certain factions. Perks on the other hand are extremely useful, permanent buffs that can drastically change how you play. You gain Perks from leveling up, finding hidden secrets, reading certain Skill books, performing feats, leveling up stats and improving relationships with people. Note, not everyone has a Perk Tree tied to them, but most important people you run into will. The better you get to know someone and the closer you get, the more powerful Perks you will gain. You will also gain Perks for every 25 levels gained in each Stat.**

I closed the text box and quickly scanned the Perk List. It was looking pretty anemic, with only two present.

* * *

 **Gamer Body:** Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. You can no longer be injured, only lose HP, although you will feel pain. Sleeping in a bed restores HP and MP. REMEMBER, THIS ONLY APPLIES TO YOU!

 **Gamer Mind:** Grants perfect clarity of thought, regardless of the situation. Immunity to psychological status affects.

* * *

I pulled a face. Hopefully, that list would fill up quickly or I might be in trouble. The window closed again and was replaced by a new textbox and another window that was clearly set out like an inventory. A number of tabs went across the top, labeled as Weapons, Armour and Crafting.

 **Stuff, Stuff and more Stuff!**

 **Now its time to get onto your Inventory! You have no limit of how much you can fit inside, but you cannot store living things in it. Items are held in stacks of 100 as needed. The tabs across the top indicate where equipment is stored and where you can Craft if needed. You currently don't have any recipes, which can be gained from cookbooks, manuals, tutorials, attending lessons or even just talking to people. You can also experiment, but that may be a waste of resources you may need later.**

Well, that was handy. Nice to know that I wouldn't have to worry about becoming over encumbered. I closed the windows and turned to the entrance of the alley.

"Well, I can't stay here forever," I muttered, "Lets go see if I can find out where in the hell I am."

I took a step towards the entrance of the alley.

PING!

"Oh, what now?"

 **Exploring the World!**

 **This world you find yourself in is a vast, vared place with lots to explore and do. To help you navigate it, you have several important tools. The first is the Minimap...**

A circle appeared in the top corner of my vision opposite my health and mana bars.

 **The Minimap will show a small area around you, including any points of interest, quests, shops, allies and, if you know their there, enemies. Secrets and enemy bases can also be seen, but to access them you will need to find a high point and Synchronize. Don't jump off though as hay bails in the middle of the city aren't exactly common.**

The text box closed and a new window popped up, this one with a mostly grayed out map on it.

 **This is your Map, your best friend when it comes to getting around. From here, you can mark place to visit, see where things are and so on. As you can see, most of it is grayed out at the moment, but that will soon change. The map can be revealed by either exploring or obtaining and studying street maps. You will gain EXP as you reveal more of the Map. (NOTE, only Street Maps work with this, not Atlas', Globes or Google Earth)**

I scowled at the last bit. If that wasn't the case, I could gain a ton of EXP really quickly! Oh well, I'd manage I guess. The Map closed and a Compass popped up between the Minimap and my Health and Mana bars.

 **Finally, the Compass provides directional cues for nearby points of interest and enemies. The small arrow beside the icon indicates if it is above or below your current position. The numbers indicate how far away a certain point is. A good rule of thumb is to use your Map for distance, Compass for nearby points and the Minimap for somewhere in between.**

The text box vanished and another one popped up.

 **Let the Adventure Begin!**

 **Thats not everything of course, but it is the basics. More Tutorials will appear as needed and you can view any past help boxes by thinking about them and saying Help. Have fun and good luck. Your gonna need it.**

And with that ominous final point, the text box vanished, leaving me stood in an alleyway with a sinking feeling in my gut. I quickly shook it off though. I wouldn't get anything done just standing there. With that in mind, I left the alley and picked a random direction to start walking, trying to find anything that I recognized and ignoring the 'Discovered Downtown, 25 EXP' as I did. I didn't. I was attracting some odd looks thanks to my damp and dirty clothes and hair, but I ignored them. I did notice I was being given a wide berth for some reason.

* * *

After about an hour of walking, I found myself on a seafront (Discovered Boardwalk, 25 EXP) overlooking a large bay with an odd looking structure out in the middle and a strange lack of boats, considering the fact it was a beautiful day. In my experience, a day like today with a pleasant breeze, a clear sky and calm waters, the bay should be heaving with boats of all kinds. Then again, I have no idea what day it was, so everyone could be at work.

After taking a moment to enjoy the view and the smell of sea air (something that I had dearly missed during my time at Uni), I turned and started wondering down the road, looking for anything that might be helpful. A Library or bookshop would be nice so I could get my hands on some maps and crank out the EXP. Plus, I could do some reading and crank up my Int. Then again, maybe I should look into increasing my Strength. It was a little low at the moment and I had a feeling that I'd need it very soon…

"DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME YOU BITCH!"

A sudden shout made me jump, jerking me out of my planning. I, along with the few other people on the Boardwalk, turned to see a young, blond woman with feathers in her hair and tear tracks on her face come barging out of a door that looked like it led to an apartment above a record shop, followed by the owner of the voice, a big man who was visibly older than the girl and red in the face from anger. The man grabbed the woman by the shoulder, making her visibly flinch.

"I made you what you are!" yelled the man, oblivious to the audience he was attracting, "I want my shair!"

The girl scowled through her tears and smacked his hand away.

"YOU made me?!" she snarled, "You told me I'd never make it, that I should quit and go back to that dead end job in a fucking diner! Then you went and fucked that big titted cow behind my back!"

This was rapidly getting out of hand and it didn't look like anyone was going to try and step in. Not that I blame them, the guy was built like a brick shithouse. However, something about this argument was setting me on edge and I REALLY didn't want to see what would happen if it went too far. Besides, since I was the Gamer, I wouldn't be hurt for long. Or at all really.

PING!

With that thought, a new text box popped up in front of me.

QUEST! Pulling out the Canary

Break up the argument before someone gets hurt.

REWARD! 150 EXP and a new friend.

FAILURE! Someone gets in serious trouble.

Well, that was a tad ominous. With that in mind, I clicked Accept, took a deep breath, squared my shoulders (not that it really helped anything considering how thin I was) and walked towards the arguing couple (or ex-couple if the comment about cheating was anything to go by). I cleared my throat loudly and resisted the urge to jump as they both turned to me and name plates appeared above their heads.

 **Kevin Walters LV 2**

 **Douchebag**

Well, that was kinda expected, although I have to wonder if my thoughts on the man had anything to do with the title he'd been given. However, that thought quickly vanished when I saw the girl's nameplate.

 **Paige Mcabee LV 7**

 **Bad Canary**

Oh shit. I think I just figured out why the power classifications were so damn familiar! It also explains why there weren't any boats in the bay and...crap. I resisted the urge to groan as I put two and two together and came up with WHY I woke up in an alleyway with no memories. Fucking Cauldron!

INT +1!

 **Well, that was fun. And by fun, I mean fucking annoying. I had to keep going back to add stuff as I remembered it was needed. Yeah, I'm not doing more than two chapters for this for the Vault. Well, unless someone feels like helping me with it.**

 **I originally intended to have a single power class for each Stat, but then I remembered that there were 12 and FUCK THAT NOISE! It'll be hard enough to keep track of just seven stats!**

 **Just to be clear, Michael IS actually a Parahuman with a Corona Pollentia and everything. His powers would probably be classed as a Thinker/Shaker power and are pretty much limited to him, although he does have a very minor Master affect aura that allows him to get better prices if he levels up his Charisma.**

 **Speaking of, leveling up his Stats and gaining the Perks associated will quickly make his Classification levels skyrocket. His current numbers are that of an average Human, but if he gets his Strength to 100, he'll be strong enough to casually punt Leviathan across the Bay. This is the sort of game where small changes in numbers can make a VERY big difference.**

 **As the Tutorial Fairy mentioned, he can also gain Perks from making friends with people, which can manifest as new powers tied to the powers of said Cape or, in the case of normal Human, something tied to the person themselves. For example, gaining PanPan's Interest (Getting Panacea interested in him thanks to Gamer Body catching her attention) will increase his health regen and boost the effectiveness of healing items. Maxing it out could allow him to actually use Panacea's power in its entirety, although something like that would take a LONG time and likely involve a massive number of side quests.**

 **I chose the name of Carney's dickhead ex at complete random since I don't think its ever stated what his name was. As for the levels, well, Kevin's a normal guy and Paige has never really done that much with her powers, so that registers as a low level.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	75. Brocktons Phantom Thieves Prologue

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **So, I had this idea at work. Originally, I planned for the MC to just Trigger with a Persona, but then I had an even better idea. What is it? Well, I can guarantee that I won't be following the standard Cliches here! For one thing, Taylor's role will be relatively small. With that in mind, enjoy!**

Prologue

Sometimes, its hard to believe that something's going on, even if you know for a fact your not dreaming. I'd felt like that before, namly when I woke up after dying to find myself as a baby again. Yeah, kinda hard to believe, right? Even more so when you consider that I've been reborn into a world crawling with traumatized people with superpowers, had a glowing, golden man flying around helping people and regularly suffered attacks from giant, unkillable monsters.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be born in a place with few Capes and no juicy targets for any of the roving bands of loonies to attack. Unfortunately, my Parents apparently kept a lot from me, including the fact that their marriage was on the rocks, right up until there was a massive blow up that ended with Mum storming out and divorce papers making appearances. That leads me to now, sitting on a bus on my way to my Aunt and Uncle's house to stay with them while everything got sorted out. Seeing as this is a Worm story, guess where they live? I groaned as the bus drove past the irritatingly cheery 'WELCOME TO BROCKTON BAY!' sign that was surprisingly unmarred by Graffiti.

* * *

It took another half an hour to reach the bus station where I grabbed my bag and got of the bus. I glanced around and quickly spotted my Uncle, a tall, slightly stooped man with slicked back hair and a chinstrap beard and goatee. I waved and made my way over to him.

"Hey Uncle Ron," I said as I approached.

"Hey kiddo," said Ron, ruffling my already frizzy hair and making me scowl, "You've certainly grown since I last saw you."

"I'd hope so since I was about six," I muttered.

Ron winced.

"Yeah, sorry kid," he said as he led the way to his car, "I know it can't be easy, knowing your gonna be living with what are essentially strangers for a year. And this stuff with your Parents certainly won't help."

I sighed.  
"I'll manage," I said.

"Good lad."

* * *

The drive to Uncle's house was made in silence. He, along with his wife and Son, lived on the edge of the good and bad parts of town. He ran a small, out of the way cafe called LaBlanc that was famous for excellent coffee and even better curry of all things. The Cafe itself was only a small part of the building and the rest of it was actually the family's home. Uncle Ron pulled the car up in the driveway and got out, grabbing my bags from the boot and leading the way inside.

"Sharron, Greg, we're home!" he called as I entered after him.

At his shout, Aunt Sharron, a large, motherly woman came bustling out of the kitchen with flour on her hands. The moment she saw me, she hurried over and pulled me into a hug. I blinked, not expecting that in the slightest.

"Oh, you poor dear!" she said, "I can't imagine what you must be going through right now!"

"Err…"

She released me and turned to glare up the stairs.

"GREG!"

"Coming Mom!"

A moment later, my Cousin appeared at the top of the stairs and came stumping down. He was shorter than me, with short, blonde hair spiked up with a heavy amount of gell and brown eyes. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a comic style star symbol and the word 'ZOMG!' on the front, a pair of jogging bottoms with the bottoms rolled up and no shoes or socks. At the sight of me, he paused and raised an eyebrow.

"Greg, do you remember Cousin Andrew?" said Sharron, "You met him at Grandma's 80th."

"Ehh, not really," said Greg.

"Well, we were only six," I said, "Nice to...meet you I guess would be the best thing to say."

"I hope you two can get along," said Uncle Ron, "Andrew's going to be here for a while."

"How long?" asked Greg.

"About a year most likely," said Ron.

"Things back home are a little...volatile at the moment," I said.

An awkward silence fell over the hall.

"Well, lets show you where you'll be sleeping," said Ron, grabbing one of my bags.

I grabbed the other and followed him upstairs and into a room that was situated above the cafe. I'm pretty sure it had been a storeroom until recently, but it was clean and had a comfortable looking bed, a side table and a desk and chair set up.

"I know its not much, but it was the best we could do at such short notice," said Ron.

"Its fine," I said, sitting down on the bed, "Thanks."

Ron hesitated for a moment, before nodding and leaving me alone. I sighed and lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling without really seeing it. Well, here I was. Now, just what did the ROB who stuck me here have in mind for me? I didn't have much time to think on it however as the fatigue of traveling such a long way crept up on me and my eyes fluttered shut. The last thing I saw was a blue butterfly landing on the window outside.

* * *

"Ahhh, a new guest."

My eyes snapped open at the unexpected voice, but before I could shoot to my feet, my mind registered what was sat across the table from me and I froze in complete disbelief. I found myself sitting in a comfortable armchair, bound in blue velvet, before a fireplace made of black marble with pale blue flames flickering in the grate. A look around the room revealed that I was in what appeared to be a large drawing room of some kind. It was painted dark blue, with a blue and black patterned carpet. The windows were covered in blue velvet curtains. Sat in an armchair across a small coffee table from me was a little old man with bulging eyes and a very long nose, while a woman stood at his shoulder.

The woman was tall, pale skinned and rather pretty, with shoulder length, blonde hair and yellow eyes. She was wearing a tailored, dark blue suit with a white undershirt and a matching fedora and was carrying a large book under one arm.

"Welcome, to the Velvet room," said Igor, "I'm sure I don't need to introduce myself, but I shall anyway. I am Igor and this is my assistant, Fortuna."

"It is a pleasure to meet you at last Master," said Fortuna with a bow, "I admit, I was beginning to worry that we would have to resort to my Waking selfs Path to Victory after all."

"Errr," was my only response.

Seriously, what else could I say.

"Don't worry, you are simply here in a dream," said Fortuna, "Your body is still in your bed, safe and sound."

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance," said Igor, "This place exists between Dreams and Reality, Mind and Matter. It is a room only those bound by a Contract may enter."

"Um, I don't remember making a contract," I said.

"Perhaps not, but the fact remains that a Contract has been made," said Igor.

I sighed. Guess I'm not getting out of this. I lent forwards in my chair.

"Alright, so whats this about?" I asked.

"The world outside is rotten," said Igor, "So many lives have been lost, so much suffering wrought by the monsters that now threaten the Earth."

"Wait, you mean you want me to fight the Entities?!" I spluttered.

"Of course not, that would be suicide," said Fortuna, "No, we wish for you to get stronger than anyone else and then crush their Champion."

"Oh, so fighting Scion will be so much easier," I grumbled, "Isn't he immune to powers?"

"Powers sourced from the Entities, maybe, but the power of a Persona comes from your Heart," said Igor.

"We will not force you of course," said Fortuna, "But your refusal will force the hands of those with far more dangerous plans. Plans that will lead to far more suffering than is necessary."

I flinched. Good god, these two were good at guilt tripping.

"Worry not, we do not expect you to fight this battle alone," said Igor, "You will have comrades to aid you in battle. However, for now, you should return to sleep. We will see each other again, in time."

I opened my mouth to protest the abrupt dismissal, but before I could, the world blurred and went black.

 **Right, so this is a tad short, but its the prologue, what do you expect? Future chapters will probably be longer.**

 **I'm not entirely sure what the relationship between Fortuna and Contessa is at the moment, but they are linked. And isn't that a scary thought? Still, at least she can see what the best options for Fusions will be in the future!**

 **Yes, Andrew's cousin is Greg Veder, although he is a little different than in Canon. You might be able to guess what his role will be. I wonder if you can guess who I plan to use as Panther? Or hell, even the rest of the team? Morgana's not changing though.**

 **Oh yeah, I probably should have mentioned that most of this will be based on P5, although Igor is Igor and not an evil cup in disguise.**

 **Timeline wise, it starts at about the same time as Worm, so Taylors already got her powers and is planning to go out VERY soon.**

 **Personas and Parahuman abilities are completely different and aren't linked in anyway. That said, you can't use a Persona in the Real World (obvs) and Parahumans can't use their powers in the Cognitive World. Of course, Shadow's generally possess an approximation of their powers. That comment might serve as a clue to some of the future targets for the Thieves.**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna sign off now. Next chapter will be the start of the Hunter arc. Until then, don't forget to leave a review!**


	76. Brocktons Phantom Thieves Hunter 1:01

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **And here we go with the first chapter of Hunter! Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Hunter 1.01

It had been two days since my entrance into the Velvet Room and I had mostly put it out of my mind for now, although the stupid App that kept popping up on my phone wasn't really helping matters. The day after my arrival, Uncle Ron had taken me to get enrolled at school (Winslow, of course) and now I found myself outside in the rain as I waited for Greg to grab something he'd forgotten so he could show me the way to school. Thankfully, the cafe had an awning out front, so I wasn't getting soaked. Instead, I was glaring down at my phone, wishing with all my heart that the stupid app would just disappear. Unfortunately, it probably responded to my deeper subconscious and I just knew that theres no way that would turn down the chance to have a Persona, even if that did mean fighting something like Scion. Stupid nerd nature!

I was distracted from trying to melt my phone with my eyes when a girl ran under the cover out of the rain. She was tall and visibly curvy under her white hoodie and red tights. Now out of the rain, she pushed her hood down to reveal a pretty face, a head of red hair and dark gray eyes. Huh...something about all that seemed familiar…

The girl seemed to sense my gaze and looked up. Our eyes met and she smiled slightly, before turning her attention back outside.

"Hey!"

We both turned at the call to see a dark skinned girl across the road with a umbrella. I couldn't see many details from this distance, but she waved and the girl next to me waved back. I glanced at her and frowned slightly. Her wave was enthusiastic enough, but the look on her face was one of barely hidden resignation. Hmm, interesting…

The redhead flipped her hood up and quickly crossed the street to join her friend and they both headed in the direction I'm pretty sure Winslow was in. I frowned deeper. Something about all this was rubbing me the wrong way…

I didn't get much chance to think about it though as Greg chose that moment to join me and we headed off. As we walked, I asked about anything I needed to know about the school and its inevitable cliques. Greg snorted.

"Andrew, the only thing you need to know is to not piss of Sophia Hess and her 'friends'," he said, "Seriously man, the girls brutal. Anyone she deems as weak ends up having their social life flushed down the toilet."

"So, shes the queen bee?" I asked.

"More like Alpha Lioness," said Greg, "Shes a bitch of the highest order and I'm pretty sure she considers herself to be the predator and everyone else either pray or packmates. The school is just her hunting ground as it were."

I absently noticed my phone ping, but ignored it for now.

"Anything else?" I asked.

Greg winced.

"Yeah, but you might not like it," he said, "Hess' faverote target is a girl called Taylor. Shes...nice enough, if a little shy, but those bitches are relentless. A couple months ago, they shoved her in her locker after filling it with all sorts of nasty shit."

I winced. Damn, I was kinda hoping I could prevent that. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk.

"Why doesn't someone do something?" I asked.

Greg snorted.

"Are you joking?" he growled, "The most popular girl in school and the star of the Track Team vs the unattractive loner no one likes? Who do you think wins?"

I scowled. Fucking brats.

"Anyway, just keep your head down and you'll be fine," said Greg, "We'll be...there...soo...what the hell?!"

We'd just rounded the corner to find what looked like a large, wooden palisade made of sharpened tree trunks driven into the ground instead of a school. I stared at the unexpected sight for a moment, before my eyes darted up. Sure enough, the sky was a swirling mass of red and black. Well shit, looks like my adventures already underway.

"What the fuck is going on?" asked Greg, staring up at the wooden wall in disbelief, "The school should be right here!"

He looked around.

"Is this some Cape shit?" he muttered, "God I hope not."

"Um, not to interrupt your breakdown, but what should we do?" I asked.

Greg took a deep breath and shook himself. Hard.

"I guess...we go in and see whats going on," he said.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," I muttered, but followed him in anyway.

Inside the compound was another large wall, creating a double stacked layer of defence and an area that would likely serve as my point of entry and exit once my heist got underway. I ignored that for now however as I followed Greg into the next part of the compound. This time, we found ourselves in what looked like a village square, surrounded by more walls that I'm pretty sure were set up in such a way to roughly mimic the layout of the school. There was also an uncomfortably large number of skulls stuck on wooden spikes or stuck to the walls by crossbow bolts. I blinked and, just as my eyes closed, I caught a glimpse of the schools entrance hall in reality.

"This is so weird," said Greg, "It said Winslow on the gate, right?"

"Looked like it," I said.

"This is so fucking weird," said Greg again.

"You've said that," I said as I tilted my head on one side, "I think I can hear someone coming…"

I was proven right a moment later as a gate suddenly slammed open and a person clad in hides with a wooden mask over his face came charging in. At the sight of us, the Shadow froze for a moment, before he let out an ear piercing howl. The sound stabbed at my eardrums, forcing me to clap my hands over my ears as, next to me, Greg did the same. A moment later, the sound petered out, before multiple other howls answered and a number of other Shadows came bounding through the gates to surround us, aiming the spears and bows they carried at us.

"WHOA, what the hell!?" yelled Greg as one of the spears jabbed him in the side, "Be careful with that thing!"

He missed the Shadow that jumped him from behind and smacked him over the head with a club. A moment later, my vision turned white as a Shadow hit me as well.

* * *

 **Its nearly time.**

* * *

I'm not sure how long I was out, but I eventually came to with a pounding head and the feeling of dried blood matting my hair. Lovely. I sat up and looked around. I was locked inside a solid wooden cage, surrounded by thick, wooden walls and a dirt floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Greg when he noticed I was awake.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Any idea whats going on?"

"Not a one," said Greg, "But I can tell you one thing, something seriously messed ups going on here!"

"Really, I couldn't tell," I deadpanned.

Greg ignored me and started shaking the door, creating a loud rattling sound.

"HEY, I KNOW SOMEONES THERE!" he yelled, "LET US OUT!"

No one answered, not that I was expecting them to.

"Arrr, fuck!" snarled Greg, "Where are we?!"

"ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

We both jumped at the sudden scream.

"What the fuck was that?!" gasped Greg as we ran to the bars.

We listened in silent horror as the scream turned to sobbing and agonized begging, before it was abruptly cut off by a loud splat.

"Oh god oh god oh god!" whimpered Greg, "We've got to get out of here!"

He looked desperately around the cage, but there wasn't even a bed.

"Someones coming," I hissed as my ears picked up the sound of muffled chanting approaching.

Greg stopped his frantic search and we turned to the bars as a group of Shadows arrived.

" **New Pray, new Pray!"** they hissed, **"Fun to kill, good to eat!"**

"WHAT?!" spluttered Greg.

" **The only thing Pray is good for is eating,"** said a distorted, but still feminine voice.

The crowd of Shadows parted, allowing the Palaces owner to walk forwards. She was clad in black leathers and a hooded cloak that was pattened in such a way that she'd be able to move unseen through the foliage. Strapped to her back was a large crossbow and a quiver of bolts. Her hair was black and pulled into countless thin braids, each bound with a piece of bone or a tooth that stood out white against her chocolate skin, as did her yellow eyes.

"Wait a sec," muttered Greg, "Is that you Sophia?"

My eyebrows shot up and I ruthlessly stomped on the urge to grin like a madman. Fuck caution, I am SO stealing this bitches Treasure! It'll be sooooo satisfying to stomp all over her Shadow and then march out of this twisted hunting ground with her Treasure, even more so than with Kamoshida!

Shadow Sophia's lip curled into a sneer as she eyed us, looking us up and down as if judging prize meat at a butcher.

" **Tch, I thought I finally had some decent pray, but its just a couple of mice,"** she sneered, **"What, did you think bringing a friend would help you win Veger?"**

She scoffed.

" **Please, your nothing and always will be, no matter how many rodents you gather to you."**

"Hey, now thats going to far!" snapped Greg, stepping towards the Shadow before I could stop him.

The Shadows eyes narrowed, before her hand snapped up, backhanding Greg across the cell to hit the wall with a thump.

" **Learn your place rodent,"** she hissed as she pulled her crossbow off her back and aiming at Greg's head

I moved before properly thinking about it, grabbing my cousin by the collar and yanking him out of the way, just barely managing before the bolt slammed into the wall. Shadow Sophia tilted her head to stare at me.

" **So, you do have some fight in you,"** she said, **"Maybe you'll be worth something after all…"**

She twitched her fingers and, before I could react, the Shadows around her surged forwards and grabbed me by the arms and legs.

" **Take that one to the Hunting Grounds,"** she said, **"As for the other, kill him."**

The Shadows started jabbering in excitement as they closed in on Greg, who was pretty much completely frozen in terror.

"NO!" I shouted, struggling against the grip of the Shadows holding me.

" **Oh don't worry Pray,"** said Shadow Sophia, **"You'll be joining him soon enough."**

I could only watch in horror as her face twisted into a look of demented ecstasy as she lifted her crossbow.

 **This is truly an unjust game…**

 **Your chances of winning are almost none.**

My eyes went wide at the sudden and unexpected voice in my head as a blue, glass-like butterfly fluttered past me.

 **But if my voice is reaching you,**

 **There may yet be a possibility open to you.**

"Wha…"

 ** _"What's the matter...?"_** I froze as another voice suddenly echoed through my head, making my very bones vibrate as an intense heat began to build in my chest, **_"Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?"_**

Unbidden, my mind went back to the moment I realized I was in the Worm-verse and decided that I would do whatever I could to try and prevent some of the horrors to come.

" _FUCK NO!"_ I roared in my head.

Instantly, the heat in my chest shot out, setting my body alite from the inside. I started thrashing in the Shadows grip, unable to properly scream as my vocal cords seemed to have frozen.

 ** _"Very well...I have heeded your resolve,"_** said the voice as the burning ramped up, ** _"Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I...Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"_**

The burning erupted like a volcano and transformed from agony into cold resolve and focus as the power settled within my soul. Good god, it might hurt to get it, but this power feels so damn GOOD!

" **Time to take out the trash!"** roared Shadow Sophia as she pointed her reloaded crossbow at Greg.

"THATS ENOUGH!" I yelled.

Something in my voice made the Shadow twitch and slowly turn to look back at me.

" **What was that?"** sneered Shadow Sophia, **"You want to die that badly huh? Fine."**

She indicated to the Shadows holding me and they yanked my arms out, holding me against the wall like a target.

" **I really wanted to hunt you properly, but you've become annoying,"** said Shadow Sophia as she aimed at my heart, **"Sayanora."**

Her fingers tightened on the trigger, but before she could fire, a blast of wind shot off me, knocking my captors back and forcing the Shadow Ward to shield her eyes. I remained still for a moment, before I hesitantly reached up and felt the mask that now covered my face. Ohh, this was going to hurt. I dug my fingers under the mask and, sure enough, it hurt like a bitch. However, I had another bitch to kill, so I ignored the pain and kept pulling until the mask was wrenched off my face in a shower of blood. I felt the power inside me surge and a wide grin slid across my face as I slowly looked up and met Shadow Sophia's eyes as the fire in my Soul poured out, covering my body as my Persona manifested for the first time. Clad in red and black with a white cravate, horns, black and red feathered wings and an eerie face that appeared as glowing red shapes on a black background, Arsene, the Phantom Thief, made his appearance with a mocking laugh. This was gonna be FUN!

 **And done. Well, that was fun. I'm probably gonna get some flack for just recycling the Persona from the original, but this is what I had planned from the start. Skull, Panther, Mona and Oracle will have the same Persona as well, but since the canon Arcana won't fit the others, I'll be creating some original ones for them. Plus, all the bosses and Palaces will be original.**

 **Is anyone surprised I decided to use Sophia as their first target? I mean, shes practically gift wrapped for me! Hehe, this might actually give some insight as to who Panther is...if the interaction in the rain didn't already do that.**

 **I might be exaggerating Sophia's obsession with hunting here, but remember that this is entirely subconscious. This is her completely unfettered by whatever morals are left in that fucked up head of hers.**

 **On an unrelated note, my word processor seems to think I mean 'wanking' instead of 'yanking'. Not entirely sure where that came from and I don't really want to either.**

 **Anyway, its time for me to sign off. I really, REALLY want to continue this, if only to get to the end of Hunter, but before I do that, I've gotta clean up that cliffhanger over on HH. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	77. Ghost in the System

Ghost in the System

Apparently dieing before your time causes trouble for more than just you, as I discovered after burning to death. Now I'm nothing more than a digital ghost in another world. Aw well, at least I got a cool new body and a chance to have some real fun!

 **These two ideas have been sitting in my doc for AGES gathering dust. I dug them out for another idea I had and decided, you know what? I might as well share them. With that in mind, Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Time for a quick lesson in Caveman 101. Fire hot, ow! And now for another obvious statement. Dieing sucks. Trust me, I know both of them first hand since I was burnt to death, flash fried in a fireball that quite literally came from nowhere. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the fire to kill me since, for the few seconds I was burning alive, it REALLY FUCKING HURT!

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it.

"Hmm, lets see, John Connors, age 16, species human, scheduled to come up here never. Huh, interesting."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on there?"

"Their are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"Because you died before your allotted time," said Dis, "It happens occasionally and always makes a total mess of things."

"Why?"

"Because the Souls can only go to heaven or hell after their allotted time has past," said Dis, "You were supposed to live for another 90 years and die of a heart attack during the discovery of Aliens."

"Wait, aliens are real?"

"Yep, Kryptonians if I'm reading this right. Apparently the Krypton in your universe isn't scheduled to explode any time soon."

"Huh," I said, not sure what to make of that little tidbit, "So what now? Are you going to send me back?"

"Your body in your old dimension was nearly completely destroyed," said Dis, "Besides, time passes differently here and you've already been buried. You can't move on and you can't go back to your old dimension, the only thing I can do is shift you sideways."

"Sideways?"

"Into a different dimension," explained Dis, "It'll be one you recognize and I expect you won't end up being entirely normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When people get shifted sideways, they tend to change," said Dis, "I still have no idea why. Just be thankful you won't be an Outsider. They always get screwed over by Fate."

I gulped.

"Soo, where am I going?"

"Pick a door," said Dis, indicating to a pair of identical doors that hadn't been there before.

"Where do they lead?" I asked.

"Your new home," said the Overseer, "Not even I know where they lead. Don't worry, though, I've already taken steps to make sure you don't get consumed by whatever power you gain. You'll start again with a clean slate, new memories and a new life."

I paused, my hand inches from one of the door handles.

"I won't remember my past?"

Dis shook his head.

"You will," he said, But those memories will be overtaken by new ones and suppressed. They'll be there, but they won't be important. Its how we prevent those we have to shift from getting homesick."

I swallowed and turned back to the door.

"Alright, you can do this," I muttered and opened the door.

* * *

I found myself in darkness.

"The hell?" I asked, trying to look around.

Whether I managed it or not is up for debate seeing as I couldn't see anything.

"Where…?"

Then, the world lit up and I was bombarded with information, images and sensations at a rate that no Human mind could take. However, for some strange reason, I could absorb it all. I was connected up to all the information in the world, anything that was on the internet I could see.

"What the hell is going on?!" I spluttered, although how I managed it when I seemed to have no body is anyones guess.

Thats right, I suddenly realized that I had no body. I was just a consciousness floating in data.

"I repeat, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

BEEP!

I somehow managed to jump at the sound, before a window popped up in front of me. Actually, thats not what happened at all, but its the best explanation I've got.

 _Huh, well, this has never happened before…_

 _Sorry, this is Dis if you haven't figured it out. I'm not entirely sure how, but you've somehow been converted into a digital being. The closest analogy would be that you're now an AI, but since you were once Human, I'm not sure if thats accurate. Still, its not all bad, you have access to the entire world's information network!_

"But I don't have a body!" I shouted.

 _You can control anything connected to a network. It shouldn't be that difficult to build something suitable, right?_

I growled, my non-existent fingers flexing to wrap around the Watchers throat.

 _Oh, don't be like that, it could be worse. Now, since you won't be needing any help, I'll leave you with this warning. You won't be able to tell anyone you're from another world, so don't even try. Other than that, do as you will. See ya!_

My non-existent eye twitched as the message box vanished.

"SCREW YOU, YOU BASTARD!" I roared.

With the reveal that I was now completely digital and my minor panic attack done with, I set about creating myself a digital space where I was a tad more comfortable than just a floating ball of consciousness. That basically amounted to me creating a simulated space that resembled a cross between a living room and the Batcave, as well as creating an avatar so I actually had arms and legs again. Currently, my avatar was nothing more than a skinny white humanoid with long limbs, fingers and large eyes. Not unlike a stereotypical alien now that I think about it. I'd probably improve it later, but it was fine for now. Currently, I was sat in front of my terminal, busy getting to know my new world. Technically, I didn't need it, but I still felt more comfortable doing things physically.

* * *

"Well, I'm fucked," I said as I stared out the camera that was currently acting as my window to the outside world.

What makes me say that? Well, I had quickly noticed that not all of the information I had access to was Human in origin and, after following a trail, I had ended up stumbling on the Codex. Understandably concerned, I immediately hacked the cameras and confirmed that yes, I was indeed on the Citadel. After gaping at the sight for 3.28 milliseconds, I quickly started shoring up my security before some tech-savvy Quarian could stumble on my code and start a panic or worse, the Reapers or Catalyst found me. I don't know if I can be Indoctrinated, but I didn't want to find out. Once I had finished making my firewalls virtually unhackable, I turned my attention to figuring out when I was. It was surprisingly easy to get into the Spectre files, but I couldn't find any reference to Shepard. Before ME1 then. After that, I turned my attention to the Alliance archives. Thats where I struck gold.

Jane Shepard, a Spacer brat, the Lion of Elysium _and_ the sole survivor of Akuze. Interesting. With that done, I checked the year. 2180, three years before the start of the game and three years to decide what the hell I was going to do.

Now, I could do nothing. After all, I was a digital being, so I doubted that the Reapers would try and kill me. However, I somehow doubted that they'd accept an AI outside of their control, so I'd probably end up hacked and turned into one of their puppets anyway. Plus, even if I was now digital being, I had been Human, so I don't think I could have just sat back and done nothing, even if I wanted to.

However, all that was besides the point. If I wanted to help Shepard, or hell even avoid going crazy, I needed a body. With that in mind, I went to work, obtaining a small warehouse and all the tools, equipment and materials needed to build a body that would be able to blend in with Organics and wouldn't get me a Mass Effect round between the eyes.

* * *

It took me three years to get it right. The first prototypes were weak, completely unsuitable for combat, although they did give me the ability to actually walk around the Citadel in a body. Since it took a few tries to get the face right so it didn't fall into the uncanny valley, the first bodys were designed to resembled Quarians since I didn't have to worry about getting the faces right with them. I did have to avoid any of the real Quarians on the station since I didn't want to risk any of them realizing that I wasn't from the Migrant Fleet. However, eventually, I was able to make realistic bodys that were based on Salarians, Turians and even Krogan and Asari. Now THAT had been an odd experience. While I had become more detached from my old Humanity over time, I still identified as Male, so walking around with boobs was a really strange feeling. Still, it was all in the name of SCIENCE, so I dealt with it.

I had a few near misses here and there over the years. The first was when I was nearly fingered as an illegal entry by C-sec while in a Quarian body. Fortunately, I had managed to talk myself out of it, although I made a point to add myself and my various identities to the C-sec system. It was worryingly easy, so I made a point to increase their security, along with a few other places that were worryingly undefended. That led to the second time I was nearly caught.

This time it was a Quarian who had been doing some maintenance on the system I was messing with. Apparently he detected my presence and nearly managed to lock me down before I flooded his Omnitool with spam to escape. He didn't say anything, but I did notice that a lot of the Quarians coming through the Citadel became a lot more tense. I think they suspected that I was here. Awe well, I'd be able to prove myself soon enough.

I also had to dodge a few flocks of Geth programs that buzzed through the network occasionally. I don't know if they were Heretics or not, but I didn't really want to risk the knowledge of my existence getting back to Sovereign.

* * *

Eventually however, the day came. My final body was finished. It truly was a marvel of engineering, a perfect Human automaton that, despite being entirely mechanical, looked completely Human. It resembled an adult version of my old body, slightly shorter than normal, with pale skin that was actually an advanced polymer I had developed myself that perfectly mimicked Human skin, black hair that was actually made up of countless strands of wire that could be controlled and used as a weapon or hacking tool and light brown eyes that were nearly red with a lighter brown power symbol in the middle that was barely visible. Perhaps it was tempting fate doing that, but I current resist.

Eager to try on my masterpiece, I hopped into my new body and ran the system diagnostics. Everything was working perfectly. I stepped off the pedestal, marveling at how smooth it moved compared with some of my early models. I lifted my arms and watched as my limbs started twisting and changing, a carbon steel, mono-molecular blade emerging from my right forearm as my left arm shifted into a gun and both morphed back. My fingers were next, shifting them into claws and drills and extending the hacking port. Once the more esoteric options had been checked, I moved onto my built in Omnitool, making sure that everything was working fine. It was. Finally, I checked that my hair was working and my retractable tail. What? I thought it was cool. Besides, I had no intention of hiding forever and I was going to take full advantage of the fact I could basically build myself the perfect body.

With all the technology checked, I walked over the crates that stored my spare parts and picked one up with one hand. Not impressed? Well, when they were delivered, two Krogen had trouble picking one of these things up. Yep, my mechanical muscles were stupidly strong. Maybe I went overboard on designing this thing, but if it was going to be my platform for fighting the Reapers, I'd need all the advantages I could get.

"Hehe, awesome," I muttered as I dropped the crate with a crash.

I quickly tested out the rest of the body's physical capabilities as best I could in the relatively small space. It was far more flexible than any Human could ever be, not to mention faster and with faster reaction times. To be honest, it would be a miracle if no one noticed that something was up with me considering, but since I had a backdoor to escape the body and a self destruct installed, I wasn't worried.

With my tests done, I slipped into the armour I'd obtained (light Onyx armour specially modified to suit my needs) even if I technically didn't need it, and covered it with a long coat. What? It looked cool.

* * *

Once I was sure that my body wouldn't crap out on me at the worst possible time, I left my 'home' and headed out to find Shepard and friends. I had been monitoring the Extranet and C-secs communications and Shepard and her squad were on the station, looking for leads on Saren. Knowing that, I headed down to the Wards and towards Chora's Den. I had just reached the Rapid Transport point when one of my passive scanning bots alerted me to gunfire in the allies near the very bar I was heading towards.

"And thats probably Tali," I said as I hopped into a cab and took control, "Time to go introduce myself."

Thanks to the control I had over the car, it didn't take long to reach the location the report had come from. I jumped out of the car before it had even come to a stop, scaring the life out of an Asari couple as I literally vaulted over their head and sprinted down the hall at speeds that would make a cheetah jealous. I skidded around the corner where I could hear gunfire coming from and took in the situation in an instant. Hiding behind some crates on the side I was entering from was a Turian and a couple of Salarians, while Shepards squad was on the far side with Tali was crouched behind some cover in the middle. I narrowed my eyes and ran forwards, pulling out twin Predator Heavy Pistols and jumped into the fray. Literally.

I bounced off the walls, gaining some height as I came down on the three Saren sent assassins, landing on one of the Salarians shoulders with enough force to squash him flat, his relatively fragile bones unable to hold up the sudden extra weight. The fact I had spikes sticking out the soles of my feet probably didn't help. I spun on my heel, kicking the other amphibian over his cover before he could react, landing him square in the sights of Shepards squad who immediately turned him into a sieve, before jamming both barrels into the surprised Turians face.

"Tell Death I said hi," I said and pulled the triggers.

The Turians head exploded, showering brains all over the corridor. I stepped back as the assassin slumped to the floor and spun my pistols around my fingers in an impressive display of dexterity considering they didn't have finger guards and returned them to the holsters on the back of my belt.

"Well, that was fun," I said, turning to face Shepards group, only to take a step back when I came face to face with six guns aimed squarely at me.

"Who are you?" demanded the lead woman that could only be Shapard.

She had dark brown hair cut short in a bob cut and eyes that were nearly the exact same shade as mine, a dark, reddish brown, that were currently pinning me with a fearsome glare.

"Whoa, easy, I ain't an enemy!" I yelped, holding up my hands.

I had been in a bit of a rush to get here, so I hadn't activated my shields, which meant that if I got shot, the rounds would go right through me. I didn't really want to lose my best Platform quite so soon, nor did I want to get ousted before I had chance to earn everyone's trust.

"Thats not what I asked," said Shepard.

I gulped. According to the files I had on her, Shepard was a Paragon, but that didn't mean she couldn't be fucking scary!

"My name is John Connors," I said, "I'm what you might call a...concerned citizen."

That earned me the equivalent of a raised eyebrow from the entire squad.

"What?"

Shepard looked down at the puddle of Salarian blood I was still standing in and the Taurian who's brains were splattered all over the wall.

"Ah, right," I said.

"So who are you really?" asked Shepard, "A Mercenary?"

"A hacker."

More raised eyebrows.

"What? You can learn a lot from watching internet videos. On a side note, you wouldn't happen to be interested in some more intel on Saren and his Geth, would you?"

"How do you know about that?" asked Williams.

"I'm a very good Hacker," I said as I brought up some files, "Not to mention that the security around the Spectre files is worryingly weak."

I sent Shepard's omnitools some files I'd lifted from the Spectre office.

"Those are the records for Saren's ship movements over the past month," I said, "As you can see, he was in the Utopia system at the same time as the Geth attack. It may be circumstantial, but at least you'll have proof that Saren was in the area."

I looked up and saw that everyone was staring at me, completely dumbstruck. Except Wrex. He just looked bored

"You...hacked the Spectre files?" said Garrus in a strangled voice.

"And C-sec, the Ambassador's office and the Council's private files," I said, "I tried the Consort, but for some odd reason the security around that was leagues better than any of the others."

Garrus gave a kind of grinding whimper that probably didn't do his throat any good. Then again, I hadn't actually looked up much about Turian biology, so it could just be normal. I'd have to do that later. Shepard shook her head violently and shut down her Omnitool.

"Right, anyway, we've got the Quarian and more intel than we thought thanks to Skynet…"

"Pardon?"

I was ignored.

"Its time to head back to base. And you're coming with us. Williams, Alenko, grab him."

I blinked as I was suddenly grabbed by Alenko and Williams and frogmarched after Shepard.

"You could have just asked ya know," I drawled, "I did come here with the intention of helping after all."

"So, where does a hacker learn to do what you did?" asked Ashley.

"The internet and a lot of practice," I drawled, "It helps that I have an Eidetic memory."

"How does that help?"

"I can remember the movements and replicate them," I said, "After that its just repetition to build muscle memory and strength."

That was of course, pure bullshit. I had actually done a Neo and downloaded every fighting style I could physically perform and even a few I couldn't into my brain and created subroutines to act as muscle memory in combat. I had even added a few fictional fighting styles to my repertoire, including the forms used by the Jedi, the Juken and the Goken. What? I may be a computer, but I'm still a geek.

"I don't think thats how Eidetic memory works," said Alenko.

I just shrugged. He was right, but I wasn't going to say anything.

 **And thats where I'm gonna end this. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Yes, John Connors is a reference to Terminator.**

 **Is he OP? Probably, but frankly? I don't give a shit.**

 **Anyway, I'm signing off here. I hope you enjoyed!**


	78. Ghost in the League

Ghost in the League

Apparently dieing before your time causes trouble for more than just you, as I discovered after burning to death. Now I'm nothing more than a digital ghost in another world. Aw well, at least I got a cool new body and a chance to have some real fun!

 **And heres the other idea I had. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Time for a quick lesson in Caveman 101. Fire hot, ow! And now for another obvious statement. Dieing sucks. Trust me, I know both of them first hand since I was burnt to death, flash fried in a fireball that quite literally came from nowhere. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the fire to kill me since, for the few seconds I was burning alive, it REALLY FUCKING HURT!

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it.

"Hmm, lets see, Richard Fenix, age 16, species human, scheduled to come up here never. Huh, interesting."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on their?"

"Their are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"Because you died before your allotted time," said Dis, "It happens occasionally and always makes a total mess of things."

"Why?"

"Because the Souls can only go to heaven or hell after their allotted time has past," said Dis, "You were supposed to live for another 90 years and die of a heart attack during the discovery of Aliens."

"Wait, aliens are real?"

"Yep, Kryptonians if I'm reading this right. Apparently the Krypton in your universe isn't scheduled to explode any time soon."

"Huh," I said, not sure what to make of that little tidbit, "So what now? Are you going to send me back?"

"Your body in your old dimension was nearly completely destroyed," said Dis, "Besides, time passes differently here and you've already been buried. You can't move on and you can't go back to your old dimension, the only thing I can do is shift you sideways."

"Sideways?"

"Into a different dimension," explained Dis, "It'll be one you recognize and I expect you won't end up being entirely normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When people get shifted sideways, they tend to change," said Dis, "I still have no idea why. Just be thankful you won't be an Outsider. They always get screwed over by Fate."

I gulped.

"Soo, where am I going?"

"Pick a door," said Dis, indicating to a pair of identical doors that hadn't been there before.

"Where do they lead?" I asked.

"Your new home," said the Overseer, "Not even I know where they lead. Don't worry, though, I've already taken steps to make sure you don't get consumed by whatever power you gain. You'll start again with a clean slate, new memories and a new life."

I paused, my hand inches from one of the door handles.

"I won't remember my past?"

Dis shook his head.

"You will," he said, But those memories will be overtaken by new ones and suppressed. They'll be there, but they won't be important. Its how we prevent those we have to shift from getting homesick."

I swallowed and turned back to the door.

"Alright, you can do this," I muttered and opened the door.

* * *

I found myself in darkness.

"The hell?" I asked, trying to look around.

Whether I managed it or not is up for debate seeing as I couldn't see anything.

"Where…?"

Then, the world lit up and I was bombarded with information, images and sensations at a rate that no Human mind could take. However, for some strange reason, I could absorb it all. I was connected up to all the information in the world, anything that was on the internet I could see.

"What the hell is going on?!" I spluttered, although how I managed it when I seemed to have no body is anyones guess.

Thats right, I suddenly realized that I had no body. I was just a consciousness floating in data.

"I repeat, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

BEEP!

I somehow managed to jump at the sound, before a window popped up in front of me. Actually, thats not what happened at all, but its the best explanation I've got.

 _Huh, well, this has never happened before…_

 _Sorry, this is Dis if you haven't figured it out. I'm not entirely sure how, but you've somehow been converted into a digital being. The closest analogy would be that you're now an AI, but since you were once Human, I'm not sure if thats accurate. Still, its not all bad, you have access to the entire world's information network!_

"But I don't have a body!" I shouted.

 _You can control anything connected to a network. It shouldn't be that difficult to build something suitable, right?_

I growled, my non-existent fingers flexing to wrap around the Watchers throat.

 _Oh, don't be like that, it could be worse. Now, since you won't be needing any help, I'll leave you with this warning. You won't be able to tell anyone you're from another world, so don't even try. Other than that, do as you will. See ya!_

My non-existent eye twitched as the message box vanished.

"SCREW YOU, YOU BASTARD!" I roared.

With the reveal that I was now completely digital and my minor panic attack done with, I set about creating myself a digital space where I was a tad more comfortable than just a floating ball of consciousness. That basically amounted to me creating a simulated space that resembled a cross between a living room and the Batcave, as well as creating an avatar so I actually had arms and legs again. Currently, my avatar was nothing more than a skinny white humanoid with long limbs, fingers and large eyes. Not unlike a stereotypical alien now that I think about it. I'd probably improve it later, but it was fine for now. Currently, I was sat in front of my terminal, busy getting to know my new world. Technically, I didn't need it, but I still felt more comfortable doing things physically.

Strangely enough, my design choice to make my terminal look like the Bat computer was a sound one as I was in one DC worlds. Not entirely sure which one, but the Watchtower and Justice League was a thing. Now I just needed to figure out exactly what I could expect from the future. And in a truly spectacular example of acting without thinking, I decided to do that by hacking into the Watchtowers computer. What? I may technically be a digital being right now, but I'm no AI.

* * *

That led me to my current predicament, trapped by Batmans counterhacking and the Watchtowers firewall.

"Impressive, not many people would be able to get as far as you did," said Batman, who was currently dominating my screens, "However, it was also stupid and sloppy."

My eye twitched. It stung a bit to be called a sloppy hacker when I was literally a computer myself. Batman narrowed his eyes. I could tell from my connection to the Watchtowers computer that he was trying to figure out where I was.

"Don't bother," I said, "You won't be able to find me."

Batman raised an eyebrow behind his mask.

"Oh?"

I chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of my head.

"Yeahhh, I'm kinda nowhere and everywhere," I said as I projected an image of my avatar onto Batmans screen.

His only reaction was to narrow his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked, "What are you?"

"Well, I'm a Ghost in the system," I said, "So that'll do for a name. As for what I am, thats...kinda tricky to answer."

"Oh? And whys that?"

"Because I don't know myself. Near as I can tell, I'm some kind of digital being, although I still have no idea how I came into being."

"An AI?"

"Not so much," I said, "Being an AI implies that someone created me, as far as I know, I came into being on my own. Although I guess AI works fine for now."

Batman's eyes narrowed further.

"Whoa, before you start trying to delete me or lock me down, I don't have any designs on world domination!" I yelped as I realized what he was planning.

"Then why were you trying to get into the Watchtower?" he asked.

"Simple curiosity," I said, "And for the challenge."

Batman just stared at me.

"What? Its the truth!"

"And I'm supposed to just believe you?"

I hesitated, then sighed.

"Point taken, but if you're gonna lock me somewhere, can it be in an actual body?" I said, "Its actually pretty damn lonely in here."

"Thats a remarkably Human thing to say," said Batman.

I just shrugged. It was true after all. Batman stared at me for a moment, before typing something into his keyboard. What happened next can best be described as being sucked down a drain, before I suddenly slammed to a halt hard enough to make me stumble. I shook my head and placed a hand on my face as I tried to shake off the dizziness, before I realized that my movements were accompanied by the wurr of servos and I looked down. I was now in what can best be described as a stripped down, skeletal body.

"The hell?"

I looked up as the door of the room I was in, which looked like a workshop of some kind, opened and Batman walked in alongside Red Tornado.

"So, this is the AI you caught breaking into our systems," said the robot.

"Hey, I'm not...never mind," I said, "Thats me. I take it I'm borrowing one of your bodies?"

"That is correct," said Red Tornado, "It's completely stripped down and without any powers, but it should suffice for now."

"Thanks," I muttered, "Think it'd be possible for me to create my own body rather than borrow one?"

Batman narrowed his eyes.

"I see no harm in it," said Red Tornado, "We could use another team member and it would be a good way to prove his trustworthiness."

"Very well," said Batman, "He is your responsibility Tornado."

The Caped Crusader turned on his heel and left the room.

"So, um, you got somewhere to develop your body's?" I asked.

 **And thats done. A rather unusual idea I know, but hey, could be interesting, no? As I mentioned up top, this idea was inspired somewhat by GitS, hence the title and Ghosts handle, but since I only know the bare minimum about GitS, any similarities other than the basic idea will be entirely coincidental. Other than that, I have nothing to say other than, REVIEW!**


	79. Computing Power Chapter 1

Computing Power

Apparently dieing before your time causes trouble for more than just you, as I discovered after burning to death. Now I'm nothing more than a digital ghost in another world. Aw well, at least I got a cool new body and a chance to have some real fun!

 **And here we are again with more Worm and more AI action. Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Time for a quick lesson in Caveman 101. Fire hot, ow! And now for another obvious statement. Dieing sucks. Trust me, I know both of them first hand since I was burnt to death, flash fried in a fireball that quite literally came from nowhere. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the fire to kill me since, for the few seconds I was burning alive, it REALLY FUCKING HURT!

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it.

"Hmm, lets see, Richard Fenix, age 16, species human, scheduled to come up here never. Huh, interesting."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on their?"

"Their are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"Because you died before your allotted time," said Dis, "It happens occasionally and always makes a total mess of things."

"Why?"

"Because the Souls can only go to heaven or hell after their allotted time has past," said Dis, "You were supposed to live for another 90 years and die of a heart attack during the discovery of Aliens."

"Wait, aliens are real?"

"Yep, Kryptonians if I'm reading this right. Apparently the Krypton in your universe isn't scheduled to explode any time soon."

"Huh," I said, not sure what to make of that little tidbit, "So what now? Are you going to send me back?"

"Your body in your old dimension was nearly completely destroyed," said Dis, "Besides, time passes differently here and you've already been buried. You can't move on and you can't go back to your old dimension, the only thing I can do is shift you sideways."

"Sideways?"

"Into a different dimension," explained Dis, "It'll be one you recognize and I expect you won't end up being entirely normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When people get shifted sideways, they tend to change," said Dis, "I still have no idea why. Just be thankful you won't be an Outsider. They always get screwed over by Fate."

I gulped.

"Soo, where am I going?"

"Pick a door," said Dis, indicating to a pair of identical doors that hadn't been there before.

"Where do they lead?" I asked.

"Your new home," said the Overseer, "Not even I know where they lead. Don't worry, though, I've already taken steps to make sure you don't get consumed by whatever power you gain. You'll start again with a clean slate, new memories and a new life."

I paused, my hand inches from one of the door handles.

"I won't remember my past?"

Dis shook his head.

"You will," he said, But those memories will be overtaken by new ones and suppressed. They'll be there, but they won't be important. Its how we prevent those we have to shift from getting homesick."

I swallowed and turned back to the door.

"Alright, you can do this," I muttered and opened the door.

* * *

I found myself in darkness.

"The hell?" I asked, trying to look around.

Whether I managed it or not is up for debate seeing as I couldn't see anything.

"Where…?"

Then, the world lit up and I was bombarded with information, images and sensations at a rate that no Human mind could take. However, for some strange reason, I could absorb it all. I was connected up to all the information in the world, anything that was on the internet I could see.

"What the hell is going on?!" I spluttered, although how I managed it when I seemed to have no body is anyones guess.

Thats right, I suddenly realized that I had no body. I was just a consciousness floating in data.

"I repeat, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

BEEP!

I somehow managed to jump at the sound, before a window popped up in front of me. Actually, thats not what happened at all, but its the best explanation I've got.

 _Huh, well, this has never happened before…_

 _Sorry, this is Dis if you haven't figured it out. I'm not entirely sure how, but you've somehow been converted into a digital being. The closest analogy would be that you're now an AI, but since you were once Human, I'm not sure if thats accurate. Still, its not all bad, you have access to the entire world's information network!_

"But I don't have a body!" I shouted.

 _You can control anything connected to a network. It shouldn't be that difficult to build something suitable, right?_

I growled, my non-existent fingers flexing to wrap around the Watchers throat.

 _Oh, don't be like that, it could be worse. Now, since you won't be needing any help, I'll leave you with this warning. You won't be able to tell anyone you're from another world, so don't even try. Other than that, do as you will. See ya!_

My non-existent eye twitched as the message box vanished.

"SCREW YOU, YOU BASTARD!" I roared.

With the reveal that I was now completely digital and my minor panic attack done with, I set about creating myself a digital space where I was a tad more comfortable than just a floating ball of consciousness. That basically amounted to me creating a simulated space that resembled a cross between a living room and the Batcave, as well as creating an avatar so I actually had arms and legs again. Currently, my avatar was nothing more than a skinny white humanoid with long limbs, fingers and large eyes. Not unlike a stereotypical alien now that I think about it. I'd probably improve it later, but it was fine for now. Currently, I was sat in front of my terminal, busy getting to know my new world. Technically, I didn't need it, but I still felt more comfortable doing things physically.

* * *

"...huh, thats interesting," I muttered as I stared at the code scrolling past, "How did...you know what? No, I don't care."

What I was currently staring at was a rather nasty set of code that was basically a lobotomy in a can for an AI. According to the file, it was known as Iron Maiden, but the lunatic currently in possession of it called it Ascalon. Yeahhh, I'd just figured out I was in the Worm verse by stumbling on the fucking Dragonslayers! Welp, time to do my good deed for the day!

I cracked my knuckles and within thirty seconds, fired a coded missile of my own into the Ascalon Program that would result in it releasing a rather nasty virus into the Dragonslayers system that would completely cripple them in seconds. That was after I took a copy of it and locked it behind the equivalent of 30 tons of concrete of course. I wanted a guarantee that Dragon WOULDN'T ever go out of control. I also inserted programs into their stolen Dragon suits that would basically result in them doing all sorts of silly things if used against me or Dragon in the future. I was looking forwards to seeing the Dragonslayers make complete fools of themselves.

* * *

With the Dragonslayers essentially defanged, I decided to leave them be for now in favour of figuring out when I was. Considering I had an entire internet at my disposal, it didn't take me long. The year was 2007, which meant that I had plenty of time before the shit even came close to hitting the fan. I had no intention of joining up with the Protectorate, but I did plan to follow in Dragons footsteps and make use of my skills to do something to help out the Human race.

However, my first job was to set up a base somewhere. While I could exist quite happily in the either of the net, I couldn't do much without the ability to produce any equipment and I wasn't entirely happy with not having any way of safely storing my programs away from where any old hacker could stumble on them. With that in mind, I acquired a half finished Endbringer shelter located in an area that had the misfortune of being in the Slaughterhouse Nine's path and went to work.

* * *

The first thing I did was repurpose the Shelters computer systems and server farm to allow for a boost in my processing power. In the process, I made a discovery that I was very glad I made then and not in the middle of a fight. I couldn't create backups. I'm not sure if it was because I was basically a digitized Soul or what, but I was completely unable to create backups of my code. On the other hand, my code was rather stable and I quickly discovered that I produced the digital equivalent of antibodies for viruses and the like, meaning that, while I could get 'sick' or hacked, it was unlikely to stick.

Other than that minor inconvenience that I quickly moved on from and adapted to, I kept up my work on creating my new base. Posing as a new Tinker, I got in contact with the Toybox and perceived a 'starter kit' and a basic automaton body that could serve as a body until I got something better set up. I'm not entirely sure what they thought of me, but I don't really care. After politely turning down an invitation to join them (although I did say that I'd be open to future transactions), I went to work whereupon I ran into a rather large problem. I'm not a Tinker and, while I had rapidly gained a lot of knowledge as a hacker, I had no idea how to get started on building combat suits. With that in mind, I jumped back into the Dragonslayers system and swiped the stolen blueprints for their Dragon suits.

With a place to start now acquired, it didn't take me long to reverse engineer and get started on my own tech, although I did make a mental note to send Dragon the computer equivalent of a box of chocolates. Of course, my first suit wasn't really made for combat. Instead, it was something that would allow me to get out of the net and the clunky endoskeleton I was currently using. Dragon might be happy as a digital presence, but I was still mostly Human, at least mentally, and I really, REALLY needed to get out and stretch my legs.

It took a few tries to get what I wanted, but I eventually managed to produce an android body that met my specifications, although it wasn't even close to being suitable for use in public unless I wanted someone to figure out I was an AI...sort of. Still, it was a start and with it done, I moved onto my combat mechs.

Since I was basing my tech on Dragons, I thought it was only appropriate that I designed my first suit after a dragon. Codenamed Seiryu, it was a serpentine dragon about five meters long and half that at the shoulder, designed after an Eastern Dragon. Designed for fast response, it was capable of mach speeds and was armed with razor sharp claws, a ton of missiles and a deadly plasma breath. Considering the speed at which a computerized mind could work, I had the designs done within a week and moved onto the next suits.

My next suit, codenamed Suzaku, was designed as a heavy bombardment unit. Based on a bird, its ten meter wide wings were basically massive missile launches that could deliver massive amounts of firepower in seconds. It wasn't anywhere near as quick as Seiryu, but that was fine. It could also hunker down and use its wings as a shield if necessary.

In keeping with my unintended theme, my next two suits were also based on the Four Symbols from Taoism, the Tiger, Byakko and the Turtle, Genbu. Like their skybound counterparts, they were designed as a speed fighter and tank respectively and all four were designed to be able to work together flawlessly, guided by advanced VI algorithms I spent days perfecting. What's more, they were capable of combining into one large jet for getting around quickly. Kinda necessary considering Genbu's top speed was about ten miles an hour, even with its massive legs. It was designed as artillery, so mobility wasn't really a big deal.

It wasn't until I'd activated my Combat Suits that I realized that I might have been to hasty in assuming that I wasn't a Tinker of some kind. Why? Well, upon activation, the first thing Genbu did was stretch and yawn like a cat, Suzaku flapped her wings and looked around curiously, Genbu retracted his head back into his shell and went to sleep and Seiryu had started sniffing around my fabrication machinery like an oversized dog. None of that should have been possible with the programing I'd done. It took three hours to figure out what I'd done wrong, or right in this case. It turned out that, despite the fact I thought I'd made a VI, I'd actually made a rather simple AI. Oh, they weren't even close to Dragon, but they were essentially extremely smart animals.

With that in mind, I quickly designed and built much smaller versions of my new friends so I wouldn't end up getting squashed by an overly amours robotic tiger. The end result was that Byakko ended up the size of a large house cat, Suzaku was the size of a hawk, Seiryu the size of a large iguana and Genbu was as large as a dinner plate. There were also unarmed so I didn't have to deal with accidental discharges after Suzaku nearly put a hole in the roof while preening her 'feathers'. I'm pretty sure that someone must had detected something from that, so I quickly got to work on an actual combat body for me, after distracting my pets with some balls of yarn of course. Considering that they were designed for combat, Seiryu and Byakko were surprisingly playful. Of course, Suzaku just perched in the rafters and glared while Genbu snoozed on top of my smelting forge.

* * *

I was in the middle of finishing the skeletal structure for my combat body when my security programs pinged a hacking attempt. I quickly turned the majority of my attention away from the manufacturing process (I could multitask and be in multiple places at once, but I still wasn't really used to it yet and kept getting nauseous if I tried it with more than three locations. How does a computer get nauseous anyway?) and into my central processor. I appeared in the 'room' I'd created when I first arrived to find a rather confused looking figure composed of glowing code stood in the middle. Although it was basically just a silhouette, it was still clearly female, which meant that I could probably guess who it was.

"Miss Richter I presume," I said as I settled back in my seat.

The AI nearly jumped out of her code at the sound of my voice and spun around. Her features were rather lacking, but I still got the feeling I was getting an incredulous look.

"I...you...where…?" she spluttered.

I smirked. Nice to see I could still take even other AI's off balance.

"Calm down Miss Richter," I said, holding up my hands, "And please, sit down before you fall down."

I waved a hand and a chair appeared out of thin air behind Dragons avatar. Dragon looked between me and the chair for a moment, before she slowly sat.

"Now, I take it your wondering who I am and where we are?" I asked.

Dragon nodded slowly.

"I'd also like to know how you know my name," she said.

I snorted.

"I lifted that from that moron Saint's computers," I said, "Anyway, I'll explain that in a sec. First things first, my name is John Connors, but you can call me Bestiary. I'm...well, I guess the easiest way to explain it would be to say I'm an AI, although that technically isn't true. I'm more an uploaded Human, but its easier to just say AI. This place is a projection I created when I first got here to act as my hub since it was easier than interacting with the code directly."

Dragon looked poleaxed.

"W-wait, so your saying that your a Human whos mind was uploaded?!" she spluttered, "How is that even possible!?"

"Hell if I know," I grumbled, "I just know that I woke up floating in the net and nearly ended up getting washed away."

Dragon remained silent for a moment.

"Alright, say I believe you," she said, "What are your intentions?"

"Likely much the same as yours," I said, "I have no designs on world domination or anything. I intend to use my abilities to help."

Dragons face shifted in a way I'm pretty sure indicated a frown as she studied my face, apparently searching for any sign of a lie.

"If you intend to help, why haven't you done anything?" she asked.

"Mostly because my combat mechs are still being built," I said, "My Guardian Beasts are done, but there are some bugs I need to work out before I even think about sending them into battle and my own combat fraim is still in early development. As for helping…"

I grinned and waved a hand, bringing up a screen with an angry looking Saint on it, shouting down the phone.

"I already have. I stumbled on Saint and his morons and had a flip through their files. Right bunch of morons, aint they?"

"Y-you went after Saint?!" spluttered Dragon, "Why?"

"Well, to start with they had a program that was specifically designed to off you, although I suspect it would do a heck of a lot of damage to me," I said, "I made some alterations so it wouldn't work and I also hacked their suits. Now if they ever try and use them against either one of us, they'll bug out and make them easy prey. Oh, and I also hacked into their bank accounts and used their money to pay for my base."

Dragon's jaw dropped and she stared at me in utter disbelief. Then, she threw back her head and laughed so hard that she fell out of her chair.

"Ohhh god, thats too much!" she gasped, "That paranoid bastard…paying to let another AI set up...BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Glad your so tickled," I said with a grin, "So, other than assuring you I don't intend to take over the worlds nuclear weapon launchers, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I detected some strange readings in the area your IP is coming from," said Dragon.

I winced.

"Yeah, like I said, bugs," I said, "Don't worry, I've turned off all the weapons until I'm sure they won't bring my base down on my head."

Dragon tilted her head on one side.

"They?"

I just grinned.

 **And there we go, done. I did say that the other two AI based stories were dug out for a reason and this is it. Now there's another, completely unfettered AI running around Earth Bet...sort of.**

 **As you can probably guess from his current menagerie and name, Bestiary's primary style will be animal based drones, both AI capable and not. Incidentally, he has technically Triggered, although it was induced by Dis, so he never noticed. His abilities are very similar to Dragons, allowing him to reverse engineer Tinkertech for his own, although he also has the ability to create some impressive tech of his own to supplement the stolen designs. Hes also VERY good at programing, although he can't create Human level AI's. Animalistic ones on the other hand…**

 **Since I've been sitting here for about ten minutes unable to think of anything else witty to say, I think I'll be signing out now. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	80. Tinker Effect chapter 1

Tinker Effect

Most people in my situation are there due to vaguely defined ROBs dragging them into a malfunctioning game. In my case, I think its because of a group of interdimensional nutcases out to defeat a golden Superman. Oh well, at least I'm not as helpless as some of them.

 **Hmm, Worms becoming my new DXD...eh, its a fun sandbox to play in. That said, this time the Worm side will be a tad more background, mostly limited to a few cameos and possibly Shepard getting her arse kicked by Contessa. Should be fun. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The first thing I became aware of as consciousness returned to me was the pounding in my temples, closely followed by the realization I was laying in a puddle of some unknown liquid.

"Urrg, what the fuck did I drink last night?" I groaned as I slowly pushed myself up.

It took a few trys, but eventually I was able to force my eyes open. I found myself sitting in an alleyway between two buildings, with my only company being an overflowing dumpster. Lovely.

"Where am I?" I muttered.

I pushed through the pain and tried to remember what the hell happened last night...only to suddenly realize that I was missing massive gaps of my memories. I could remember bits and pieces, like where I had grown up and that I was a literature student, but I couldn't remember things like my own Parents names. Hell, I couldn't even remember which University I attended! Just about the only thing I remembered with any clarity was reading a web serial named Worm. How scary is it that I could remember that but I couldn't remember what my name was or even what I looked like?

"Whats going on?" I groaned, "Why can't I remember anything? Urrg, I need...I need to…"

I wasn't sure what I needed, but I struggled to my feet none the less. I took a step forwards...and promptly fell flat on my face.

"Owww, what the hell?" I groaned as I pushed myself up.

As I did, I made a rather startling discovery. My hands had completely changed and a quick glance down revealed that they weren't the only thing. I now had three fingers and toes, dusky purple skin and my legs had a rather large backbend that revealed the reason why I face planted so spectacularly.

"I...what the fuck?!" I spluttered.

I stood and, still wobbling on my unfamiler legs, stumbled over to the wall of the alley where a darkened window was set at about head height. It wasn't the best mirror, but it revealed that my face was also completely different and visibly not Human. Aside from the obvious change in skin colour, my ears were longer and tapered to a point and my eyes were a little too large, almond shaped and one flat pale lavender colour, making them look like the Hyuuga clan's Byakugan eyes and glowing faintly. The rest of my features were surprisingly Human, although my hair looked a little thicker than a Humans and was a shade of very dark blue. I was currently wearing what looked like the tattered remains of a jumpsuit of some kind that was splattered with blood and full of holes that I'm pretty sure were from bullets. However, other than my newly inhuman features, the thing that most drew my eye was the tattoo on my cheek of an Omega symbol.

"I...oh you have got to be kidding me!" I whispered, "Is that…"

My thoughts were cut off by the sound of a loud voice coming from the entrance of the alley. Not really wanted to get found quite yet, I dove behind the dumpster, just in time for the newcomers to round the corner, dragging something behind them.

"Damn suit rats, don't even have the dignity to die in the trash where they belong," growled a deep, male voice.

Another voice answered, but it wasn't speaking any language I recognized. Instead, it sounded more like a cross between a six foot bird and a raptor. The english speaker seemed to understand whatever was said though as he grunted in agreement.

"Come on, lets dump it and get out of here," he said, "No point in sticking around. It doesn't even have anything worth taking. Even this gun is crap."

There was another squark and the sound of something heavy being tossed into the dumpster, before the footsteps moved away. I cautiously peaked out from behind the dumpster and my jaw dropped when I saw a Human and what looked like a Turian walking away. I quickly pulled my head back into my hiding place before I could be spotted and sat still, my eyes wide. Well, isn't that interesting? Apparently, I was actually in the Mass Effect universe...or there was a Turian based Case 53 walking around. Not sure which is more likely. Then again, the Human was talking about suit rats, so…

I quickly stood and opened the lid to find, sure enough, that the body they'd dumped was a Quarian. Yep, definitely Mass Effect. I quickly heaved the body out, grabbed the discarded gun that was next to it, and dragged the corpse deeper into the alley. I didn't exactly like the idea of looting the corpse, but the envirosuit would make a good disguise and I could at least defend myself with the gun. He might even have an Omni Tool I could use.

I quickly found an abandoned looking building and dragged the dead Quarian inside after prising the doors open. Once inside, I started trying to figure out how to remove the Quarians suit, only to make a rather startling discovery.

"Huh...how did that happen?" I muttered as I stared down at the dusky purple face that had been hidden by his mask.

I quickly examined the rest of the body and, sure enough, my biology was an exact match for the Quarian. Same build of limbs, same solid white eyes, same everything. The only difference was that he had black markings swirling on his skin like tribal tattoos that I lacked, but that could be dismissed as simply something that not all Quarians had. I frowned. This was...bloody weird. All of the indications were that I was one of the Cauldrons victims, being in the apparent ME universe aside. However, that didn't explain why I was physically identical to a Quarian. Then, a rather worrying thought crossed my mind. If I looked like a Quarian, did that mean that my immune system was the same? I felt fine, but I'd been here for about an hour. Was that long enough to catch something nasty?

Now feeling really worried, I quickly detached the Quarian's Omni Tool and brought up the inevitable medical scanner. Two seconds later, I was staring at the results in shock. I had nothing to worry about. At all. My immune system wasn't weak, in fact, it was right up the other end of the scale. Judging from the readings I was getting, I could probably shrug off just about any disease you can think of in moments. Hell, even poisons would have a hard time affecting me! Not to mention the fact that my biology was still Levo based, although it looked like I was still compatible with Dextro as well...somehow. Oh, and I still showed up as a Human, albeit with some fucking weird additions to my DNA. Parahumans are fucking bullshit.

I breathed a sigh of relief, before I blinked and looked down. How did I do that? I'd never even seen an Omni Tool since just a second ago and yet I'd managed to, not only identify it, but also operate it like I'd been using it for years. Hell, now that I took a moment to think about it, I'd actually just improved the scanner without even thinking about it! I frowned as I put the finishing touches to the improved Cyro Shot program and...I'd done it again! In the time it had taken me to question myself, I'd create a program that would let me freeze a target right down to the bone. How did...ohhhhh.

"Well, I guess that fits," I muttered as I carefully dropped my arms and picked up the gun I'd rescued, "A Quarian based Case 53 being a Tinker...shame really, I'd have liked to be able to fly...oh god damn it!"

I held up the newly upgraded pistol and ran a critical eye over it. I'm not sure how I knew it, but I'd somehow just increased its penetrating power, number of shots between cooldown cycles and accuracy. I'd also given it the ability to fire Warp blasts using the tiny amount of Eezo inside and...holy shit, how did I do that?!

"Good grief, I'm a Tinker specializing in ME tech in the ME universe," I muttered, shaking my head in exasperation, "Thats so broken its unreal. I wonder how I got here though..?"

Unfortunately, unless I wanted to find a way to contact the Cauldron, I wasn't likely to get that answer. It probably had something to do with the Path to Victory though. Maybe Contessa intended to recruit Shepard to fight Scion or something? Then again, I suspect that the Entities are a tad more difficult to deal with than the Reapers. After all, the Reapers might be a galactic threat, but the Entities were a DIMENSIONAL one. Bit of a step up.

I shook myself off and turned off my Omnitool with a scowl as I realized I'd been programming it to be able to fire of Reave shots (somehow) and turned back to the dead Quarian. I didn't need it, but the envirosuit would be a great way to disguise myself. I would need to modify it of course, not only to increase the defence and possibly include a strength enhancing device, but also so no other Quarian would recognize it. Hmm, maybe if I add in some Eezo dust it'd let me fly or even…

I shook myself out of the Tinker trance and stripped the Quarian before I started thinking of ways to use his body to create mechanical spiders or something...GOD DAMN IT!

* * *

Tony Marvolo peaked nervously over the edge of the makeshift cover he and his buddies were hiding behind. He'd known from the start that trying to rob the Citadel's upper classes during the charity ball was a TERRIBLE idea, but the boss had insisted and one does not go against the boss when he insists on something. Now he and his buddies were pinned down by C-sec with nothing but the flimsy, fake-wooden barricades between them and being riddled by sand grain sized Tungsten rounds. Just about the only good thing about the whole situation was the many hostages they had was keeping the cops at bay. For now.

Then, the lights went out.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" yelled one of his buddies from across the room, "WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS!?"

A moment later, there was a meaty smack and the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Immediately, Krug, the Krogen of the group, turned and fired a blast from his shotgun in the direction of the sound.

"What the fuck Krug?!" spluttered someone not far from the target.

"Shhh, somethings here," growled the Krogen.

There was a moments silence, before he suddenly let out a roar and fired of three shots that momentarily lit up the room.

"Did you get him?" asked Tony, doing his best to stop his voice from trembling.

"No."

Tony nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice in his ear, before someone rammed something sharp under his armour and one million volts of electricity surged through his body.

* * *

Garrus Vakarian tapped his talons against the car he was taking cover behind as he shifted his grip on his pistol. He'd have prefered to be one of the snipers positioned on the roof across the street, but as one of the first officers to respond, he was stuck on the ground, waiting for the order to move in. Frankly, the Turian was of the opinion that they should have already done something, but the higher ups were worried about spooking the crooks inside. To be fair, that wasn't completely without merit considering that the leader of the gang was a known sociopath and would have no problem whatsoever with executing his hostages if pushed.

On the other hand, they couldn't sit here all night and there had been the sound of gunfire a short time ago which really didn't help Garrus' worry. Eventually, something had to break…

CRASH!

As if on cue, one of the windows suddenly exploded as someone was kicked through the glass. As they fell, the person lit up with a Biotic aura and took hold of the glass fragments, flinging them at the figure who followed him through with a roar of fury. The second figure brought up the staff-like weapon they were holding and spun it, deflecting the razor sharp projectiles, before shooting a grappling hook out of one end of the staff that wrapped around the falling Biotic (who Garrus had identified as Brad Meadows, the leader of the attacking gang) and yanking him back. The staff wielder spun in the air and drove his heel into Meadow's gut, sending him crashing to the ground with enough force to crack the concrete.

Now they were at ground level, Garrus saw that the mysterious newcomer was apparently a Quarian, although his Envirosuit was clearly heavily modified with armoured segments and seemed to be made of some kind of fabric Garrus didn't recognize that shimmered slightly in the floodlights. His helmet was also rather different, with metal plates covering it, leaving only a pair of slits where his eyes were rather than the standard tinted visor most Quarians used and covered in a blue hood. The weapon in his hands was actually headed with a rather deadly looking blade that he vaguely recognized as being a Halberd with a blade at both ends, one of which was currently acting as the tip of a grappling hook.

"So, still want to fight?" asked the Quarian mildly as if he wasn't stood on the clearly broken criminal.

Meadow's spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Fuck you suitrat!" he snarled.

"Suit yourself," said the Quarian and pushed a button on his staff.

There was a crackle of electricity and Meadow's jerked violently, before going limp. Muttering something under his breath, the Quarian retracted his grappling hook and flash forged a set of restraints onto the lightly steaming criminals wrists with his Omni Tool. With that done, he attached his halberd to his back, heaved Meadow's over his shoulder, turned on his heel and marched over to the gathered C-sec cars and the C-sec personal who were all staring at him with expressions ranging from worry to complete and utter disbelief.

"Here, I think this is yours," said the Quarian, dropping Meadow's on the bonnet of one of the cars, "His goons are chained up inside and the Krogen is currently cooling off with a cocktail of rather potent tranquilizers in his system. I strongly suggest that you get him somewhere secure before they wear off cus he won't be happy when he wakes up."

What he got was a battery of incredulous looks.

"What?"

Garrus quickly shook himself out of his utter shock and quickly issued orders to take Meadows into custody and head inside to check on the others. He had no real reason to doubt the odd Quarian considering he'd come from inside and seemed to be honest.

"Right, now thats done, I need to get back to work," said the Quarian, "Bloody crooks, just had to start attacking when I was in the middle of Tinkering…"

"Hold on a second!" called Garrus, making the Quarian pause.

"Hn? Need something?" he said.

"Who are you?" asked Garrus, "And...why did you help?"

The Quarian shrugged.

"Why not?" he asked, "I heard about this little caffuffle on the radio and figured it'd be a good field test for my gear. Turns out I still need to make some adjustments and now I have a whole load of new ideas that'll be useful for non-lethal takedowns and…"

He shook himself violently.

"Stupid Tinker trances," he muttered, "Anyway, I guess you can call me Arsenal."

With that, he turned and walked away, muttering to himself and fiddling with his Omni Tool.

 **And there we go, done. Well...the Reapers are boned. Seriously, an ME based Tinker in the ME Universe? He could probably build something designed to take down the Reapers out of duct tape and paperclips.**

 **To be clear, Arsenal is a Case 53, which means he's a mutated Human who just so happens to be physically identical to a Quarian...on the surface at least. Hes a primarily a Tinker, but his altered body grants him above Human physical powers, although not high enough to be marked as more than a Brute 1 or 2. Well, naturally at least. Like all Tinkers, he uses power armour and in his case, it can even grant him the ability to use Biotics. Hell, he could build a gun that shoots singularities with relative ease.**

 **Yes, the Citadel now has its very own Cape and yes, Brad Meadows is a reference to Worm. Although I don't plan to send them to Bet any time soon, Arsenal and Shepards team will run into a fair few familiar faces on their travels. There won't be any other Parahumans though. Mainly because there aren't any Entities and the Cauldron has no interest in offering powers to people not on worlds at risk of being obliterated by eldritch abominations.**

 **Anyway, I'm done now. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	81. Tinker Effect chapter 2

Tinker Effect

Most people in my situation are there due to vaguely defined ROBs dragging them into a malfunctioning game. In my case, I think its because of a group of interdimensional nutcases out to defeat a golden Superman. Oh well, at least I'm not as helpless as some of them.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

It had been six months since my debut as Arsenal and I was still finding it hard to believe that I was basically a superhero now. I mean, I know that I'd probably have ended up doing something similar if I'd ended up on Bet, but I was on the Citadel running around punching crooks in the face and using them as live dummy's for my less lethal tech (or even my lethal stuff in some cases). Hell, I'd even taken down a gang of degenerate drug dealers operating in the lower sections of the Wards led by an odious little degenerate who went by Skidmark. It was at about that point when I went back and checked the names of some of the idiots I'd taken down and realized I'd somehow managed to take down half the Capes in the E88 and most of the Merchants. None of them were Parahumans of course, but there were a few Biotics. I'd spent a few minutes trying to decide how to feel about that, before I gave up and hacked the CEO of ExoGeni's computer to blow Max Anders shitty actions all over the internet. I'd have felt more guilty about that, except that Anders wife had nothing to do with her husbands gang and took the reigns of the company to turn it back in the direction it was supposed to go.

In addition to dealing with the surprising number of gangs that operated in the seedy underbelly of the Citadel, I also took down three batarian slave rings, an illegal dog-fighting ring that was somehow a thing and an illegal Vorcha strip club. Don't ask. I also spent a lot of time dodging C-sec since Executor Pallin had decided I was a menace to public order and had ordered my arrest. Unfortunately for him, I'd hacked C-secs comms and, even if they did manage to corner me, I just left the officers floating helplessly in a Singularity. I think it helped that most of the street level officers actually liked me for helping to bring in a good number of wanted crooks.

As an added bonus, there was a great deal of goodwill from the public as a result of my more public heroics, although there was a bit of grumbling about the fact I was apparently a Quarian. I did have the side effect of making everyone be a lot more polite to the visiting Quarians after I pitched one annoying moron who tried hassling me when I went out in my civies off a bridge and into a pond.

I also made it a point to keep an eye on the news to try and ensure I could tag along with Shepard once she (colonist and Lion of Elysium) showed up for the start of the story. Some people might be worried about convincing her to take them on, but considering I could probably build a weaponized Mass Relay out of spare parts, I wasn't that worried.

* * *

I was in the middle of my latest attempt to create something similar to Dragons Containment Foam (which wasn't going well) when a loud alarm from my Omnitool made me jump. After wiping foam from the resultant explosion off my goggles, I activated my Omnitool and found that the alert had come from one of the bots I'd added to C-secs systems meant to alert me to any shootouts occuring in Chora's Den. Admittedly, they happened about once a week, so I'd stopped rushing down after the third turned out to be a false alarm and got me into a fight with a Krogen, but considering I knew for a fact that I'd also received an alert regarding the Geth invasion of Eden Prime, I was willing to bet that this was what I was waiting for.

I quickly suited up, attaching my Halberd to my back, my guns to my hips and snatching up my helmet and recently built hoverboard (because why not?) on my way out. As I left my workshop, I sent a signal that would cause all my equipment to fold up into easily transportable modes for later retrieval and put on my helmet, the armour plating snapping into place as I jumped onto my board and shot down the street at high speed.

* * *

It didn't take me long to reach the alley leading to Chora's Den where I found a sight that would work much better to endear me to the crew, namely, Tali's meeting with Sarens would-be assassins. I bought my board to a stop above them and drew my guns.

"Oi, dipshits!" I shouted down, making all three jump and look up, "Leave the poor girl alone!"

"Oh shit, its Arsenal!" yelped one of the Salarians.

The Turian scoffed.

"You mean that so-called hero whos been running around causing trouble?" he sneered, "I've been wanting to…"

BANG!

SPLAT!

"Sorry, he was getting annoying," I said as the now-headless Turian collapsed, "So, are you two gonna try anything?"

The Salarians glanced at each other, before sprinting away. I rolled my eyes and raised an arm to point at them. There was a loud bang and a large net shot out, sweeping both of them up and shocking them hard enough to knock them unconscious.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," I said as I holsted my guns and lowered my board down to the stunned looking Tali, "Are you OK Miss?"

Before she could answer, a round bounced of my shield making her jump and me sigh. Like all my gear, my Kinetic Barriers had received the full Tinker Treatment and could now tank a tank shell without going down.

"Hold fire, hes a friendly!" shouted a familiar voice.

"Hey Garrus, long time no see," I said, turning to the approaching group.

"Arsenal, I see your as efficient as ever," said my Turian friend with a grin, "And you have yet another new toy."

I grinned and dropped down to sit on my board like a floating bench.

"Yep, although its still got a few bugs I need to sort out," I said.

As if on cue, the ME field keeping me aloft vanished and I dropped straight down.

"Bugs indeed," said Garrus, clearly smothering his laughter.

I glared at the Turian as I got to my feet, rubbing my behind.

"Um, not to interrupt, but who exactly are you?" asked Shepard.

"Oh, sorry," I said, "Names Arsenal, Tinker and resident hero."

"Hero?" asked Ashley.

"Hes been running around the Citadel for the past six months cleaning up street level crime," said Garrus, "Hes rather good at it, both in dealing with criminals and avoiding any C-sec patrols the Executor sends after him."

"What, you mean hes like Batman?" asked Ashley with a raised eyebrow.

"Kinda, but with a lot less brooding," I said distractedly as I tried to get my board working again, "Oh fuck this, I'll fix it later."

I pressed a hidden switch that made the board fold up to the size of a large phone and slipped it into a pouch on my belt.

"Wha...how did you do that?!" spluttered Tali.

"Hmm? Oh, with excessive amounts of ME fields, some technology I only vaguely understand and by bending physics over the table and giving it a good rogering," I said.

"Wait, what?"

"Alright, thats enough!" yelled Shepard, "Sorry to interrupt, but we're kinda on the clock here."

"Your after intel on Saren and his Geth, right?" I asked.

"Alright, how in the hell do you know that?" asked Garrus.

"I've hacked into C-secs systems," I said blandly, "Its not that hard to figure it out considering some of the information on there."

"Anything we can use?" asked Garrus, apparently well used to my brand of bullshit that he didn't ask questions.

"Not really," I said, "I did manage to find Sarens ship movements that indicate he was in the Exodus Cluster at about the same time the attack went down which might be useful as circumstantial evidence."

"Maybe if you didn't obtain it illegally."

"Eh, semantics."

Garrus just rolled his eyes.

"Right, lets get going," said Shepard, "We need to meet Udina about the upcoming trial and he'll need this evidence. Arsenal was it?"

"Yep."

"Right, do you mind coming along to? It might be illegal, but that intel might still be useful."

I shrugged.

"Sure thing," I said, "If it means I get to fuck with the Council and that bastard Saren I'll happily eat my helmet."

"You don't like the Council?" asked Alenko as we started heading back towards the Presidium.

"No, I don't," I grumbled, "Those assholes confiscated my first base and a full two months worth of hard work. On the up side, I'm pretty sure my tech gave at least two Salarians mental breakdowns and I got a message from the STG begging me to stop doing horrible things to the fabric of reality. I also intercepted a message to the Council flatly refusing to have anything to do with my tech ever again."

"I'm more curious about those," said Williams, indicating to the guns on my hips, "How did you even get your hands on such oldschool weapons?"

I grinned and drew one.

"They aren't actually handguns," I said as I removed the side from the gun, revealing a bright, blue glow inside, "They just look like them. Their actually highly advanced firearms that use ME principles to fire bolts of highly compressed plasma."

"Y-you've built viable energy weapons?!" spluttered Tali, "How!?"

I shrugged as I rebuilt my weapon and returned it to its holster.

"I'm a Tinker, its just how I roll," I said, "You'll find that all my techs the same. Ridiculously advanced to the point where no one can replicate or even maintain it in most cases."

"How is that even possible?!"

"Fuck if I know."

The rest of the trip was spent in silence.

* * *

The meeting with Udina went about as well as you might expect. I think the fact I got bored and started tinkering with my Omni Tool might have annoyed the good Ambassador a little considering he want an interesting shade of purple that nearly matched my own skin. I think its probably a good thing that I outright refused to go to the Council meeting due to worries of 'accidentally' shooting the Councillor or Udina might have had a stroke. I did tag along to the Council Chambers though, if only to offer my assistance to Shepard once he got made a Spectre. I used the time to try and fix my board.

"Do you mind?" I asked, glancing back at Tali who was craning her neck over my shoulder.

"Oh, sorry," she said, "Um, what are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out a way to improve the power connections to the ME field generators," I said, "Currently, theres a problem where the capacitors keep overloading and triggering the emergency shut off after being in use for a while. Not exactly what you want in the middle of combat."

There was a spark and I closed the board back up.

"That'll do for now. I'll need the rest of my equipment to fully fix the issue though."

Tali looked like she was about to ask something else, but before she could, Shepard and Anderson came over. Shepard had finally taken off her helmet and I ended up having to take a rather large double take. I had been expecting her to look like the default fem-shep, but instead she had wavy, black hair, pale tanned skin and a soft, gray eyes. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but something about her was pinging my instincts and tickling my buried memories. For some reason, I felt like I'd seen her before.

"Are you OK Arsenal?" asked Garrus.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," I said as I realized I'd been staring at Shepard for a couple of minutes.

Thankfully, my mask made it impossible to figure out where I was looking. I cleared my throat and stepped forwards as Anderson and Udina hurried towards the lifts.

"Anyway, if you need some extra tech support, I'd be happy to offer it," I said.

"Don't you have work to do here?" asked Kaiden.

I gave him a funny look.

"No, I only acted as a Hero so I could stress test my gear," I said, "C-sec is good at their job, they can do it."

"I'm not going to turn down offered help," said Shepard, "Especially if your as good some of the reports say."

I grinned.

"Oh, I am, believe me," I said, "Plus, I can upgrade the teams gear to give us even more of an advantage."

Shepard nodded.

"Alright, in that case, gather your stuff and meet us at Dock 68," she said, "Williams, you go with him."

"Yes Ma'am," said the Gunnery Chief, although she didn't look particularly happy about it.

"Well, some help shifting my equipment would be handy," I said, "Right, I'll see you back at your ship then. Later Shep."

I hopped onto my board and floated away, ignoring Williams spluttering as she hurried after me.

* * *

"So, why exactly do you have a spear?" asked Williams as we headed through the Wards in the direction of my workshop.

"Its a Halberd actually," I said, "And I use it because its handy for close quarters fighting while not being immediately deadly. Most of my targets in the past have been criminals and C-sec tends to get snippy if random people start killing crooks."

"You do know that the people we face will be trying to kill us, right?" asked Williams.

"Of course, even the crooks tried to kill me," I said dismissively, "But I only kept to my non-lethal equipment here to keep the law enforcement happy. I have plenty of deadly weapons at my disposal. Here we are."

I stopped in front of a seemingly abandoned warehouse in the Wards and brought up my Omni Tool.

"Here? But theres...nothing...holy shit!" said Ashley, her eyes going wide as the doors opened and revealed the shiny and well maintained interior.

"I have to keep the curious folk out somehow," I said as I walked inside and put my weapons in their places, before pushing a button that made the whole rack fold up.

"What is all this stuff?" asked Williams, examining the metal boxes that were placed apparently randomly around the room.

"I designed all my equipment with mobility in mind," I said, "As such, it can fold down to an easilly carried size and uses ME fields to make it so it weighs about the same as a briefcase. Of course, theres still a lot of it, so we're gonna need my truck."

"And all that?" asked Williams, pointing at the stack of crates in the corner.

"My supplies and materials," I said, "I'll need that to since some of its kinda expensive and hard to come by."

"Bloody hell, is this all Eezo!?" gasped Williams as she spotted the label on one of the crates.

"Not all of it, but I do need quite a bit for my tech," I said, "I confiscated all the weapons from the gangs I took down and dismantled them to get it. It took me a while to build up that stockpile, so I don't really want to lose it."

I walked over to a control panel on the door and pressed a button, causing it to open and reveal a skytruck with a flatbed.

"Help me load up and we can get it all over to the ship," I said, picking up one of the crates.

Thanks to a combination of the easy to move designs of my equipment and the ME fields making them weigh practically nothing, it didn't take us long to load the truck. Once it was all away, I removed the outer armour of my costume, retracted the metal plates from over my visor and hopped into the cab.

"Why did you do that?" asked Williams as she climbed in next to me.

I shrugged.

"The armours good for keeping me from getting shot, but I don't need it right now," I said, "Besides, the plates make it hard to see."

Williams couldn't really argue with that.

* * *

Considering it was about lunch time, there wasn't much in the way of traffic and, other than a short argument with a guard in charge of keeping random mooks out of the loading yard for Alliance ships, it wasn't long before we arrived at the Normandy. I whistled as I got out of the cab.

"Nice, very impressive," I said as my power started feeding me ideas for upgrading the ships...everything.

I shoved the urge to start Tinkering aside and followed Williams over to where a man was barking orders. As we approached, he finished berating a hapless worker and turned to us.

"Ah, Gunnery Chief, we're nearly done restocking the ship," said the man.

"Good work Adams," said Williams, "This is one of our new crew members, Arsenal. Hes got some...equipment that needs to go on the ship."

Adams turned and raised an eyebrow at me.

"A Quarian?" he asked, "Well, we certainly won't say no to your expertees."

"Thanks, I'll help where I can," I said, "My equipment is over there. If you and your men could get it on the ship and put it somewhere with a bit of space I can use, I'll sort it out later. Don't try and open any of it please, I've installed some rather nasty security features and I don't want anyone getting hurt."

Engineer Adams nodded and shouted at a couple of workers stood nearby who jumped to start unloading my truck. Leaving them too it, I followed Williams onto the ship through the cargo where I quickly found a suitable place out of the way that I could set up my lab and directed the workers to put the stuff down where I needed it and Williams headed up in the lift.

* * *

I was in the middle of setting up my workbench when Shepards voice came over the PA with a rather Paragon speech about doing our best to take down Saren and other stuff. I was in the middle of a slight Tinker Trance at the time, so I wasn't really paying attention as my Agent provided me with some rather interesting plans for a weapon that would be perfect for Wrex. I pushed the idea aside for now though as my stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

With that thought, I left my new lab in search of some grub, whistling happily as I headed upstairs and into the mess, I grabbed a tray and some food and headed back towards the lift, passing Alenko as I did.

"Um, you do know thats Levo food, right?" asked the Biotic Lieutenant.

"I do indeed," I said as I entered the lift and hit the button for the cargo hold.

Two minutes later, I was back in my lab, which I had intentionally hidden behind stacks of crates and a few fold up walls. I didn't really intend to keep hiding the fact I wasn't really a Quarian from the crew, but for now, I didn't feel like explaining. I tapped the side of my helmet and, with a series of metallic clicks, it loosened and I lifted it off, putting it to one side as I took a bite from my plate and started grabbing the tools and parts I needed for my latest project.

Before I could get started though, a sudden scream made me jump and spin around to see that Tali had just rounded the corner.

"Oh hey Tali, need something?" I asked, ignoring her obvious shock and horror.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" shreaked Tali as she sprinted across the room, already with her Omni Tool active to scan me, "DO YOU WANT TO...di...WHAT THE…"

My translator neglected to translate the last word.

"Yeah, I ain't exactly normal," I said, cleaning out my ear with a finger.

"I...who...what are you?!" spluttered Tali, "Your not a Quarian."

"True," I said, "I may look like one, but my immune system is stronger than a Krogens, my biology is capable of using both Levo and Dextro based proteins and my brain is capable of coming up with technology and innovations that I only vaguely understand at the best of times. And thats when its not simply messing with the fabric of reality in a way that would make Albert Einstein cry and beg for mercy."

"Who?"

"Human physicist from the 20th century," I said.

"But...the medical scanners registering you as Human," said Tali.

I gave a thin smile.

"I am aware," I said, "The problem is, I have no idea how I ended up like this. I know that I used to be a normal Human, but my memories from before about six months ago are extremely fragmented. I remember a few bits and pieces, like the fact I was a University student and a few details about the town where I grew up, but most of it is just blank."

"But then how…"

I shrugged and spread my fingers.

"Who knows?" I said, "Although I suspect it involved a shadow organization and excessive experimentation."

I tapped the Omega tattoo on my cheek.

"This has got an ID number hidden in it and its not a normal tattoo. I have no idea what its made of, but I do know that its far more heavy duty than normal tattoo ink. I doubt it'll ever fade and nothing I can think of has been able to remove it."

"Some kind of tracker chip?" asked Tali.

I shook my head. The Cauldron didn't need anything like that, not with the Clairvoyant and Contessa on their payroll.

"No, its nothing like that," I said, "Its just ink under the skin, just really unusual ink."

There was a moments silence, broken only by the sound of my tools as I kept working.

"Why tell me all that?" asked Tali.

I shrugged.

"Why not?" I said, "I don't intend to keep my origins, or lack thereof, from the crew, mainly because I don't really want to spend 24-7 in my armour and its not like theres any harm in telling you."

Tali winced and I quickly figured out why.

"Sorry, that was…"

"Its fine," muttered Tali, a little sullenly, "Although I do have one question though."

"Shoot."

"Why are you taking apart your hoverboard?"

I blinked and looked down.

"OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!"

 **Poor Arsenal, this is why Tinkers can't have nice things.**

 **I did say that there'd be more folks from Worm showing up in various guises, but I never said that they'd have a big role. I suspect that Coil will make an appearance as a member of Cerberus...or possible his own organization bent on taking over Novaria or something. There is one regular on the cast with her own alternate though.**

 **Why did I give him a hoverboard? Because why the fuck not? Why did I have him take it apart? Because Tinker. Also, its kinda funny. As for his guns, their basically Blaster pistols from star wars that look like modern handguns.**

 **Normally, I'd make Shepard a Paragon, but this time things will be a little different. Mainly because, although she isn't technically a renegade, shes not the type of person who'd hesitate pulling the trigger. Plus, she HATES Batarians. Her reputation will come out in the not too distant future.**

 **Anyway, time to wrap this up. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	82. Tokyo Cauldron Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicle: Tokyo Cauldron

Death is never fun. Getting reborn into a world where monsters of all sorts haunt the streets is even worse. On the other hand, I'm now something weirder than any Ghoul could ever hope to be and owe a bunch of amoral lab types a favour...this might end badly.

 **Sooo, this is a weird idea to say the least. I'm having entirely to much fun playing with Worm...eh, whatever, its kinda fun. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of Twilight books falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about, even if it was less painful than reading them. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby. Now, normally I wouldn't complain about that, but when I found out that I got reborn into a world infested with man eating monsters who are indistinguishable from Humans until they are chewing on your spare ribs, I think I have the right to start swearing like a sailor. The fact I was also born as a future plot point to help the protagonist start to grow a pair didn't help matters. Oh, am I being to obtuse? Let me make it clear then. I have been reborn into the Tokyo Ghoul world as Hideyoshi Nagachika. Eh, I guess it could be worse though.

Anyway, other than discovering I was a god damn side character, I managed to adapt fairly quickly. I didn't get too bored going through school again by virtue of being a brit last time and thus, the schooling was completely different...mostly. I mean, it was still mildly annoying having to act like a toddler to keep from freaking people out but whatever. I grew up with a single mother, but that was no real hardship since she had a decent job and my Dad wasn't a complete deadbeat. I never did meet him though and all Mum could tell me was that he was apparently American and that she hadn't been with my Father long before I was born.

Despite being disgruntled over having the roll of squishy best friend, that didn't mean I wasn't about to help out Kaneki when I got the chance. Seriously, the kid spent most of the time looking like a kicked puppy, I couldn't not do so. Plus, Kaneki was highly intelligent and, like me, a complete bookworm, although I prefer fantasy and gothic literature over the downright disturbing horror Kaneki liked.

* * *

The years passed quickly, taken up by hanging out, homework, getting a few books published and learning as much as I could about self defence. Hey, I might not be able to match up to a Ghoul, but that didn't mean I wouldn't give it everything I've got. Besides, I might figure out a way to prevent myself from fuel for more homoerotic fanfiction.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"To that cafe I told you about," said Kaneki.

"Ohh, you mean the one where you met your Prince Charming?" I said with a smirk.

"Hide!" whined Kaneki.

I just snickered as Kaneki pouted. Teasing him was so much fun. Unfortunately, my smile because a tad fixed as we rounded a corner and Kaneki brightened up.

"There it is," he said, pointing at a cafe a short distance away.

It was Anteiku. Well, looks like I'd be going hunting in the not too distant future. There was no way I was gonna let Kaneki get Ghoulified without a fight.

We entered the cafe, placed our orders and took a seat, just as the news started a report on a Ghoul attack in the Takada building.

"Jeeze, thats near here," I said as a waitress placed our orders in front of us, "Kinda scary, right?"

Not really, at least, not for me. I knew enough to be able to avoid most Ghouls and, even if I didn't, they weren't immune to pepper spray. Or tasers for that matter.

"I guess," said Kaneki, "But I've never even seen a Ghoul."

"I guess its hard to be scared of something you've never even seen," I said, "Then again, considering they're supposed to look Human, you wouldn't know someone was a Ghoul until they were chewing on your rump steak."

I grinned in a way I knew always freaked out Kaneki.

"Even I could be one."

Kaneki shuddered and glared at me.

"Don't do that!" he said, "You know I think that wolfish grin of yours is damn unsettling."

I stifled a snort as I took a bite out of my bacon and sausage sandwich. Considering they couldn't eat it, the sandwich was surprisingly good.

"So, which girl is it that caught your eye?" I asked, "Is it her?"

I jerked my thumb at Touka as she walked past.

"No, shes a customer, not a waitress," said Kaneki, "Although I guess shes cute…"

"Hnn," I said as Touka walked past, ignoring the veiled dirty look she sent me.

"Um, excuse me?" said Touka as she stopped next to our table, "Are you done with that?"

She indicated to my empty plate.

"Oh, sure," I said, handing it to her.

She nodded and took the plate away. I turned back to Kaneki, who was wearing a smirk that had me on guard. Kaneki wasn't the type to tease people, but that didn't mean he couldn't.

"I think she likes you," he said.

"Jailbait," I drawled.

Kaneki rolled his eyes.

"Three years at the most," he said.

"We're here because of your lovelife, not mine," I said in annoyance.

Kaneki snickered, before he suddenly blushed and ducked his head. I didn't need to turn to know that Rize had just walked in, I could feel it. I'd always had a good sense for danger and right now, that sense was screaming at me that something very dangerous had just entered the room and to get the fuck out as quickly as possible. I swallowed and clenched my fists to try and keep myself from bolting.

"Um, are you Ok Hide?" asked Kaneki.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "So, I take it thats her?"

Kaneki nodded.

"Yeah, you haven't got a chance," I deadpanned.

"Wha...HIDE!"

"What? Shes way out of your league. It'd be like Beauty and the Bonehead."

"You mean beast," growled Kaneki.

I forced a chuckle and stood.

"Whatever, now I've seen your crush, I'm outa here," I said, dropping a handful of coins on the table to pay for my food and drink, "Later."

"See you."

I left the cafe and quickly ducked into an alley where I rested my head against the cool bricks in an attempt to center myself and stop shaking.

"Fuck me, that was brutal," I muttered, "How the fuck did Kaneki not feel all that bloodlust?"

I took a deep, shaky breath and pushed off the wall. Now I had to figure out how in the actual hell I was supposed to stop my friend from nearly dying. I was so deep in thought, I nearly walked into a foreign woman in a suit coming the other way and it was only some fancy footwork on both our parts that prevented a collision. Even so, her hat fell of in the process.

"Sorry about that," I said as I picked up the hat, a fedora, and handed it to her.

"Its no problem," said the woman as she brushed the headwear off and put it back on.

She gave me a searching look.

"You seem bothered by something," she said.

I let out a breath through my nostrils.

"I guess I am," I said, "Just...trying to figure out what to do about a hopeless situation…"

I shook my head and sighed.

"Anyway, I should go," I said, "Sorry again."

I walked off, ignoring the way the womans eyes kept burning into my back as I did so.

* * *

"So, you managed to get a date with that girl?" I asked around the mouthful I was chewing.

"Yep, we're going to the bookstore tomorrow," said Kaneki.

"Huh, sounds like you got lucky," I said, "So whats her name?"

"Rize Kamishiro," said Kaneki, "Hey, are you eating something?"

"Yeah, you caught me in the middle of dinner," I said.

"Oh, sorry about that," said Kaneki, "Anyway, I should go."

"Sure sure, have fun on your date," I said and snapped my phone shut.

I dropped it onto the table in front of me and sat back, staring up at the ceiling. I'd been thinking non stop about the problem before me since that morning but was no closer to coming up with an answer than before. I was a good fighter, but I was no match for a Binge Eater. There was quite literally nothing I could do about the issue. At all. Well, I suppose I could call the CCG, but I really didn't want to do that. As such, I'd basically resigned myself to Kaneki getting Ghoulified by this point and had moved onto planning what to do next. The problem was that there was a fairly high risk that Touka would simply take my head off if I did anything to approach them and if they didn't, I was still a helpless squishy Human.

I sighed deeply as my laptop pinged, indicating that an email had just arrived. I lazilly rolled my head forwards and opened my inbox, hoping for a distraction from the circular thoughts werling in my head. I certainly got just that, although not in any way I'd ever expect.

The first thing that caught my eye and made my jaw drop was the address. Contessa . I rubbed my eyes and double checked. Yep, thats what it said.

"Um...O...K," I said, "Thats...normal?"

I hesitated, not sure if I should open the mail or not. After a few seconds, curiosity got the better of me and, praying that my Antivirus software was up to the task if this was a stupid move, clicked on the message. Fortunately, my computer didn't explode, so that was something. I swallowed and lent forwards to read it.

 _Dear Mr Nagachika,_

 _It has come to our attention that you are in need of some...help shall we say. We may be able to offer the aid you need, for a price of course. If you are interested, please meet me tomorrow outside the train station at 11 oclock sharp._

 _I hope to see you then._

 _Contessa._

I stared at the message uncomprehendingly for a moment, before slowly sitting back, my mind awhirl. Well...wasn't this interesting? If this was legit, I could well get my hands on what I needed to help Kaneki and prevent myself from becoming someone's lunch. Even a basic Thinker power would be wildly helpful in that regard! I didn't even entertain the idea that this was anything but legit. After all, if someone wanted to kidnap me or something, why use something like this? No one could possibly know about the issues I was having and even fewer (read, none) would know the name Contessa considering that Worm didn't exist in this reality. The only thing I was really worried about was the price.

I wasn't well off, I was a university student after all, so I couldn't pay them with money. That said, if Contessa was contacting me, that likely meant that I featured in her Path to Victory in some way, so they'd probably ask for a favour or something instead of monetary compensation. I just hope that its not anything I'll end up regretting…

* * *

The next day, I arrived at the station at 10:55, not wanting to risk being late to meet someone like Contessa or risk losing my one chance to possible become more than a speed bump in the plot. I lent against the wall of the building, watching the world go by, occasionally glancing at my watch as the time ticked closer and closer to eleven. The instant the minute hand flicked onto the 12, a woman seemed to appear out of thin air next to me and I was somehow unsurprised to see that it was the woman I'd nearly walked into the previous day.

"Good afternoon Mr Nagachika," said Contessa, "I'm glad to see that you are punctual. My name is Contessa and we have much to discuss."

"Fair enough," I said with a sigh, "Before we do though, how much do you actually know about me?"

Contessa smirked slightly.

"Just about everything," she said, "Including the fact you are somehow aware of the future of both this and Earth Bet, despite being 100% baseline Human."

My eye twitched.

"Alright, how the fuck can you possibly know that?" I asked.

"Thinkers."

"Fair enough."

Contessa nodded and indicated for me to follow her. I did so and she led me to an out of the way area and stopped.

"Doorway to the lab," she said and a glowing, blue hole in space appeared.

She turned to me and indicated for me to go first. I took a deep breath.

"Well, in for a penny," I muttered and stepped through the doorway.

* * *

I found myself stood in a sterile looking room with a rather ominous looking chair with heavy duty restraints on the arms and legs in the middle. A silver tray with a number of shiny and rather sharp looking implements, as well as an almost comically large syringe full of glowing orange goop stood next to the chair and beside that was a slightly short, dark skinned woman in a doctors uniform making notes on a clipboard.

"Doctor Mother I presume?" I asked as Contessa stepped through the portal behind me, which vanished with a thump.

The 'good' Doctor looked up and fixed me with a rather unnerving look.

"Correct," she said in a french accented voice that I would have found attractive if it wasn't so lacking in inflection, "Contessa told me you would know more than you should. I see that she was correct, as always."

The Thinker nodded as she walked past me and lent against the wall.

"So, I assume that you are aware of what we are doing here?" asked Doctor Mother.

I nodded.

"I do," I said, "Although I'm not sure what I can do for you. I'm not exactly wealthy after all."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Plus, I don't live on Bet, so I won't be able to do anything over there. With that in mind, what do you want from me?"

Doctor Mother stared at me for a moment, before she sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Future knowledge and a sharp mind," she muttered, "Great."

She cleared her throat and looked me in the eye.

"What we want from you is information," she said, "Tell us everything you know about what to come and we will give you what you want."

I blinked. Well, that was significantly less horrific than I was expecting.

"Alright, you got a deal," I said, "I don't know everything of course, but I'll give you a summary of what I do know."

Doctor Mother gave what might have been a smile and gestured to a small sitting area off to the side. I took the offered seat as the Doctor sat across from me with Contessa at her shoulder. I cleared my throat and started talking.

Three hours later and we were finally done. The summary didn't take that long of course, but the Doctor and Contessa asked me a fair few questions once I was done.

"Alright, this will all come in very useful," said the Doctor.

"It was a pleasure," I said, "Oh, and if you need it, I'd be willing to offer you my help in future battles, either with Endbringers or Scion."

Doctor Mother gave me a curious look.

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

I shrugged.

"Why not?" I asked, "I might be able to prevent some people from dying in the latter and the former is a threat to all Earths, not just Bet. Obviously, that offer is reliant on what I'm up to at the time, but I think I can make a hole in whatever schedule I have, especially for Scion."

"Of course," said Contessa.

Doctor Mother glanced at the Thinker, before nodding.

"Very well, I shall inform the relevant people of your offer," she said, "Now, let us begin."

She stood and moved over to the chair. I swallowed and followed her, stipping off my shirt as instructed and allowing myself to be strapped to the table.

"Um, is this really necessary?" I asked a little weakly as I eyed the restraints that looked like they'd even give Alexandria a hard time.

"Oh yes," said Doctor Mother as she picked up the syringe and flicked it to get the air bubbles out, "We have no idea what powers you will get after all and we don't want a pain maddened Brute on the loose in the base."

I paled and mouthed 'pain maddened' as Doctor Mother turned to me and stated prepping my arm for the injection.  
"I suggest you brace yourself," she said, "This is going to be painful. Good luck."

"Wait, what?"

Instead of answering, Doctor Mother stabbed the needle into my arm and pushed the plunger. Thirty seconds later, I was screaming.

 **And that'll do. There were about three points when I could end this chapter, but this is where I wanted to end it. Is it believable? Probably not. Do I care? Not in the slightest.**

 **So, now the Cauldron knows whats to come and Bet is likely to be changed by it. Maybe Taylor will end up in a better position. Who knows? Its mostly irrelevant to this story anyway, although we MIGHT get a glimpse into Bet at some point. Maybe.**

 **Don't worry, I don't intend to give Hide anything completely broken, although it will be something that'll allow him to fight on par with a Ghoul at least. I was thinking either Hemokinesis or biokinesis of some kind. Let me know what you think I should give him and remember, it could be practically anything, although I may nerf it slightly so he doesn't just steamroll everyone.**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna sign off here. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	83. An Outsiders Bizarre Adventure Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: An Outsiders Bizarre Adventure

So, I died and got reborn into a world of crazy people with superpowers from parasitic aliens out to destroy the world. I thought that was strange, but after finding a creepy stone mask in the attic, I've discovered that my family history is even more bizarre than anything this world can come up with. Oh well, at least my ancestor finished the job with the crazy Vampire...right?

 **Well...this will be interesting. I admit that I've never got around to watching Jojo, but since I'm now doing it, I figure I might as well take what I know, add a few bits from the Wiki and write this. Due to differences in the timeline, consider everything after 1982 and the appearance of Scion to be up in the air as far as Jojo is concerned. After all, while Ripple and Stand Users can and will make an appearance, the addition of Parahumans will have changed things around. That said, Stardust Crusaders did happen. Anything else is up for debate, although since none of them happen anywhere near Brockton Bay (cus where else would it be set?), I don't really think its that relevant. Ironically enough, its the Worm side that will be more AU than the Jojo side. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, there are few things more strange than waking up as a baby. At least, thats what I would have said before this mess got started. Now I consider that to be one of the less bizarre things to happen in my life. Frankly, I really should have seen some of it coming considering what my name is, but in my defence, I was pretty sure that Parahumans and Endbringers were the most dangerous things ever to grace this world. I had no idea about the many insane and over dramatic nutcases my ancestors had fought.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. For my first few years, life seemed normal, just an ordinary little boy living with his single mother in downtown Brockton Bay where she ran a small sweet shop that had been in the family since the City had been founded. We weren't mega well off, but Mum made enough to get by and my Dad (who I had never met) occasionally sent helpful and rather fat cheques which certainly helped. I had no idea who the man was, but at least he wasn't a complete deadbeat. I had to wonder what he did, but at the end of the day, I guess it didn't really matter that much. I'd never met him and Mum never mentioned him, other than to tell me that I was apparently named after my great something Grandfather who had been the first of the family to come to America. Well, kind of. He actually died on the trip over, but that was just semantics. To be completely honest, I should have seen something off about that particular bit of family history considering a few key facts about me, but in my defence, how was I ever supposed to see something like that coming?

* * *

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Again. The day that shit hit the fan started like any other, with the only slightly unusual thing being the history trip to the local museum that had been planned. The trip to the museum was because we were currently studying the Aztecs and it had recently got a new exhibit from a dig in Mexico. Normally, I'd be eager to go, but as is standard for school trips, we'd all been assigned partners and mine was…

"Come on Jojo, don't look so down!"

I groaned and hit my head against the window. Diego, my own personal nemesis. The guy was INCREDIBLY annoying. He wasn't a bad guy by any stretch of the imagination and could be fun to be around, but he was a class clown that made Dennis look positively mature and that stupid nickname he'd given me back in Elementary school when we first met and somehow managed to stick with me till now certainly didn't help. And the idiot was my best friend.

"I'm not down, I'm thinking," I grumbled, "And would you please stop calling me Jojo?"

My protests were more for tradition at this point since I knew that Diego would never, ever stop. The blonde annoyance just grinned, flashing a mouth full of pure white teeth as he slung an arm over my shoulders.

"Awww, ya shouldnt think so much," he said, "It'll give you gray hairs."

My eye twitched, which only got worse when the sound of muffled snickering filtered through from the seat behind me. I turned my head to glare at the smirking girl, who didn't look in the least bit bothered by my irritation.

"Oh, don't give me that look Jojo," she said, "Diego has a point."

"Zip it Panpan," I growled.

The grin immediately vanished and was replaced with a glare. The girl in question was, as you might have guessed, Panacea, but she wasn't the depressed, overworked girl from canon. Instead, she was happy, mentally healthy and not weighed down by insecurities and angst. Why not you ask? Well, that would be because of a change that I honestly can't figure out how it happened because it had nothing to do with me. Marquis wasn't a Villain. In fact, he was the CEO of a massive, global organization with fingers in every pie imaginable, including, ironically enough, New Wave. I remember the first time I realized that change back when New Wave started out and saw them unmasking on TV while announcing their association with the SWF. The image of Brandish shaking hands with Marquis was one that never failed to make me either laugh at the irony or get a headache over trying to figure out what had changed.

Anyway, I think it goes without saying that Amelia Lavere was a lot more stable than Amy Dallon could ever be, even if she did share her powers and a rather intense crush on Vicky that she (rather badly) tried to hide. Still, you wouldn't ever find me complaining about the change because it meant I didn't have to figure out a way to help her.

"Don't call me that!" snapped Amy (which she prefered over Amelia for reasons I'd never found out).

"Than don't call me Jojo!" I snapped back.

For a moment, we glared at each other, before all three of us burst out laughing. Ah, the innocence of those days...how I miss it.

* * *

15 minutes later, we arrived at the museum and followed Mr Edwards, the history teacher, into the building where we were met by a fakely cheerful tour guide. I mostly ignored the vast majority of the tour, being both not really interested and familiar with the museums current exhibits. It was a popular day out destination after all and I'd been here more than a few times with my Mother.

Eventually, we reached something new and interesting, namly the new Aztec exhibit. I listened with half an ear to the guide as he explained the various theories and bits of information the academic world had gathered from the bits and bobs that had been unearthed in a hidden temple that had been discovered in a well hidden valley in the mountains. Most of it seemed to have something to do with a previously unknown cult dedicated to an equally unknown group of Gods who were depicted as horned Humanoids, as revealed by a rather impressive mural that was hanging in place of honour in a glass case. In fact, it seemed oddly familiar in its depiction.

I moved closer to take a closer look, but was distracted by what was in the case below the mural. I took a closer look and froze, utter shock and disbelief freezing my mind in place. It contained four stone masks that, according to the information provided, were used in sacrificial rituals. To be fair, that wasn't entirely inaccurate, but death would be the last thing that awaited whoever put on one of those things. Well, so long as they never caught a sunrise that is. Suddenly, a lot of things were falling into place that I really, REALLY didn't want to think about.

My mothers story about my namesake, my own nickname, the name of the company Marquis ran, the ability I had no idea how I could use…I took a breath and watched as golden energy rippled across my fingertips. Well shit, this could end badly. And I suddenly feel like an even bigger idiot than Diego acted half the time...oh shit!

My head snapped around to stare at my friend, who was idly examining a case full of obsidian knives. He caught me looking and cocked his head on one side.

"What?" asked Diego Brando.

"Nothing," I said, my voice slightly shaky.

Diego eyed me for a second longer, before shrugging and going back to the knives. I took a deep breath and turned back to the masks, trying to decide if I should leave them, try and warn someone or break in tonight and introduce the bloody things to a sledgehammer. I did NOT want to see what a Vampire could do in this world. God only knows what would happen if a Parahuman got their hands on a Mask and used it. The idea was enough to make me break out into a cold sweat. Fortunately, I don't think its very likely that anyone knew what the Masks could do.

As if Murphy decided that I needed a good ass kicking, at that moment, a massive explosion shook the museum and the sounds of screams and shouting, followed by a short burst of gunfire. The guide and teacher jumped into action with the air of people far to used to this kind of thing and started herding us towards the doors so we could try and get out. Before we could leave however, a group of thugs in ABB colours, armed with automatic weapons appeared and herded us back into the room as their apparent boss came walking boldy after them as if she owned the place.

I narrowed my eyes. What was Bakuda doing here? The ABB didn't deal in stolen relics, not when they could make money far easier on drugs and protection rackets, not to mention their slavery rings, and Lung didn't seem like the type to be interested in old relics, nor did Bakuda. Plus, even if someone was interested in them, wouldn't they be after Asian relics, not Aztecs? That was how crazy Supervillains worked, right?

The mad bomber barely gave us poor hostages a second look as she headed across the room towards the case holding the Stone Masks and, with every step she took, I felt my heart sink. No, she couldn't actually be here for them, could she? Where would she even find out about the Masks? She wouldn't actually be crazy enough to use them, would she? Actually, what am I thinking, of course she is! Shes certainly arrogant enough to chase immortality. Makes me wonder if she actually knew everything that came with using the Masks considering she attacked in daylight.

By this point, Bakuda had reached the case containing the Masks and pulled what looked like a photo out of her pocket. She glanced between the picture and the mask a few times.

"There you are," she said, her grating voice carrying across the room.

Well, that was interesting. And worrying. Bakuda hefted her grenade launcher and used the butt to smash the case, ignoring the alarm that immediately started screaming as she pulled a vile full of red liquid out of her pocket and let a few drops fall onto one of the Masks. Much to my complete lack of resigned surprise, it shook and sprouted its spikes.

"Whats she doing?" hissed Diego in my ear.

"Something very very bad," I muttered as I scanned the room.

For some reason, there wasn't any windows in this room, which would make fighting her if she did Vamp herself a pain in the neck (no pun intended). It didn't help that my control over my newly realized Hamon was shaky at best. I wasn't entirely sure how a Vampire would stack up against a Parahuman, but I'd still rather not find out. That sort of fight would likely be messy.

Bakuda started laughing as she picked up one of the other masks. It wasn't a nice laugh and sounded like it would be more at home coming out of the Joker. Even through the heavy synthesization of the Mad Bombers mask, the mad glee was clear to hear. Even the ABB thugs looked a tad worried as their boss laughed maniacally, her hands held out and clawed and her back bent at an angel only seen in a Jojo Anime...shit.

"Why does she sound like she just come up with a way to kill the Batman?" asked Diego, no looking extremely nervous.

Before I could respond with something sarcastic, Bakuda turned on her heel and pointed at our cowering group.

"Feel honoured presents!" she sneered with enough ham to stock a Subway for a year and do Dio proud, "For you are about to witness the birth of the new ruler of this pathetic city!"

I raised an eyebrow. Considering it was noon and an extremely sunny day outside, I had my doubts about that. Messy or not, a fight between a Vampire and a Parahuman would inevitably move from this room and most of the others had very large windows.

There was a startled intake of breath as Bakuda ripped her mask off, revealing a face that would be attractive if it wasn't for the manic look in her eyes, and slapped the Stone Mask on instead. She tilted her head back and emptied the vile over it. There was a snap and she went rigid as a brilliant light shone from the mask and the spikes did their thing.

"This...will not end well," I muttered.

 **Well, that was a thing. So, I changed a few things around, ranging from Marquis being a good guy and in charge of the Speedwagon Foundation, there are still a few Masks laying around and apparently theres another Brando running around.**

 **Before anyone asks, Diego will actually be part of Jojo's group and has no relation to the hammy Vampire. He does look like young Dio though and will likely have either the World or a variation of Scary Monsters. Not sure yet. He won't figure out the Timestop for a while if I do give him the World though.**

 **Bakuda certainly seems like the type who'd both jump at the chance to become immortal and be hammy enough to fit right into the Jojo universe, even if I will be trying to keep the ham to a minimum. If only for my own sanity.**

 **This Jojos a bit of a throwback because he's got his Grandfathers talent with Hamon and a Stand, which he will unlock a bit later on.**

 **Speaking of Stands, since I'm not really that into music, I'm instead going to be naming any original Stands I create after mythological figures. I also need some suggestions for possible Stands for Amy, the Undersiders and possible some of the Wards. Depends on who I decide to add to this Joestar group. So far I have Taylor, Diego and Amy.**

 **In terms of the Timeline, I'm not actually sure when this is set yet. I'm going to see what kind of reception it gets before I solidify it, but its definitely not long before the start of Canon.**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Next time, Jojo vs a Vamperized Bakuda! Now that should be fun! Until then, don't forget to leave a review!**


	84. An Outsiders Bizarre Adventure Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: An Outsiders Bizarre Adventure

So, I died and got reborn into a world of crazy people with superpowers from parasitic aliens out to destroy the world. I thought that was strange, but after finding a creepy stone mask in the attic, I've discovered that my family history is even more bizarre than anything this world can come up with. Oh well, at least my ancestor finished the job with the crazy Vampire...right?

 **And we're back. Time to have some more fun with this crazy ass world. Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

A few seconds later, the light from the Mask faded and Bakuda crumpled to the floor and went still. For a moment, there was a stunned silence at the apparent suicide, before the ABB goons reacted.

"OH SHIT!" yelled the apparent leader as he ran over to his bosses side and started frantically checking her, "If shes dead then…"

I quickly tuned out the paniking gangers as the guide and Mr Edwards took advantage of the distraction to get the bystanders out. Not a bad idea and it would hopefully cut down on the incoming carnage. I was at the back of the group with my friends, so I ended up still being in the room when a sudden cry of terror and pain made everyone still present freeze. I looked back and saw that Bakuda was back awake and had her fingers buried in the mooks neck. Within seconds, he shriveled up and stopped struggling as the masks spikes retracted and it fell away from the new Vampires face. She let the drained goon drop to the ground as she took a deep breath and grinned in a way that would make the Joker proud.

"Oooh yessss," she hissed, her eyes closed in extacy, "So much power…"

That seemed to snap the other goons out of their shock.

"YOU BITCH!" roared one of them as he pulled out a rather large knife, "YOU KILLED KENNY!"

I blinked. Did he really just say that? Now thats just...bizarre. The goon charged Bakuda with a yell, his big knife ready to stab her.

"Well, hes dead," I said.

Sure enough, Bakuda backhanded him without looking and literally knocked his block off. Needless to say, that served to get everyone moving and the crowd bolted.

"HOW THE FUCK DID SHE DO THAT?!" yelled Diego as we ran through the halls, "I thought that crazy bitch was a Tinker?!"

"It was the mask," I said as I led the way towards the rooms with the biggest windows, "I don't know how, but it must have been something the mask...OH COME ON!"

I skidded to a stop in the atrium and stared in horror at the steel shutters that were covering the windows. I'd completely forgotten about the museums security systems! When the case had been broken, it must have triggered them and the shutters came slamming down, trapping us inside with a crazy vampire and no way to get any sunlight in.

"Thats not good," said Amy, who was with us as she eyed the shutters.

Which happened to be bearing the logo for the Speedwagon Foundation. The man might be pretty damn cool, but I couldn't help but curse my namesakes best friends name at that moment.

"NOT GOOD?!" spluttered Diego, "Thats all you can say?! This is horrible! We're trapped with that crazy bitch and…"

He was cut off by a loud scream as a one of the ABB goons came running into the room, tears of terror running down his face. He hadn't gone more than three steps from the shadowed hall before something slammed into his back and knocked him over before burying its teeth in his back. It was the first goon Bakuda had killed, reanimated as a zombie and clearly very hungry. I swallowed as the undead monster tore into his former friend like a rabid wolf, quickly reaching his spine and ribbing out his lungs, which the Zombie ate with bloody glee.

" **Still hungry, need more!"** it growled once it was done.

It looked up and immediately spotted the three of us. Its dedicated face twisted into a mocking parody of a grin, revealing teeth like needles and it started crawling towards us, a long tongue snaking out to lick its lips.

"Oh god, what is that thing?!" whispered Diego in horror.

"Nothing good," I said as I instinctively started regulating my breathing to generate Hamon.

I might not be formally trained, but I knew the basics of how Hamon worked and it was apparent that I'd inherited some talent from my Grandfather. I stepped forwards and brought up my hands into a ready position.

"Wait, your not gonna fight that thing, are you?" asked Diego.

"Do you see another way out?" I asked.

"Well, no, but…"

I smirked.

"Don't worry Diego, I know what I'm doing," I said, "Besides, if I get hurt, Amy can patch me up. Right?"

The healer huffed.

"Sure, but you'll pay through the nose," she said.

"Heh, always the businesswoman," I said, "Guess I'd better not get hurt then."

At that moment, the Zombie seemed to get tired of waiting and launched itself forwards with a roar, clawed hands leading the way. I responded by side stepping and slamming a Hamon filled hand into its side. There was a flash of light and the Zombie went flying, crashing through a display case as it did. It hit the ground and immediately started rolling around, screaming in pain as steam began rising from its body as the Hamon did its thing. Within moments, it stilled and slowly melted into a faintly glowing puddle.

I let out a breath as my two stunned friends slowly turned from the puddle of goo to stare at me, wide eyed.

"How did you do that?" asked Amy, her voice sounding a little weak.

"Dude, are you a Cape?" asked Diego.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" I asked, ignoring the golden spark of Ripple that discharged off my shoulder.

I ignored the incredulous looks I got from my friends as I turned away from the goo puddle.

"Right, lets go find somewhere to hide," I said, "Or better yet, somewhere we can…"

"Interesting."

All three of us jumped and spun around to see Bakuda leaning against the wall, eyeing the glowing goo that had been her minion. I swallowed. A Zombie was one thing, it had clearly been crudely made and hadn't been able to handle my Hamon, but I knew for a fact that I likely wouldn't be able to pull the same trick on a full fledged Vampire, blinded by arrogance or no. Bakuda turned her eyes on us, examining us like we were a group of vaguely interesting bugs.

"So, which of you did this?" she asked, "Come now, hurry up. I don't have all day."

I gritted my teeth. Damn it, this was not going to end well! Still, if I didn't say something, she'd probably just kill all three of us. At least I stood a chance of at least holding her off and if she attacked, she'd be in range of my Hamon. I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, Diego interrupted me.

"It was me," he said, "I did it."

I looked at my friend in surprise. I didn't need supernaturally good senses to figure out that he was terrified out of his mind and he was visibly shaking. Despite that, he was willing to stand up and put himself in harms way without a second thought. I really hope he doesn't end up going the way of so many good characters in Jojo.

"I see," said Bakuda calmly.

Then she flashed forwards before I could react and punched Diego in the stomach. My blonde friend went flying, crashing through a display case of old arrows. Good god, she was _fast!_ How the fuck did my ancestor manage to beat Dio without Ripple?!

"I'm not sure how you did that kid, but I can't allow anyone to exist who might be a threat to me," said the Mad Bomber turned Vampire as she started towards Diego, "I'd apologize...but I'm going to enjoy this!"

That broke me from my horrified trance and I took a breath to get my Hamon flowing, spun on my heel and kicked Bakuda in the back of the knee. There was a blast of light, the sound of sizzling flesh and a horrible scream of agony that was in no way Human as her leg went limp and dropped her to the ground with her leg only holding on by a few bits of sickeningly melted skin and muscle. I followed up the blow with a stomp at her head, hoping to put her down before she could recover. Unfortunately, she had better instincts than I was expecting and managed to roll away and slowly stood, her teeth gritted in pain as her destroyed leg nearly gave way, and glared at me in a way that made me very glad that looks couldn't kill.

"You...what the fuck did you do to me?!" she growled.

"Its called Hamon," I said, "Its a power than anyone can use. A form of energy created by breathing thats identical to the suns rays. As a result, its deadly to Vampires and Zombies."

While I was talking, Amy had taken the opportunity to sneak away and get Diego back on his feet and the two were heading for the door. I just had to keep Bakuda's attention on me long enough for them to get out. Bakuda scoffed.

"Vampires? Seriously?" she sneered, "Your delusional."

I raised an eyebrow.

"So your not a super strong, super fast, blood sucking walking corpse?" I asked.

Bakuda looked taken aback, but before she could respond, I darted forwards and swung a Hamon full fist at her. The Vampire reacted, dodging the blow by inches. I hopped back to evade her returned swipe. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to avoid her other hand as it snapped out and caught me by the throat, cutting of my air supply.

" _SHIT!"_ I thought as I scrambled at her marble like fingers, struggling to get lose.

I wasn't anywhere near good enough with Hamon to store any energy, so unless I could breath, I was fucked. Bakuda noticed my struggling and gave a nasty grin.

"Oh, it looks like I was right," she said, "You said that that power of yours came from breathing, so if I do this…"

She tightened her grip and I gave a strangled gasp as she crushed my windpipe.

"You won't be able to use it again," she finished.

Damn, she might be delusional and arrogant, but I'd forgotten that Bakuda was genuinely quite intelligent. The crazy Vampires sneer widened into a feral grin as she threw me across the room. I hit the wall, hard, and slid down, unable to breath and with a spinning head. I sat there, unable to move, as Bakuda slowly stalked towards me, an evil grin on her face that showed off her fangs.

" _Damn, I can't move,"_ I thought, _"Is this really how I'm gonna die? At the hands of a third rate Vampire?"_

I twitched as I felt a burning sensation on my left shoulder as a rush of what can only be described as disapproval flowed through me, washing away the fuzziness. Oh, I still couldn't move, but now my mind was focused.

" _Oh hell no!"_ I thought as I gritted my teeth, _"There's no way I'm dying to this bitch! I'm a Joestar damn it, some third rate hack shouldn't be able to off me!"_

I gritted my teeth even harder as I tried to move, to breath and generate some Hamon. Unfortunately, despite what some Anime would have you believe, sheer determination isn't enough to fix a crushed windpipe and all I managed to do was twitch and make myself cough.

"So, you still have some fight left, do you?" sneered Bakuda as she loomed over me, "Good, that will just make this so much more satisfying!"

She swung a hand at me, clearly intending to stab me through the heart. I instinctively threw up my hands, for all the good it would do, but, instead of my soft, vulnerable flesh, her hand slammed into a plate of what appeared to be black stone. It wasn't stone however, or if it was it was way stronger than anything natural as it absorbed the blow with no problem at all, resulting in Bakuda's fingers and hand being turned into a broken mess with a loud crack. The Vampire screamed in pain and jumped back, cradling her ruined hand as both she and I stared at my new form in shock as the shield that had protected me slowly retracted back into my arms.

My entire body was now covered in thick, interlocking, scale-like plates of black and white speckled stone that looked like granite, each one about the size of my hand that created crude suit of armour that moved surprisingly smoothly and silently as I did. The shield I had instinctively created had grown from my gauntlets, which had already stopped shifting. I could feel a helmet resting on my head, completely covering my face while still providing perfect vision. Despite apparently being made of stone (granite was my guess), it was surprisingly light and not at all uncomfortable.

"How many fucking tricks do you have you damned brat?!" snarled Bakuda, all pretences dropping as she finally lost her temper, "Just fucking DIE ALREADY!"

She charged me again and I readied myself to defend myself. It turned out to be unneeded however as something flashed out of the corridor and wrapped around Bakuda's arm, delivering a massive golden shock of Hamon. Bakuda screamed as her arm exploded.

"None of that now," said the newcomer as she walked out of the corridor.

She was a looking, beautiful woman with a willowy frame, long, dark curly hair and a thin lipped but expressive mouth. She was wearing a smart looking pantsuit with high heels and a dark red scarf that was apparently what she'd just used to deliver the Hamon shock.

"Who the fuck are you?!" snarled Bakuda.

"The cleanup crew," said the woman.

Bakuda's eye twitched and she let out a roar of fury as she charged the newcomer. The Hamon user didn't move and just smirked as the Vampire hurtled towards her. The reason for her lack of worry became apparent a moment later as Bakuda swung her remaining arm to decapitate the woman, only for the limb to abruptly come loose from her body and go spinning across the room, melting into glowing goo as it went.

"W-what?" gasped Bakuda as her legs went the same way, "W-what did you do to me?!"

"A fatal dose of Hamon," said the woman, "You're already dead, you just don't know it yet."

Bakuda just groaned as the rest of her body started melting. Within seconds, she was gone and all that was left was a puddle of goo. With the Vampire dealt with, the woman approached me and bent down.

"Hey kid, are you OK?" she asked.

"I...think so," I wheezed, rubbing my sore throat, "I'm having some trouble breathing, but nothing's broken."

"Thats good," she said, "Come on, lets get you out of here."

She offered me a hand, which I took and let her drag me to my feet. As she did, my armour vanished, but I could still feel its presence at the very edge of my conscious mind. Hmm, I think that might have been my Stand. I certainly hadn't been under enough stress to Trigger as a Parahuman and, as a Joestar, I certainly had the potential to awaken a Stand. I'd see about asking someone about it later. Mr Lavere was a good option. And while I was at it, I'd ask him why in the HELL he'd allowed the Stone Masks to be displayed in a museum funded by the SWF.

"Hey kid, whats your name?" asked the woman as she helped me towards the corridor.

"Jonathan Johnson," I said, "But you can call me Jojo."

Might as well embrace it considering. The woman looked surprised.

"Jojo huh?" she said.

"That a problem?" I growled.  
"No, its just you remind me a lot of someone I used to know," she said, "So, you can use Hamon?"

"Not really," I said, "My grasp of it is pretty limited, so I can't do much with it."

"Huh, well you got a lot of talent then," she said, "If you ever want proper training, you should look me up."

"Thanks, I'll do that," I said, "Um…"

"Oh, sorry, I guess I should introduce myself since I saved your ass," said the woman with a grin, "I'm Annette Hebert."

I nearly tripped over my own feet.

 **And that'll do. So, what do you think? I'm sure people were expecting a beatdown, but you should remember that Jojo has literally no training in Hamon. Hell, he didn't even know it existed for sure until that fight! Even Joseph would have to have had some idea of what he was using and had practice using it. This Jojo had nothing but instinct. Still managed to kill a Zombie and do some damage though.**

 **Yes, that armour was his Stand. Its an Integrated type bound to his body that confers high defence, a boost in strength and has some basic shape changing abilities. That is, it can form shields, crude weapons and can reform itself as needed, either making itself thinner and lighter or thickening up to give it a boost in defence. Of course, thats only its surface abilities. Its true power is much more...interesting. If you want a clue, I based its look and abilities on a character from one of the Bleach filler arcs. Another clue would be its name, Bahamut. Its not based on the FF summon though.**

 **Yep, I made Annette a Stand user. She also won't be dying in this story and happens to be hiding a secret. I wonder if you can guess what it is? Its tied to the person who taught her to use Hamon.**

 **Hmm, I wonder who it could have been who pointed Bakuda at the Masks? Whoever it was must have some big plans and an even bigger ambition. Will Jojo and his friends be able to figure out who was responsible and stop them before its too late or will he tighten his grip on the city and bring its heroes to their knees? All good questions that can only be answered in time...if I bother to continue this story. Don't forget to review!**


	85. 53 Gamer Chapter 1 V2

**So, I've had a few ideas while considering this and I've decided to post a second version of this chapter with some modifications. Its mostly the same, but some details of how his power works have been changed or added. If I end up continuing, this will be the version I use.**

52 Gamer

Waking up in a dirty alley with no memory of the night before is NOT what I consider a good time. Of course, the floating text boxes and the fact the rest of my memories were a jumbled mess don't really help matters. Oh, and I'm apparently in Brockton Bay? Thats it, I'm never drinking again!

 **This technically isnt an Outsider story, rather, its an OC insert of a sort. He still knows about Worm though, mostly because of interdimensional fuckery. Oh, and hes a Gamer. I don't foresee myself continuing this, mainly because I don't feel like dealing with all the numbers. Still, I can't resist at least doing this, so lets get started!**

Chapter 1

The first thing I became aware of as consciousness returned to me was the pounding in my temples, closely followed by the realization I was laying in a muddy puddle.

"Urrg, what the fuck did I drink last night?" I groaned as I slowly pushed myself up.

It took a few trys, but eventually I was able to force my eyes open. I found myself sitting in an alleyway between two buildings, with my only company being an overflowing dumpster. Lovely.

"Where am I?" I muttered.

I pushed through the pain and tried to remember what the hell happened last night...only to suddenly realize that I was missing massive gaps of my memories. I could remember bits and pieces, like where I had grown up and that I was a literature student, but I couldn't remember things like my own Parents names. Hell, I couldn't even remember which University I attended! Just about the only thing I remembered with any clarity was reading a web serial named Worm. How scary is it that I could remember that but I couldn't remember what my name was or even what I looked like?

"Whats going on?" I groaned, "Why can't I remember anything? Urrg, I need...I need to…"

I wasn't sure what I needed, but I struggled to my feet none the less.

PING!

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a loud noise echoed through my head, but before I could panic, I froze and my jaw dropped as a translucent, blue window appeared in front of me.

 **WELCOME NOOB!**

Was the window's cheery title. I pinched myself. It hurt. Not a dream then. With that horrible thought, I decided that I should read the message. Even if it was the product of a bad trip from some crazy drug someone slipped me, it might give me some clues as to what was going on.

 **Hello new player and welcome to this horrific game we call Life! In your case, that saying is a tad more literal than most. Yep, thats right, your a Gamer and this is your tutorial! Lets start from the top, shall we?**

A pair of bars appeared in the top corner of my vision.

 **This is your health and Mana bars. Keep an eye on these as, if they run out, you will be in serious trouble. Run out of mana and you won't be able to use any power, leaving you extremely vulnerable. Run out of health and its game over.**

The window closed, right before another one appeared. This one was clearly a status menu judging from the list of numbers and, well, stats in one corner. Next to the stats list was a 3D model of me that moved as I did. I took a moment to study it, trying to see any familiar features that might knock some memories lose. I...actually looked pretty normal. A normal, if a little skinny, young man clad in damp and muddy T-shirt, jeans and tattered looking shoes. My hair was dark brown, as were my eyes...wait.

I lent forwards and took a closer look at my portrait. There was something a little unusual about my appearance, although it wasn't something anyone would notice right off the bat. Instead of a normal pupil, my eyes had a power symbol in the middle. Well, that was interesting.

PING!

Another text box popping up distracted me.

 **Stats, Powers and You!**

 **This is your Character page. It is where you can view all of the stats, modifiers that are affecting you and so on. You can call it up any time by calling out 'Stats'. Do try not to do it to loudly in public or people might think your a tad crazy.**

 **Since you are the Gamer, you naturally have Stats that affect everything from how strong you are to whether or not you can charm the ladies out of their underwear.**

My eye twitched at the last one.

 **Take a look over here.**

The stats section of my Character page.

 **These are your current Stats. Any modifiers provided by Buffs, Debuffs or Items will be shown in brackets next to the base amount. Your stats also affect any powers you may gain in the future, with each stat (except Luck) affecting two Classifications. They are as follows:**

 **Strength: How strong you are. Affects how much you can carry, how good you are at physical feats and how much damage you do in Melee. Linked to Brute and Striker class powers.**

I frowned at the last point. Why did that tickle at my memories? Something about those power classes seemed familiar… I shrugged and went back to reading. I'm sure it'd come back to me.

 **Dexterity: How quick and agile you are. Affects things like climbing, running, jumping and so on. Linked to Mover and Blaster powers.**

 **Constitution: How tough you are. Affects how much health you have, the amount of damage you can take, how well you can resist negative effects. Linked to Breaker and Changer powers.**

 **Finesse: How nimble you are. This applies more to tasks rather than travel, things like pickpocketing, lockpicking, needle threading and so on. Linked to Stranger and Tinker powers.**

 **Intelligence: How intelligent you are. Affects how well you can take in and retain information, make connections and spot things that others might miss. Linked to Thinker and Shaker powers.**

 **Charisma: How charming you are. This stat allows you to talk people into things, get better deals in shops and makes people pay attention to and respect you. Linked to Master and Trump powers.**

 **Luck: How lucky you are. This does not directly affect any power type, but has a slight effect on all of them. It also affects what sort of items you find in the world, the likelihood of certain events happening and the chances of getting away from a fight, should you decide to run.**

 **Of course, many powers will be affected by more than one stat, such as an intelligent Tinker will make better and more affective technology, but they get the most boost from the stat they are tied to. Unlike some iterations of the Gamer, you cannot increase your stats by training. Instead, they will change to reflect your power level and level up, although some skill books will effect them.**

I finished reading the text and, after a bit of experimenting, scrolled back up to the stats list. Those power classifications really did look familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. After a moment, I decided to shelve that thought and instead, scanned my Stats.

Name: Michael Black

Title: The Gamer

Level: 1 (0/100)

Stats:

Health: 50 MP: 10

Strength: 2

Dexterity: 3

Constitution: 4

Finesse: 5

Intelligence: 6

Charisma: 2

Luck: 0

Well, that certainly wasn't the best set of numbers I'd ever seen. Now if only I had something to compare them to. I suspect that those were the stats of an average, lazy university student though, although I didn't think I was that unlucky...A quick glance at my grimy surroundings made me mentally retract that statement.

However, I didn't have long to think on it as the tutoral got tired of waiting for me and decided to move on. It closed down my Character sheet and instead brought up a new window, this one titled 'Perks and Titles'.

 **The Perks of a Name!**

 **As you progress through the world and level up, you will gain Perks and Titles. Titles are mostly for show, but can be used to gain standing with certain factions. Perks on the other hand are the bread and butter of your game. Each Perk you gain is tied to one of the 12 different categories and come in passive or active types. Active types are directed powers, things like laser blasts, barriers and so on, while Passive Perks are things like invulnerability, night vision and most forms of Thinker powers.**

 **You gain Perks from leveling up, finding hidden secrets, reading certain Skill books, performing feats, leveling up stats and improving relationships with people. Note, not everyone has a Perk Tree tied to them, but most important people you run into will. The better you get to know someone and the closer you get, the more powerful Perks you will gain. You will also gain Perks for every 25 levels gained in each Stat.**

I closed the text box and quickly scanned the Perk List. It was looking pretty anemic, with only two present.

 **Gamer Body:** Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. You can no longer be injured, only lose HP, although you will feel pain. Sleeping in a bed restores HP and MP. REMEMBER, THIS ONLY APPLIES TO YOU!

 **Gamer Mind:** Grants perfect clarity of thought, regardless of the situation. Immunity to psychological status affects.

I pulled a face. Hopefully, that list would fill up quickly or I might be in trouble. The window closed again and was replaced by a new textbox and another window that was clearly set out like an inventory. A number of tabs went across the top, labeled as Weapons, Armour and Crafting.

 **Stuff, Stuff and more Stuff!**

 **Now its time to get onto your Inventory! You have no limit of how much you can fit inside, but you cannot store living things in it. Items are held in stacks of 100 as needed. The tabs across the top indicate where equipment is stored and where you can Craft if needed. You currently don't have any recipes, which can be gained from cookbooks, manuals, tutorials, attending lessons or even just talking to people. You can also experiment, but that may be a waste of resources you may need later.**

Well, that was handy. Nice to know that I wouldn't have to worry about becoming over encumbered. I closed the windows and turned to the entrance of the alley.

"Well, I can't stay here forever," I muttered, "Lets go see if I can find out where in the hell I am."

I took a step towards the entrance of the alley.

PING!

"Oh, what now?"

 **Exploring the World!**

 **This world you find yourself in is a vast, vared place with lots to explore and do. To help you navigate it, you have several important tools. The first is the Minimap...**

A circle appeared in the top corner of my vision opposite my health and mana bars.

 **The Minimap will show a small area around you, including any points of interest, quests, shops, allies and, if you know their there, enemies. Secrets and enemy bases can also be seen, but to access them you will need to find a high point and Synchronize. Don't jump off though as hay bails in the middle of the city aren't exactly common.**

The text box closed and a new window popped up, this one with a mostly grayed out map on it.

 **This is your Map, your best friend when it comes to getting around. From here, you can mark place to visit, see where things are and so on. As you can see, most of it is grayed out at the moment, but that will soon change. The map can be revealed by either exploring or obtaining and studying street maps. You will gain EXP as you reveal more of the Map. (NOTE, only Street Maps work with this, not Atlas', Globes or Google Earth)**

I scowled at the last bit. If that wasn't the case, I could gain a ton of EXP really quickly! Oh well, I'd manage I guess. The Map closed and a Compass popped up between the Minimap and my Health and Mana bars.

 **Finally, the Compass provides directional cues for nearby points of interest and enemies. The small arrow beside the icon indicates if it is above or below your current position. The numbers indicate how far away a certain point is. A good rule of thumb is to use your Map for distance, Compass for nearby points and the Minimap for somewhere in between.**

The text box vanished and another one popped up.

 **Let the Adventure Begin!**

 **Thats not everything of course, but it is the basics. More Tutorials will appear as needed and you can view any past help boxes by thinking about them and saying Help. Have fun and good luck. Your gonna need it.**

And with that ominous final point, the text box vanished, leaving me stood in an alleyway with a sinking feeling in my gut. I quickly shook it off though. I wouldn't get anything done just standing there. With that in mind, I left the alley and picked a random direction to start walking, trying to find anything that I recognized and ignoring the 'Discovered Downtown, 25 EXP' as I did. I didn't. I was attracting some odd looks thanks to my damp and dirty clothes and hair, but I ignored them. I did notice I was being given a wide berth for some reason.

* * *

After about an hour of walking, I found myself on a seafront (Discovered Boardwalk, 25 EXP) overlooking a large bay with an odd looking structure out in the middle and a strange lack of boats, considering the fact it was a beautiful day. In my experience, a day like today with a pleasant breeze, a clear sky and calm waters, the bay should be heaving with boats of all kinds. Then again, I have no idea what day it was, so everyone could be at work.

After taking a moment to enjoy the view and the smell of sea air (something that I had dearly missed during my time at Uni), I turned and started wondering down the road, looking for anything that might be helpful. A Library or bookshop would be nice so I could get my hands on some maps and crank out the EXP. Plus, I could do some reading and crank up my Int. Then again, maybe I should look into increasing my Strength. It was a little low at the moment and I had a feeling that I'd need it very soon…

"DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME YOU BITCH!"

A sudden shout made me jump, jerking me out of my planning. I, along with the few other people on the Boardwalk, turned to see a young, blond woman with feathers in her hair and tear tracks on her face come barging out of a door that looked like it led to an apartment above a record shop, followed by the owner of the voice, a big man who was visibly older than the girl and red in the face from anger. The man grabbed the woman by the shoulder, making her visibly flinch.

"I made you what you are!" yelled the man, oblivious to the audience he was attracting, "I want my shair!"

The girl scowled through her tears and smacked his hand away.

"YOU made me?!" she snarled, "You told me I'd never make it, that I should quit and go back to that dead end job in a fucking diner! Then you went and fucked that big titted cow behind my back!"

This was rapidly getting out of hand and it didn't look like anyone was going to try and step in. Not that I blame them, the guy was built like a brick shithouse. However, something about this argument was setting me on edge and I REALLY didn't want to see what would happen if it went too far. Besides, since I was the Gamer, I wouldn't be hurt for long. Or at all really.

PING!

With that thought, a new text box popped up in front of me.

QUEST! Pulling out the Canary

Break up the argument before someone gets hurt.

REWARD! 150 EXP and a new friend.

FAILURE! Someone gets in serious trouble.

Well, that was a tad ominous. With that in mind, I clicked Accept, took a deep breath, squared my shoulders (not that it really helped anything considering how thin I was) and walked towards the arguing couple (or ex-couple if the comment about cheating was anything to go by). I cleared my throat loudly and resisted the urge to jump as they both turned to me and name plates appeared above their heads.

 **Kevin Gladly LV 2**

 **Douchebag**

Well, that was kinda expected, although I have to wonder if my thoughts on the man had anything to do with the title he'd been given. However, that thought quickly vanished when I saw the girl's nameplate.

 **Paige Mcabee LV 7**

 **Bad Canary**

Oh shit. I think I just figured out why the power classifications were so damn familiar! It also explains why there weren't any boats in the bay and...crap. I resisted the urge to groan as I put two and two together and came up with WHY I woke up in an alleyway with no memories. Fucking Cauldron!

INT +1!

 **Well, that was fun. And by fun, I mean fucking annoying. I had to keep going back to add stuff as I remembered it was needed. Yeah, I'm not doing more than two chapters for this for the Vault. Well, unless someone feels like helping me with it.**

 **I originally intended to have a single power class for each Stat, but then I remembered that there were 12 and FUCK THAT NOISE! It'll be hard enough to keep track of just seven stats!**

 **Just to be clear, Michael IS actually a Parahuman with a Corona Pollentia and everything. His powers would probably be classed as a Thinker/Shaker power and are pretty much limited to him, although he does have a very minor Master affect aura that allows him to get better prices if he levels up his Charisma.**

 **Speaking of, leveling up his Stats and gaining the Perks associated will quickly make his Classification levels skyrocket. His current numbers are that of an average Human, but if he gets his Strength to 100, he'll be strong enough to casually punt Leviathan across the Bay. This is the sort of game where small changes in numbers can make a VERY big difference.**

 **As the Tutorial Fairy mentioned, he can also gain Perks from making friends with people, which can manifest as new powers tied to the powers of said Cape or, in the case of normal Human, something tied to the person themselves. For example, gaining PanPan's Interest (Getting Panacea interested in him thanks to Gamer Body catching her attention) will increase his health regen and boost the effectiveness of healing items. Maxing it out could allow him to actually use Panacea's power in its entirety, although something like that would take a LONG time and likely involve a massive number of side quests.**

 **I chose the name of Carney's dickhead ex at complete random since I don't think its ever stated what his name was. As for the levels, well, Kevin's a normal guy and Paige has never really done that much with her powers, so that registers as a low level.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	86. Full Metal Worm Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Full Metal Worm

You know, there were a lot of things I was expecting when I got reborn into a world of traumatized Superheroes. Becoming one of those heroes was actually pretty high up my list, but when your a Tinker whos main trick only needs a bit of chalk, thats Bullshit on a whole other level!

 **Well, this should be fun if nothing else. Its something thats been rattling around in my head for a while and I couldn't resist. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of paint cans falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about. I knew I hated art for a reason. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby.

Growing up was simultaneously easy and incredibly frustrating. What? I'd like to see any of you sit through pre-school again without tearing your hair out. Still, I've learnt from my mistakes, so I got through school with no problems and high grades. Or at least, that was the plan. See, the world I had been reborn into wasn't exactly normal, not when there were people flying around in silly costumes. Yeah, I'd been reborn into a world full of crazy people with superpowers. Unfortunately, it wasn't a world like Marvel or DC where the Heroes always win. On no, I wasn't that lucky. The world I'd been reborn into was that of Worm.

* * *

Hmm, I think that someone might be playing with me. Why? Well, my family were extremely recognizable, but none of them had anything to do with Worm. I was the oldest child, with a younger sister named Victoria and my Parents were named Victor and Alexandria while our family name was Powered. Yeahhh, thats not normal in the slightest. Fortunately, it seems that Alchemy is not a thing in this world cus it was still modern day and Mum wasn't a brain in a jar. Instead she worked as the chief of research and development of PRT ENE while my Dad served as the head of the Troopers. My sister on the other hand was a perfectly normal, if sharp tongued, little girl. Who happened to be best friends with Missy Biron. Thats not really relevant though.

None of my family had any powers (other than my Dad being a mountain of muscle and my Mum being scary smart) and we lived in the nice part of town, well away from all the Gangs. On the surface, I should have very little to worry about. Just go to school, get a good education and fuck of as far away as possible as soon as I got the chance. The problem is that I couldn't help being incredibly worried. Brockton Bay is dangerous at the best of times, but knowing what I did about what was on the way made it even worse. I didn't want any of my family to end up on the wrong end of Leviathan, the Slaughterhouse Nine or anyone else that would hit the city in the future. That said, I had no idea what I could possible to to prevent it without powers and theres no fucking way I'd be approaching the Cauldron any time soon.

Despite my best efforts, my mind spent most of the time stewing over the thoughts in the back of my head for the vast majority of the time, mostly out of sight, but always there and driving me absolutely nuts. I was well aware of the fact that that much stress was rather bad for me and I think my family could tell I was bothered by something considering that my sister spent a lot of time trying to take my mind of it. It rarely worked unfortunately, but I appreciated the effort nonetheless.

* * *

Unfortunately, my reasonably quiet life came to an end in a rather spectacular fashion. The first indication that something was wrong was when the phone rang and, after answering it, Mum dropped her coffee. I could tell by the look on her face that something had happened, something bad. That was proven when Mum rushed out of the house, pausing only to tell me to look after my sister, who had just entered the room looking extremely sleepy. Four hours later saw Mum returning, looking haggard and pale, to find us on the couch, Vicky fast asleep in my arms and me wide awake and worried as hell.

"What happened?" I asked before Mum could say anything.

Mum sighed and dropped into the armchair.

"I suppose there's no point in keeping it from you," she said, "Your Father was involved in a fight between the E88 and the ABB downtown. The PRT tried to break it up, but when the Capes arrived, things got...nasty. Victor...he went down when Hookwolf went after some bystanders to try and distract the Protectorate Heroes. He took a knife to the chest, so close it nearly hit his Heart."

My eyes went wide.

"Don't worry, Panacea managed to stabilize him in time," said Mum before I could ask, "It was touch and go for a while, but he'll pull through."

I let out a sigh of relief and slumped back against the back of the sofa, being careful not to wake up my sister as I did.

"Thats a relief," I muttered.

Mum nodded as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the back of her chair.

"The Doctors want to keep him in for observation," she said, "I wanted to stay, but they kicked me out. Said I should go home and get some rest since he won't be waking up until tomorrow."

"Good advice," I said with a wide yawn.

Now that the crisis had been resolved, my body decided to remind me that it was two in the morning and I had school tomorrow.

"Indeed," said Mum, "Now go on, get to bed. You've got school tomorrow after all."

"Don't remind me," I muttered as I got to my feet and gently picked up my Sister.

Vicky shifted in her sleep and mumbled, but didn't wake up. I carried her upstairs and put her to bed, before heading to my own. However, I quickly found myself unable to sleep as I stared up at the ceiling, my mind awhirl. My Dad was alive, but I was well aware of how close he had come to death. I'd lost count of the number of times he'd been hospitalized in the line of duty and, while Panacea often helped out, it was also common for her to be too busy or for him to outright refuse healing as his wounds weren't to bad. It was only a matter of time before something happened that Panacea couldn't heal and then…

I shuddered at the thought and rolled over onto my side. Despite my sisters caustic tongue, we were a close and loving family. The idea of any part of it being torn away...it made me want to cry. I couldn't let it happen, but I have no idea what to do to prevent it. If only I had powers, I could possibly do something to help…

 **Darknessspacetwistingmonstrocitiesashardhertlingtowardsme…**

I sat bolt upright, my eyes going wide as it felt like my mind opened and countless ideas, bits of knowledge and calculations started pouring in. Without thinking, I threw off my covers, staggered over to my desk and started drawing.

* * *

RINGGGGGGG!

I jolted awake as someone shook my shoulder, shooting upright, only to let out a yelp of pain as my shoulders cracked. I blinked a few times as I tried to figure out why I could only see white, before I realized I had a bit of paper stuck to my cheek. I quickly pulled it off and realized that I'd fallen asleep at my desk (and had apparently drooled all over my notebook), but not before filling up a huge number of bits of paper with drawings, symbols and calculations that would be complete gibberish to anyone else but made perfect sense to me.

I got to my feet and stretched, wincing at the familiar sensation of stiff muscles stretching, before shutting off my alarm and sitting back down. I had to get ready for school, but the first job was to see what I'd done last night and hide it before my Mum or Dad found it. If they did, they'd probably make me join the Wards and, while I had no problem with them on an individual bases, I didn't want to become a PR tool and never get the chance to actually use my powers in a fight.

I picked up the top bit of paper and was immediately met with an uncomfortably familiar circle and a set of calculations that just so happened to meet the exact elemental makeup of the Human body for the average adult. My eyebrows shot up and I started flipping through the rest of the papers. Human Transmutation, Unstable Energy Production, Oxygen Manipulation, Medical Circles meant to close wounds, a Circle designed to create a Stone, Chimera creation, Homunculus creation, methods of gathering Alchemic energy to create weapons, Memory Partition and Thought Acceleration and so many other notes, theories and calculations. My power had somehow hooked me into every single version of Alchemy I'd ever heard of and more! I knew how to perform a successful Human Transmutation, how to create three different types of Homunculus, about four methods of creating a Philosopher's Stone and a frankly obscene number of methods of achieving immortality, most of which would likely earn me a one way trip to the Birdcage, if not a Kill Order on the spot. Fuck, I could probably create a Grail or a root to the Root! Screw hiding them, I was burning these as soon as I could! I had all the information in my head, but until I figured out a good way of encrypting my notes, there is no fucking way I'm leaving them laying around!

I quickly turned on my shredder and put the sheaf if notes in the tray, before covering it with my duvet to muffle the sound and headed downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

Three days later, I headed out early in the morning to find somewhere to actually do some Alchemy. It was the weekend, which made it the perfect time to do so, and I'd finally managed to figure out a way to stitch a Circle onto some gloves, just in case I needed a weapon. My first stop was the Docks. It might be infested with druggies, but it also had a lot of out of the way areas and bits of rubbish I could use. I did my best to ignore all the dodgy dealings going down in the alleyways as I made my way through the streets with my hood up and my head down. I wasn't about to try anything without some serious firepower and I really didn't fancy getting into a tussle with any Capes before I'd had chance to make some real weapons.

Fortunately, my choice of a ragged looking hoodie, jeans and tired bag made the perfect camouflage in these parts and I was able to find a suitable location for my lab without getting jumped by anyone. My first job upon finding a good place was to use Alchemy to seal the place up tight, fixing all the leaks and making it bloody hard for anyone to get in without blowing the wall down. Or having Alchemy. With that done, I got out my supplies, which was a box of chalk and some random broken bits of crockery and forgotten nicknacks from the back of my wardrobe, and went to work.

My intention was to turn the warehouse into a lab that would allow me to perform all forms of Alchemy I had in my head. The FM style was good and would likely be my go to style since it didn't really have that many downsides, but I wasn't even close to be limited to that. I really, REALLY wanted to try my hand at making some Kakugane, if only because they were EXTREMELY handy to have in the field. Hell, I could make them into a belt or something for my family so they could gain the advantage of the enhanced regeneration provided simply by holding one. Plus, a Buso Renkin would be useful no matter what, even if they could be a tad deadly.

Before I could create one though, I needed a proper lab. To that end, I gathered metal, wood and the large number of broken bottles that littered the floor and set to work. I transmuted a large number of workbenches and plenty of lab equipment, including glasswork, and a few items that no one but an Alchemist would be able to recognize. It took me hours to finish, but by lunchtime I was happy with my setup. With that done, I set to work on the long process of gathering and focusing Alchemical energy into a piece of lead that would give rise to the first of my Kakugane (or Nuclei to use the western term. I prefered Kakugane though). The process would take a while to be completed, but that was fine. I needed some time to put together some of my other bits of equipment.

Most notably was the gloves I had in mind. Composed of Alchemically created Ignition cloth, you can probably guess what they did. Yep, I'd replicated Mustangs gloves. I also created some special Alchemical cloth with which to construct my costume, although that would have to wait. My powers came with a huge number of options, but I wasn't confident I could actually pull of making a costume with them. Instead, I intended to try and approach Parian to see if she'd help, although as it turned out, I didn't need to worry.

I also discovered that my powers might be even more bullshit than I previously thought. Why? Well, after accidentally creating an Alchemy bench, I somehow managed to distill a blood red fluid from a mixture of my sandwich and a few mushrooms I found growing in the corner of the warehouse that I'm pretty sure would be able to heal just about anything short of losing a limb. Oh, and the Alchemy Bench I made? Yeah, it was the one from Skyrim. What the actual fuck.

* * *

The sound of a kettle boiling over drew my attention away from the impossible red liquid that was sitting innocently on my workbench and to the bubbling cauldrons that contained the first of my Kakugane. I headed over, pulling on some thick gloves as I did, before grabbing a pair of tongues and reaching into the cauldron. There was a loud hiss and a billow of steam as I pulled out the lump of lead that had changed from a simple lump of dark gray metal to a hexagonal medallion made of what looked like polished steel with an Amalgam symbol stamped on one side. It didn't have any numbers, but I'd probably have to add them.

I took the Alchemical weapon over to my bench and dunked it in the pot of water on the side to cool it off. After waiting for the resulting cloud of steam to clear, I pulled it out and carefully examined it for any flaws. After finding none, I stripped off my gloves and picked up my creation. Despite being made of metal and having just been dumped in ice water, it was warm and seemed to pulse faintly in time with my heart beats. I could already feel its powers working, causing the cuts and burns I'd picked up over the course of the day setting my stuff up to tingle as my bodies healing was drastically sped up. I took a deep breath. There was one more test to do to make sure everything was perfect. I tightened my grip on the Kakugane, steeled my heart and reached for my fighting spirit.

"Buso Renkin!"

The Kakugane opened and light poured out, wrapping around me as it transformed into...silver material? I blinked as my Buso Renkin finished forming and stared down at my hands, which were now covered in a pair of dark blue gloves with a white Amalgam symbol on the back.

"Em, did that just happen?" I said out loud.

I stepped across the room to the mirror I'd transmuted earlier for when I actually made my costume and stared at my new outfit. It consisted of an overcoat and military cap made of silver fabric with blue linings, buttons and the peak of the hat, dark blue gloves and black trousers and boots. The coat had a very high collar, enough that it completely hid the lower part of my face, while my cap served to hide my hair and eyes from view. I gaped at the image in the mirror, before I snatched up a nearby chunk of metal and stabbed it into my arm. Well, I tried to at least. The metal just bounced off a layer of silver hexagons that appeared on the surface of my coat at the point of impact.

"Silver Skin...my Buso Renkin is Silver Skin," I said weakly as I watched the hexagons fade from view, "Well...this will make things easier."

Mainly because the stupid thing was pretty much invulnerable. Seriously, with this thing on, I could probably qualify for a high level Brute based soul on durability. Its capable of tanking a blast from a house sized napalm bomb without a scratch, was completely resistant to ABC weaponry and could operate as a spacesuit. Fuck, with it on I could probably tank a hit from Alexandria and not be hurt and it regenerated so damn quick if it was broken that it put Glory Girls force field to shame! Plus, it doubled as a rocking costume. Sure it didn't have any defensive abilities (unless you counted turning into an indestructible prison), but I had other skills to serve that role.

"Hmm, this might actually bump up my timeline," I mused as I adjusted my hat.

I had intended to hold off a bit so I could get my costume just right, but now, with Silver Skin, I literally could not do better. Sure, my weapons needed more work and some testing, but I could fight pretty well and I was strong. Not as strong as my Dad and I was definitely no Brute, but I could take on any gangbangers who I encountered. Plus, I'm pretty sure Silver Skin did actually give a boost to strength considering some of the stuff Bravo pulled off. I'd need to test that at some point, but for now I'd just have to make sure I don't break anyone to badly. I grinned as I cracked my knuckles. This was gonna be fun!

 **And with that I'm done. So, what do you think of this utterly broken power? Technically, Alex is a Tinker, but you can bet that no one will believe him considering what he can pull off with a bit of chalk. Thats actually why I gave him Silver Skin. Its lack of direct offensive abilities helps balance him out a little. Plus its fucking cool.**

 **In keeping with the Powered family naming theme, our heroes name is Alexander.**

 **Incidentally, I'm not exaggerating when it comes to the defensive powers of Silver Skin. At all. While wearing it, he might as well be a high level Brute in terms of sheer defensive power. Hell, I'm pretty sure it could even defend him from the Siberian and most Masters. It worked against Victors life drain after all.**

 **I based Alex's Silver Skin on the Captains outfit from Hellsing, albeit changed to match the colours of the Buso Renkin. As cool as the original one was, I just like the military look.**

 **I also plan for a few other characters to get their hands on Kakugane through various means and not just the good guys either. Incidentally, I wonder what would happen if a Victor went up against Scion...I imagine that it wouldn't end well for whatever was nearby.**

 **As far as Alex's power is concerned, if its called Alchemy, he can use it. Whether its from FMA, Type MOON, Skyrim or Buso Renkin, he can use it to its full potential. However, he doesn't get any shortcuts, so he won't be making any Philosophers Stones any time soon and hes limited by the rules of each skillset.**

 **And with that I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	87. A Split in Time Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: A Split in Time

Getting reborn into a world of superheros is annoying. Getting reborn as a powerless protagonist is even worse. Well, I thought I was powerless at least. This could be either really good or really, really bad.

 **And we're back with another superhero idea, this time based on MHA and with Worm nowhere in sight...sort of. You'll see what I mean about that shortly. I love working with worlds that already use the multiverse idea. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I found out I had been reincarnated, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I wasn't dead, so that was nice, but one the other hand, I was a baby again and there's a bloody good reason that you don't remember that! Still, there was one good thing that came of my new life. The world I had been reborn into is FUCKING AMAZING, if a little dangerous. After all, with people with powers running around, its only natural to be worried. So, which fucked up world full of Supers have I been reincarnated into you ask? Marval? DC? Nope, try My Hero Academia. This is gonna be so fun!

* * *

Or maybe not. As it turns out, I'm apparently rather unlucky. Why? Well, I've been reborn as Izuku Midoriya, the Quirkless protagonist of the story. Now, I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Why? Well, I'm not anything like Midoriya, so the chances of me impressing Almight was much lower. Besides, I don't have anywhere near as hero crazy as my canon counterpart. On the other hand, without me, Almight would have to look elsewhere for a successor and countless other events would go down differently.

The problem is, while I might be lacking a Quirk, I wasn't lacking a moral compass and my future knowledge certainly didn't help. I spent a good deal of my childhood thinking about whether or not I could reasonably just turn my back on the world and live a normal life knowing what I did. Unfortunately for me, the conclusion I came to was a big fat no. Thats why, in the doctor's office, when told I'd never get a Quirk, I didn't just sit there frozen.

"So what?" I said.

"Hmm? What do you mean kid?" asked the Doctor, an elderly man with slicked back hair, scarred hands and a goatee.

"I mean that I won't let the fact I don't have a Quirk stop me," I said, "There are plenty of Pros who's Quirks aren't that useful in battle yet they manage just fine. With enough training and innovation, anyone can be a hero! I won't let the fact I don't have a power stop me, not now, not ever!"

By this point I was on my feet and both Mum and the Doctor were staring at me in surprise and no small amount of derision in the Doctors case.

* * *

After that day, I started working towards achieving my goals. Oh don't get me wrong, I was under no delusions that I would be able to face off against any of the really powerful Villains or become like Saitama, but I could at least become strong enough to do something and learn enough skills to be able to do more than simply kick arse and take names. I learnt all I could about...well, everything, from fighting to medical to technology and even hacking, although I kept that particular part of my skillset on the downlow.

It was around that point when I realized that something was up. I was learning way, WAY to fast for it to be normal and I couldn't help but notice that I seemed to be guided towards certain things. I found myself avoiding certain areas where I'd later realize Bakugou and his friends were waiting to ambush me and the few times I did get into a fight, I found myself being able to easily evade his attacks and often turned them back on him.

Combine all that together and I realized that I wasn't Quirkless at all, a fact that was proven during a checkup where I brought up the strange changes in my mentality and got a recheck. It turned out that the Doctor who'd done my last one had ballsed up the check up somewhere down the line because a second X-ray revealed that my toes were indeed missing the extra joint.

With the reveal that I did have a Quirk, I put it to work and quickly figured out that it was even more broken than One For All or even All For One. Why? Well, my power basically let me win by giving me whatever I needed to complete a task I set myself. It was pretty close to the Quirk of a Hero based in America. I called my Quirk Cheat Mode, but she called hers the Path to Victory.

Yeahhh, as it turned out, I lucked out. During my research into other people with Thinker based powers, I stumbled on several in America, many of whom I recognized despite the fact that they had no business whatsoever being in the MHA world. What do I mean by that? Well think about it, if the Path to Victory exists, it stands to reason that the owner would be Contessa. Who happened to be a high ranking member of the premier American superhero team, the Proctorate, along with Legend, Alexandria and Eidolon. Bloody hell, I am SO glad that this world just seems to be an utterly bizarre combination of the two that thankfully lacks Endbringers and Scion. I have no idea if we're connected to Bet or not, but this world most definitely isn't it.

Thats mostly irrelevant though. What was important was the fact that I did have a Quirk and very little to stop me from achieving my goals. That said, I kept my gob shut about it and kept on ignoring Bakugou's many attempts to put me down. Instead, I set my goal to getting into UA and let my Quirk go nuts. In the process, I discovered several things about it. To start with, despite the similarity, my Quirk wasn't anywhere near as broken as Path to Victory. Instead of guiding me through step by step instructions, it instead guided me to the tools I needed to achieve my goals and increased my learning and retention skills. It was kind of like a combination of Contessa's, Ubers and Tattletales power, the latter due to the fact it gave me some impressive insight into my target. Just by studying the past entrance exams for UA, it was able to put together a pretty good model of what would be expected of me for mine. So yeah, not an instant win, but still pretty broken.

* * *

Anyway, after nearly five years of using my power to spoof the system and going to school, it was nearly time. Just ten months remained until the start of the new year at UA and when I'd be shooting for the top spot.

"Well, I'd ask you to hand in your career sheets, but theres really no point," said the Teacher, "You all want to be Heroes, don't you!"

The class cheered and started showing off their Quirks, ranging from stretchy fingers to being able to pull their own eyes out. I on the other hand simply continued to shuffle the deck of cards I was playing with with an impressive display of dexterity and sighed in boredom.

"Yes yes, very impressive, but using your Quirks during school time is against the rules," said the Teacher, "And put those cards away Midoriya, you can show off your card tricks later."

I harrumphed, but flicked the cards back into their pack and put them away. I'd learnt a few card tricks while experimenting with my powers and they served as a good way to distract me at times.

"HEY SENSEI, DON'T LUMP ME IN WITH THESE USELESS MORONS!" shouted Bakugou, getting growls and glares from the rest of the class, "You can't compare those weak ass Quirks with mine! I'm gonna get into UA and become the best damned Hero on the planet, beating that loser Almight, no problem!"

A low murmur of conversation started up at that, many believing that Bakugou could actually do it.

"Oh, thats right, Midoriya wants to go to UA too," said the Teacher.

The classroom froze and all eyes turned on me.

"What?" I asked.

I kicked my chair back as Bakugou suddenly spun around and slammed his fist into my desk with a massive explosion.

"EAT SHIT DEKU!" he roared, "THERES NO WAY A WEAK ASS QUIRKLESS LOSER LIKE YOU COULD GET INTO UA!"

"According to whom?" I asked from where I was balanced on the back of my chair with one hand, "I'm a better fighter than you are Kacchan, I'm faster, have better grades and don't have ten years worth of bullying on my permanent record."

"Grrrr, DAMN YOU DEKU!" roared Bakugou, taking another swipe at me.

I pushed off, flipping over the explosive blond, grabbed him by the collar and tossed him back into his desk.

"Seriously Kacchan, don't you ever learn?" I said as I landed back in my seat and put my feet on my desk.

Bakugou growled and started to get to his feet, clearly intending to try and pound me into gravy.

"BAKUGOU!" snapped the teacher, making the blond twitch.

He growled, but dropped back into his seat with a huff.

Once class got out, I was one of the first people out the door, mainly because I didn't feel like dealing with Bakugou and my power was feeding me some handy information as to what he was planning. Besides, I had work to do and time was running out. Besides, I needed to pick some things up in the shopping district.

* * *

About an hour later, I was on my way back home with some bags of stuff my power had helpfully informed me that we'd run out of (yes, its that good), when a sudden explosion made me jump. I turned and saw a large pillar of smoke rising from over the buildings. I eyed it for a moment, before I shrugged and turned to keep heading home...only for my power to blare in my ear that I should probably go and see what was going on. Considering I didn't get outright demands like that very often, I'd learnt to heed them since they always led me to exactly what I needed.

It didn't take me long to find the source of the explosion, which turned out to be the Sludge Villain who was...attacking Bakugou? How did that happen? I narrowed my eyes and scanned the crowd, quickly picking out a rather sorry looking Almight in his true form. I frowned and overclocked my power.

 _Chased villain through sewers, done more hero work before hand, villain managed to keep away long enough for Almight to run out of time._

I blinked. Well...that was certainly interesting. Still, at least I wasn't responsible for this. I turned my attention back to the 'fight'.

 _Heroes unable to deal with Villain, no suitable Quirks, three minutes till suffocation._

I froze at the last one. In three minutes, Bakugou would be dead and the Villain would probably be able to escape. Unfortunately, I doubted that anyone would arrive in time to help. Now, I don't like Bakugou, not in the slightest, but that didn't mean I thought he deserved to die. The only problem was, I didn't really have any way to help and I somehow doubted that charging in would be a good idea. My power conquered, although it did throw up an interesting observation.

 _Villain possess biological core. If struck, Villain will be rendered powerless. Core tiny and constantly moving, as well as protected by body that absorbs impact. Vulnerable to electricity._

"Huh, thats interesting," I muttered, "Alright, lets do this."

I took a deep breath.

"Cheat Mode... **activate."**

Immediately, the world blurred and countless paths appeared before me, each showing a possible future and what would happen if I took the path. I could already feel the headache that came with my power starting to press down on me and I knew I had seconds to pick a path. My eyes shot around, parsing apart each path and gaging their chances of success. Most were pretty low, but one showed promise. I quickly chose it and let my body move.

I dropped my shopping and bolted forwards, brushing past the nearest cop as I did and swiping the stun gun that was strapped to his belt as I shot towards the villains. I tuned out the crys of the crowd and heroes as my focus narrowed, following the path laid out by my powers. Side step to avoid a strike from the villain. Stop for two seconds to avoid being decapitated by a falling beam. Jump back to evade a water tendral from Backlash. Duck under another swipe from the villain. Target 30 degrees to the right above the left shoulder. Grit teeth and plunge in arm. This was gonna hurt. Grab Bakugou and activate stun gun.

There was a crackle of electricity and I gritted my teeth even harder as the 2 million volts flowed through me from the villains body. I ignored the pain as I pulled on Bakugou, yanking him from the ooze, just as the villain let out a horrible scream of his own and exploded, throwing the two of us away and leaving an average looking man to slump to the ground, steaming lightly and completely unconscious.

I groaned as I shoved Bakugou off me and sat up, only for the world to go into a spin as my head reported that it was NOT happy with me using my Quirk like that. Thinker Headaches SUCK.

"Ohhh, I shouldn't have done that!" I moaned as I curled up, covering my ears in an attempt to block out the loud shouting from the crowd.

Even the aftershocks of the stun gun hitting me didn't hurt this badly! A big hand on my shoulder made me look up to see a concerned looking face looming over me. Considering that my headache was bad enough that it was distorting my vision, I'd have had trouble figuring out who it was if it wasn't for the yellow and black striped headband.

"Hey kid, are you OK?" asked Death Arms.

I whimpered as the Heroes loud voice stabbed into my eardrums and made my head flare even more.

"Not so loud," I whimpered, "Give me a sec…"

Thankfully, although it would take awhile before my head stopped hurting completely, the pain did lower to a dull throb within a few seconds. I wouldn't be able to use my Quirk properly for the rest of the day, but I was well enough to talk.

"Urrg, that hurt," I said.

"Are...you OK?" asked Death Arms again, sounding even more worried.

"I'll be fine," I said, rubbing my temples, "Its just a side effect of putting to much stress on my Quirk."

The Hero looked relieved, before he scowled.

"That was reckless," he said, "There was no need to put yourself in danger like that!"

I scoffed.

"Danger? The only danger I was in was of this headache," I said, "I'm a precog, I already knew exactly how to beat that guy."

I jerked my thumb at the still Human sludge villain as he was carted away by the cops.

Death Arms blinked.

"A...precog?" he asked.

I nodded.

"My Quirk works by showing me the paths I can take to get the best possible outcome," I said, "Normally, it guides me gently to the best option, giving me the tools I need along the way, but if I need an immediate solution, like just now, I can basically force it to show me all the options I have. Naturally, the Human brain isn't really meant for seeing all that information, so it overstresses my Quirk and the backlash is...painful."

By this point Death Arms looked stunned and I could see why. Precogs were rather rare after all and my powers were definitely up there in terms of power levels for a Thinker. Sure, it wasn't that flashy, but I could easily use it to gain an advantage in just about any situation. Contessa proved that on a regular basis.

"That may be so, but it was still reckless," said Death Arms, "You should have left it to us. That said, you did do a good job. Do you plan to become a Hero?"

I grinned and nodded.

"Yep, taking the exams for UA this year," I said.

Death Arms nodded.

"Alright, in that case, make sure you look me up first," he said, "I'd love to have someone with a Quirk like yours for a sidekick."

I nodded.

"I might just do that," I said.

I got to my feet, stumbling slightly as my head throbbed.

"I...should probably be getting home," I said.

Death Arms nodded.

"Alright, I don't think we need anything else from you," he said, "Oh, but before you go, why did you do it? If you knew your Quirk would hurt you that much, why did you use it like that?"

"Because it was the only way I could win," I said, "And no matter what, a Hero will always save the day. No matter the risk."

I walked away, retrieving my shopping as I went and ignoring the two sets of eyes that were burning a hole in my back. One set was full of fury, while the other was curious and more than a little impressed. I couldn't help the smirk that crossed my lips as I walked away. Lets see how this affects the future. I could hardly wait.

 **And done. Well, that was certainly interesting. Let me be perfectly clear, this IS the world of MHA, so theres no space whales, no Scion and the Cauldron, while it does exist, isn't into kidnapping and inhumane experiments. Instead it serves as an underground shadow operation for the Hero side, dealing with particularly nasty villains from the shadows.**

 **I'll also be making some alterations to certain characters natures and powers to fit on the Worm side. For example, Eidolons power didn't give birth to the Endbringers because hes not as mentally unstable and Dragon isn't an AI and is instead a Human with the Quirk Digitization, which basically allows her to enter and exist within the digital world.**

 **That said, I'm mostly going to be working from the MHA side, so its not really a full crossover as much as me plonking a whole bunch of characters into this world from another. That said, I will be using some characters for future arcs, both Hero and Villain.**

 **Yeahhh, Cheat Modes pretty well named considering what its really capable of. That said, the trick he used to beat the Sludge Villain is it being applied at its maximum level, bypassing the natural limitations. As such, its a last resort and he can only use it once a day without being knocked unconscious for a few days and likely suffering quite a bit of damage. Hes still more than capable of bullshiting his way through most situations though!**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	88. Full Metal Worm Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Full Metal Worm

You know, there were a lot of things I was expecting when I got reborn into a world of traumatized Superheroes. Becoming one of those heroes was actually pretty high up my list, but when your a Tinker whos main trick only needs a bit of chalk, thats Bullshit on a whole other level!

 **And we're back. As much as I'd love to have Alex spend his whole time in costume channeling Bravo, its just not feasible. I can't maintain it He will occasionally bring out his inner Bravo though. Oh, and fair warning, this chapter has Skidmark in it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Never had I been so glad for the lessons in martial arts and freerunning from my parents as I was right now. I was currently running across the rooftops of the Docks, inwardly marvelling at how light my Silver Skin was considering it was a completely impregnable shield, as well as how useful it was as a climbing tool. Because it was so strong, I could easily dig my fingers into walls to pull myself up and didn't have to worry about cutting my hands as I climbed any bits of rusted metal.

Much to my surprise, I haven't managed to find any crimes going on yet, but it was still early in the evening. I'd have to head home soon, but I wanted to try and at least find someone I could make an impression on. Alternatively, I could head home and sneak back out once everyone was asleep. I didn't have to get up tomorrow after all. Plus, we were currently in that end of year slump at school between the end of exams and start of the holidays, so it really didn't matter if I fell asleep in class. That said, I don't think that it would be such a good idea.

* * *

A flash of metal caught my eye and I skidded to a stop at the edge of a roof, looking down into the streets below. It looked like I'd stumbled onto a robbery in progress, ABB judging from the bandanners the group were wearing and the fact that they were all of various asian denominations. Frankly, this was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for to cut my teeth on, a bunch of normal idiots robbing a corner shop. Now I just had to hope some idiot hero didn't show up and pick a fight with me without thinking.

I quickly brushed off that thought and watched as the thugs started loading up the things they'd stolen into the back of a nearby van that just so happened to be in the alleyway directly below me, looking around wearally. They probably thought they were mostly in the clear by this point. Time for my dramatic entrance.

I stepped up onto the ledge that surrounded the roof I was on and let myself fall. I landed on the bonnet of the van with a loud crash, making a couple of large dents and probably damaging something important. I didn't even feel the landing thanks to my Buso Renkin. Good god, the Silver Skin is bullshit.

"HALT, CRIMINAL SCUM!" I shouted as the thugs all nearly jumped out of their skin and looked up at me.

"SHIT, CAPE!" yelled one of them as he whipped out a gun.

Before I could react, he fired three times...which did precisely nothing. It didn't even make my Silver Skin tremble. The thug paled as he realized that his gun was utterly useless. I smirked behind my collar.

"A simple gun will not be able to hurt me," I said, continuing to channel the man whose power I shared, "Surrender. You cannot defeat me and I do not wish to fight if I do not have to."

"FUCK YOU YA NAZI BASTARD!" roared one of the ABB goons and they scattered.

I frowned.

"Nazi? Now thats just rude," I muttered and jumped.

I came down on the shoulders of the nearest thug, hard, driving him to the pavement and putting him down with a sharp blow to the temple. The next one went down to a fist to the kidney as I kicked his friend into a nearby dumpster and slammed the lid down on his head. By this point, the last one, and the one who had shot me, had reached the end of the road.

"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!" I shouted as I took off after him.

The man was certainly fit, but I was fitter and faster, so it didn't take me long to catch up to him and put him in a choke hold. Within seconds, he stopped struggling and I let him go. After checking to make sure he was still alive, I hoisted him over my shoulder and carried him back over to his friends. I took a few seconds to pile the goons on the pavement, before clapping my hands and transmuting a set of bonds out of the wall that would hold them until the cops arrived. I couldn't actually transmute without a circle, but I had discovered that the Silver Skin had a set of simple circles on the gloves. That would be helpful for future fights as it would give me some much needed range for when I couldn't or didn't want to use my ignition gloves. Flame Alchemy was for Cape fights, not random mooks.

I ignored the violent cursing of the few conscious thugs as I finished the concrete bonds, brushed off my gloves and turned to the shop where a few people were watching me from the doorway.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked.

There was a moments silence as everyone tried to decide if they should trust me or not, before someone shoved their way to the front.

"Yes, everyones fine," said the tall, bespectacled man, "They weren't stupid enough to start shooting the place."

"Well, thats a relief," I said, "I take it that someone has called the authorities?"

The man nodded.

"Good, they will need to cut them free, but the goons will not be going anywhere," I said, "Now, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I must be going."

"Wait, whats your name?" called the man.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that I might as well.

"You may call me Flamel," I said, "Stay safe!"

And with that I jumped, bouncing off the roof of a nearby van and onto the roof of a nearby building. As I ran across the rooftops away from my first fight, I couldn't stop the fierce grin that crossed my face. The fight had been nerve wracking since I'd never really been in a real fight before, but my skills and Silver Skin had pulled me through. Now all I could feel was a sense of accomplishment and pride over having completed my first rescue without issue. Plus, acting like Bravo was surprisingly fun.

* * *

"You look rather cherpy," said Vicky as I vaulted over the back of the sofa and landed next to her, "Did something good happen?"

"Sort of," I said, "You might say I've had a good day."

Vicky snorted.

"Wish I could say the same," she muttered, "I was gonna hang out with Missy, but she got called away for something."

Hmm, I wonder if I had something to do with that? I mean, I'd dealt with that robbery and stopped about a dozen other crimes on my way home, so there should be some news about a new Cape running around the Bay by now.

"Hey, did you know theres apparently a new Cape running around the Bay?" said Vicky, who had her laptop on her lap and was trawling the PHO forums.

"Really?" I asked, "Any interesting information?"

"Only that he apparently took three gunshots without flinching, can apparently manipulate concrete or something and is rather...energetic," said Vicky, "Theres a picture, here."

She turned the screen to show me. It showed me transmuting the wall into bonds for the thugs I'd caught. Huh, I hadn't even noticed anyone taking it.

"Interesting costume," said Vicky, "Looks professional. I wonder if hes a part of a team?"

"Well, hes not part of the Protectorate or New Wave," I said, "If he was, we'd have heard something about him."

"Thats true," said Vicky, "Maybe hes a Tinker? But that coat doesn't look much like Tinkertech."

I shrugged.  
"I suspect that we'll be finding out more once he really gets started," I said.

"Guess so," said Vicky, before snapping her laptop shut, "Enough of this, lets have some fun!"

We spent the rest of the evening playing Mario Kart.

* * *

The next day saw me perched on top of a particularly tall building, looking out over the city as I enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing past me and making the tails of my coat flap dramatically. I'd already stopped three petty crimes since I'd come out, leaving the crooks tied up with bonds made of whatever junk happened to be nearby for the cops to collect. All in all, a good use of a morning in my opinion.

A flicker of movement on a nearby roof drew my attention. I turned to look and saw Vista and Kid Win making their way across the rooftops in a series of rather nauseating hops as the female Ward bent space to allow them to cover large distances in a single step. The two Wards paused and I saw Vista point in my direction and the two changed direction to head towards me. I remained where I was, watching as they closed in, and turned as they arrived at the roof.

"Hi!" said Vista as soon as they hit the asphalt roof, "Your that new guy, right? Flamel?"

I grinned behind my collar and tipped my hat.

"At your service," I said, "And what can I do for the Wards today?"

"We wanted to meet the new Hero in town," said Vista.

"Yeah and probably try and sell me the idea of joining the Wards, right?" I asked.

The twitches I got were more than enough confirmation.

"Well, let me save you some time and say no," I said, "I am willing to work together though."

"Well, thats a relief," said Kid, "There are so many villains in the city, any help would be appreciated."

I snorted.

"That I can imagine," I said.

"Hey, if your free, why don't you join us for our Patrol?" asked Vista, "I doubt we'll see anything interesting, but it'll help you get some idea of how best to go about it."

Somehow, I couldn't help but get the feeling that she'd just jinxed us, but I nodded and fell into step alongside the other teen Heroes nonetheless.

* * *

"So, what exactly are your powers?" asked Kid a few minutes later as we crossed a ten foot gap in a single step.

"Why?" I asked.

The Tinker shrugged.

"Just curious," he said, "You've been seen tanking bullets and doing something to turn concrete into bonds. Some kind of Brute/Shaker combo?"

I laughed.

"Not really, no," I said, "I think my powers are closer to that of a Tinker, although since I don't deal in tech maybe not…"

I shook my head.

"Never mind. I'm actually an Alchemist."

"An...alchemist?" asked Vista, not looking convinced, "You mean like how Myrridins a Wizard?"

I grinned.

"Nope, because I can actually prove that I'm an Alchemist," I said, "Basically, I can create circles that allow me to transmute matter. I'm limited by the concept of Equivalent Exchange, so I can only get out what I put in. As for my Brute rating, that actually came from this."

I tapped my chest.

"A different application of Alchemy that allowed me to create a uniform thats completely indestructible."

"Thats...rather hard to believe," said Kid Win, "How would that even work?"

"Superpowers!" I said cheerfully, "In all seriousness though, I am aware of how unbelievable my powers are, but its the truth. Not the Truth though, thank god."

"Eh?"

"Never mind."

Kid Win looked like he was about to push, but before he could, Vista spoke up.

"Not to interrupt your fascinating conversation, but we might have trouble," she said.

"Are you using your powers to look ahead again?" asked Kid Win.

In answer, Vista waved an arm and the air in front of us did things that made the universe cry as a window appeared showing Hookwolf, Rune and a group of E88 goons facing down a large number of Merchants, including Squealer in a rather ugly contraption that made my inner Alchemist scream in fury and Skidmark, who made my inner decent Human being want to punch something. Under normal circumstances, I'd be happy to let to two gangs duke it out, but for whatever reason, they had decided to make trouble in an inhabited neighborhood. I could see a good many people fleeing, desperately locking windows and a few cowering in alleyways, anything to get out of the gangs path.

"Alright, got it," said Kid Win, who had been reporting the little stand off to whoever was on monitor duty, "We've been ordered to observe and wait for reinforcements."

Vista scowled, but didn't say anything. I on the other hand wasn't about to stick around and potentially let someone get hurt.

"In that case, I'll be taking my leave for now," I said.

"Wait, what?" asked Kid Win, looking shocked.

"This is why I don't want to join the Wards," I said as I turned in the direction of the fight, "I can't leave something like this, not if someone could get hurt. See ya."

I sprinted in the direction of the fight, ignoring the shouts of the Wards as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a bundle of wires. I'd managed to master this particular trick the day before and it would likely prove to be instrumental in this fight. The wires started glowing blue as I channeled Alchemical energy into them, reaching completion just as I reached the last roof before the stand off.

I hit the roofs edge and jumped, charging more energy into my free hand and the circle on the glove as I visualized what I wanted. I'd found that, despite not being as efficient as a proper circle, the Circles that were part of the Silver Skin were able to perform some pretty impressive Transmutations when combined with my Thought Acceleration and Memory Partition. So far, I had three partitions and had managed to achieve about twice the speed of the average person's thought speed, which allowed me to ignore a good portion of a Circles runes and symbols, although I still needed the Circle itself to properly guide the Alchemic energy. I wouldn't be losing that unless I opened the Gate, which I wouldn't be doing anytime soon.

All of that combined meant that, when I hit the ground, a surge of blue energy shot out, crackling like lightning as the ground bucked like a living thing, the already cracked asphalt breaking up into even smaller pieces and shifting as it was used to form massive walls in front of alleyways and inhabited buildings to keep the fight from accidentally hurting anyone. They wouldn't keep someone like Hookwolf or Squealers truck from simply plowing through them of course, I wasn't that good, but it would stop someone from getting hit by accident.

"Evening scumbags," I said as I slowly straightened.

 **And that'll do. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but theres a strong possibility that I'll actually continue this one.**

 **Like I said up top, I can't have him act like Bravo all the time. Its fun as hell to write the guy, but I quickly found myself running face first into a wall and eventually just gave up. That said, expect some Bravo moments.**

 **And since I can't think of anything else to say, I'll be signing off now. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	89. Count of Blood Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Count of Blood

When I died, the very last thing I was expecting was to end up in the world of Worm and as Taylors brother at that. Well, adopted brother. As it turns out, my family history might well be more insane than I thought. The Marquis of Bone might have been caged, but the Count of Blood takes the stage. Fortunately, I have no designs on being a gang leader.

 **Right, I've actually had this idea for a while, but I've never been able to figure out a good way to do it. Now, with judicious application of imagination and a bit of help from Anubis of the Highway Thieves, I finally have a plan. Not entirely what I had in mind, but it works fine. I'm also going to have to make a slight alteration to the timeline by pushing Marquis defeat back two years, so Amy was three when she was adopted by the Dallons. Other than that, everythings the same. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I died to having an oversized model of the First Blade split my head open, I was understandably rather peeved. Fortunately, it seems that death wasn't the end for me. Oh no, in fact, it was only the beginning as I was reborn. Well, this would certainly be an interesting life.

Or not. Well, it would be interesting, but it looked like it'd be rather short. Why do I think that? Well, that would be because I haven't been reborn into a normal world, instead I had been reborn into the world of Worm with all its fucked up problems.

* * *

I don't really remember many details about my first year, just some vague images of a brown haired man with a white smile and a two year old girl playing with me, probably my sister. However, I have no idea who they were or what happened to them, but I know for a fact I don't live with them anymore. Oh no, instead I'm apparently Taylor Hebert's adopted brother/cousin. Yeah, turns out that the Hebert's were my aunt and uncle...both ways. Its a long and convoluted story, but apparently my Dad and Danny were best friends and roommates at university and ended up marrying each others sisters.

I still had no idea who my Dad was though or what happened to my apparent sister and no one seemed to be willing to tell me. That said, I had been able to figure out a few things. First of, he was likely a Parahuman and a powerful and very dangerous one at that. Second, he was most definitely not on the side of the angels. The reason I thought that was because, when asked about him, my parents would always look nervus and tell me that they'd tell me when I was older. If he was dead, they'd look more sad, but their reaction made me think that either he was still at large...or in the Birdcage.

* * *

As it turned out, I was correct on all three counts. When I was 14, I was rummaging through the attic, looking for some old stuff for an event school was putting on when I stumbled onto a photograph. It was a photo of graduation and showed four young people grinning at the camera. Two of them were obviously Annette and Danny, while the other two were clearly their siblings, my parents. I'd seen images of my Mother before, but my Dad was conspicuously absent from any photographs, making the likelihood of him being rather infamous more and more likely. My Mother (who was definitely dead) shared Danny's straw-coloured hair and green eyes, which I also had, although I apparently had my Dads dark brown, wavy hair and blatantly masculine build, even before puberty really kicked in.

I studied the man with interest, noting that I shared his facial shape as well as his build and hair. If he was anything to go by, I'd be quite the looker when I grew up. Narcissism aside, I couldn't help but think he looked oddly familiar, especially his rather gaudy looking necklace with a pair of large rings on it.

I frowned as I shifted to lean on the box behind me, racking my brains to try and figure out why my Dads face looked so familiar...before i let out a yelp as the box decided to give way, sending me to the floor with a thump and shower of old papers.

"OK, that hurt," I muttered as I sat up, rubbing the back of my head and shoving away the newspapers that covered me, "Why the hell are there this many papers up...here…"

I trailed off as I saw the front page of the paper that just so happened to be in my lap. It was from just under 13 years ago, specifically Marquis arrest by New Wave, then the Brockton Bay Brigade. However, none of the text registered to me, instead, I found myself staring at Marquis face. Then I looked at the photo of my parents graduation.

"Oh, so thats why," I said weakly.

Well, that certainly explained why Danny and Annette were so wary of telling me who my Dad was at least. If anyone found out that I was Marquis son, shit would hit the fan pretty fucking quick. Amy had New Wave to keep her safe and had her reputation as an invaluable Cape to protect her. I on the other hand had no such defence and...HANG ON A SEC! If the Heberts were my Aunt and Uncle, that meant...oh, now that really is too much! I wonder how this would affect the future? It might even have an effect on Taylors powers if she found out. Would it? Could it? I don't even know…

 **Darknessspacetwistingmonstrocitiesashardhertlingtowardsme…**

THUMP!

I jolted. Something had changed. I wasn't sure what it was, but it felt like something inside of me had just clicked into place. I could feel my blood throbbing in my veins far more keenly than I should have done. I frowned. Why would that…

"OUCH!"

I jumped as the sensation of someone running a very sharp knife across my arm made me look down, just in time to see a long gash open up on the back of my arm from wrist to elbow, allowing a large amount of blood to flow out and quickly solidify into a blade.

"Ah, thats whats changed," I muttered as I examined the blood blade.

It kinda made sense. My…Father could control bone, my sister flesh and me, blood. I just hope that I could generate a lot of the stuff or I was gonna be pretty limited in what I could do. That was for later though, for now I needed to go and talk to my Aunt and Uncle about this. My dad, not my powers. I hesitantly tried to move the blood blade and it responded by flowing back inside my body and the wound sealed up. Hmm, I don't think that should have been possible without causing me serious problems with my blood flow. I made a mental note to experiment later and headed downstairs. It was time for an awkward conversation.

* * *

I found Mum in the kitchen by following my nose. She looked up as I entered the room and smiled.

"Hey Jack, you find what you were looking for?" she asked.

"Not exactly," I said, "I did find this though."

I held up the photo and old paper. At the sight of them, Mum froze.

"Ah, that," she said.

"Yep, that," I said, "So, my Dad really is Marquis?"

Mum sighed.

"Yes, he is," she said, "Come on, it'd be better to sit down for this."

I followed her into the sitting room and dropped onto the sofa as she sat in the armchair. For a moment, there was silence as Mum gathered her thoughts.

"I take it that you want to know about the man, rather than the Villain," she said eventually.

I nodded. You could find information about Marquis easily online after all.

"Alright, I suppose I ought to start by saying that John never intended to become a Villain," said Mum, "Truth be told, I don't think anyone does. No one gets up one morning and decides that they are going to murder people at random. It was a thousand bad choices and situations that led my brother down his path, not all of them his."

She snorted.

"At his core, John was a good man. When he got his powers, he intended to use them to make the City a better place. This was at a time when the Teeth and the E88 were making the city far to dangerous for practically everyone and the Protectorate were on the ropes. Unfortunately, his power isn't exactly the most PR friendly and the Heroes at the time were rather jumpy. As a result, on his first night out, he was mistaken for a Villain by an overzealous Hero and ended up getting saved by a group of relatively minor Villains."

I frowned. This was starting to sound more and more familiar.

"He got the bright idea that he might be able to help the Heroes by acting as a double agent and tried to infiltrate the Villains ranks," continued Mum and sighed deeply, "To cut a long story short, he got in to deep and ended up getting stuck. By the time that happened though, he had made a number of friends in the Villains circles and had become disillusioned towards the Heroes and their poor attempts at cleaning up the city. In the end, he decided that he could do more to help as a monster than as a Hero. Despite everything though, he still stuck to his old convictions and was willing to act as a family man when not in costume."

Alright, now that sounded really familiar! Good god, thats practically what happened to Taylor in Canon! There were a few other things I wanted cleared up though.

"So, if Marquis was willing to be a family man, how did I end up here?" I asked, "I assume that he would have taken me in after Mum died?"

Mum sighed. She'd been doing that a lot, but I can't really blame her.

"John had asked us to look after you that night," she said, "You were just over a year old and he really didn't trust any of his goons to watch over you while he was out with Amelia."

I frowned.

"Whos Amelia?" I asked.

Mum gave a slightly weak smile.  
"Shes your older sister," she said, "She was ill at the time and John was taking her to the hospital for a checkup when New Wave attacked his house."

"I have a sister?" I asked, making sure to sound surprised, "Huh...what happened to her?"

Mum sighed again.

"She was taken in by the Dallons," she said, "You have to understand, we would have tried to get her as well, but we already had Taylor and taking in an extra two kids just wouldn't have been possible. Plus, kicking up a fuss could have resulted in your identities as Marquis kids getting out and that could have been disastrous."

"Yeah, I can imagine," I said, "Wait, if thats true then that means that my Sisters Panacea, right?"

Mum looked impressed.

"Quick on the uptake as usual I see," she said, "Your right, she is your Sister. I wouldn't recommend approaching her about this though. I don't think she knows who her real Father is."

"Yeah, I can certainly see how that would go badly," I said, "Anyone who looks at her can see shes having problems and I somehow doubt that finding out Dads a supervillain would help matters."

Mum nodded in agreement. For a moment, we sat in silence before Mum spoke up again.  
"Jack, you can't tell anyone about this," she said, "Even after all this time, if anyone were to find out Marquis had a kid…"

"I know, I know," I said, "But...I don't think I can keep this from Taylor."

Mum tilted her head.

"No, me either," she said, "Eavesdropping is rude young lady!"

There was a yelp from the door, before it opened and a sheepish looking Taylor came in.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"You understand that you can't tell anyone either young lady?" said Mum, "Not even Emma?"

Taylor nodded.

"I know," she said, "I'm not stupid. Still...it is kinda strange to think we're related to a supervillain."

She shot a look my way from under her bangs.

"And you have a real sister…"

I blinked at her tone, before I smirked and grabbed her hand, tugging her down so I could give her a big hug.

"Aww come on Tay, don't look like that," I said, "We might not be real siblings, but your still the best sister in the world!"

Taylor giggled and hugged me back and we quickly devolved into playful wrestling on the couch. Mum smiled and got to her feet, heading back to start working on dinner. Before she left the room, I remembered a question I had.

"Oh, Mum, before you go, can I ask you something?" I said.

"You just did, but sure," said Mum.

I rolled my eyes at the obvious joke, but plowed on regardless.

"Do you know which hero it was?" I asked, "The one who mistook Dad for a villain?"

Mum gave me a searching look as Taylor also looked up in interest.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked.

I shrugged.

"Just curious," I said, "If my Dad was a Cape, I'm likely to Trigger myself, so it'd be nice to know who to avoid on my first night out."

Mum eyed me for a moment longer, before turning back to the door.

"It was Armsmaster," she said and left.

It took all I had to keep my jaw from hitting the floor in shock.

 **And that'll do. A bit short, but it hits all the bases and works nicely for what I had in mind. Just to be clear, I won't be bashing Armsmaster, I just wanted to create an interesting parallel between Taylor and Marquis.**

 **Make no mistake, Marquis more than deserved to get Caged, but I wanted to make it so he wasn't just another psycho. Hes just what Canon Taylor could have potentially become.**

 **You can probably guess that Jacks debut and reveal later down the line as Marquis kid will result in the shit hitting the fan big time, especially when you consider that I have plans for him to make friends with a good chunk of the New Wave before then.**

 **Jack is in the same academic year as Taylor, but only just. Hes nearly a year younger, so he'll be about 14 by the start of Worms canon.**

 **Jacks power is obviously Hemokinesis, although it also affects his bodys ability to create and store blood. Basically, so long as he has the biomass to produce it, his body is capable of producing a frankly obscene amount of the red stuff. From there, he can shape it, solidify it and more. Like Marquis, if he can see blood from another source, he can also take control of it, although he is Manton limited. Not really that much of a limitation though when you consider the fact he could tear someone body apart by pulling all the blood out through a cut. So yeah, not exactly PR friendly.**

 **For those interested, Jacks Cape name will be Count. The reasoning there should be obvious, but in case its not, the title Count is a step below Marquis and its also a reference to Count Dracula for his Hemokinesis. Inventive, I know.**

 **Right, that'll do. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	90. Follow the Path Chapter 1

Follow the Path

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world where alien invasions are treated as a mild inconvenience. Still, it could be worse. At least my power is completely broken!

 **YAY, its not a Worm idea! It does however take a bit of inspiration from it because Worm Powers are so cool! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Time for a quick lesson in Caveman 101. Fire hot, ow! And now for another obvious statement. Dying sucks. Trust me, I know both of them first hand since I was burnt to death, flash fried in a fireball that quite literally came from nowhere. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the fire to kill me since, for the few seconds I was burning alive, it REALLY FUCKING HURT!

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it.

"Hmm, lets see, Daniel Hebert, age 16, species human, scheduled to come up here never. Huh, interesting."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on there?"

"There are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"Because you died before your allotted time," said Dis, "It happens occasionally and always makes a total mess of things."

"Why?"

"Because the Souls can only go to heaven or hell after their allotted time has past," said Dis, "You were supposed to live for another 20 years and die when your homeworld was attacked by an interdimensional space whale."

I blinked a couple of times and raised a finger.

"Ahh…"

"Yes, I do mean Scion."

I put my finger down. Well, that was one way to go I guess.

"So what now?" I asked, "Are you going to send me back?"

"Your body in your old dimension was nearly completely destroyed," said Dis, "Besides, time passes differently here and you've already been buried. You can't move on and you can't go back to your old dimension, the only thing I can do is shift you sideways."

"Sideways?"

"Into a different dimension," explained Dis, "It'll be one you recognize and I expect you won't end up being entirely normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When people get shifted sideways, they tend to change," said Dis, "I still have no idea why. Just be thankful you won't be an Outsider. They always get screwed over by Fate."

I gulped.

"Soo, where am I going?"

"Pick a door," said Dis, indicating to a pair of identical doors that hadn't been there before.

"Where do they lead?" I asked.

"Your new home," said the Overseer, "Not even I know where they lead. Don't worry, though, I've already taken steps to make sure you don't get consumed by whatever power you gain. You'll start again with a clean slate, new memories and a new life."

I paused, my hand inches from one of the door handles.

"I won't remember my past?"

Dis shook his head.

"You will," he said, But those memories will be overtaken by new ones and suppressed. They'll be there, but they won't be important. Its how we prevent those we have to shift from getting homesick."

I swallowed and turned back to the door.

"Alright, you can do this," I muttered and opened the door.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I had tripped over a crate and landed in a muddy puddle with a splash. I sat up spluttering and looked around. I was in a back alley somewhere, behind a bar or something if the empty barrels were anything to go by.

"Greaaat, where the hell am I?" I muttered.

I got to my feet and headed to the end of the alley, only to freeze as I stepped out, my eyes wide.

"Um, is it too late to pick the other door?" I asked weakly as I stared at the T shaped tower out in the bay.

There was a flash of light and a note appeared in my hand. I quickly unfolded it and started to read.

 _Dear Danny,_

 _Well, you lucked out and I don't mean by landing in Teen Titans. Normally, I'd give you a place to stay and tell you to be a good boy, but that new power of yours makes that pretty much unnecessary. I don't even need to give you any real ID or anything, so thats one less thing to do!_

 _Now, before you head off and break the world, there are a couple of things you should know about. One, you cannot tell anyone you're from another world and two, you can't tell anyone what you know about the future. Both are sealed away behind barriers to keep you from accidentally telling or a telepath from pulling the information from your mind._

 _I think thats everything, have a good life!_

 _From,_

 _Dis._

I went white. I was stuck in the DC universe with nothing but the clothes on my back and a power I didn't even know how to use. I was going to KILL that…

 _ERROR, CANNOT FIND TARGET._

My head snapped up as what can only be called and error message popped up in my head as soon as I started plotting to murder the Watcher.

"What the fuck?" I muttered.

I stood still for a moment, waiting to see if anything was going to happen. When no other odd messages popped up after a few seconds, I relaxed.

"Well, I guess I ought to see about finding some money and a place to sleep," I muttered, "I really don't want to end up on the streets…"

I was cut off again as my brain did... _something_ and I suddenly knew exactly how to get what I wanted with a handy step by step guide to getting it. My eyes went wide.

"O-oh you have got to be kidding me!" I breathed, "Did I get…"

I quickly attempted to come up with a plan for killing Superman. It would take over three thousand steps and a penguin, but it could be done. Then I tried Batman. Then the entire Justice League. Then Darkseid, the Joker, Sinestro, hell, even _Magneto_ worked and that plan required acquiring ownership of Star Labs to build an interdimensional portal.

"Oh hell, I've got Path to Victory," I breathed, slumping back to lean against the wall.

Well, that certainly explained why Dis didn't bother giving me anything to start with! I could probably become a millionaire within a week...oh no, a month for the least amount of time, although that path would result in a lot of dead bodies.

"Hmm, I wonder if I can see Scion and Eden?" I muttered.

Then, my eyes widened as I discovered that yes, I could. And holy fucking SHIT, Contessa was holding back! If her power worked anything like mine, all of the atrocities that the Cauldron committed were barely worth mentioning compared to what was required to pull off the most efficient plan. I swallowed down my bile and quickly discarded the Path. It wasn't relevant for me and I didn't want to give myself nightmares.

Instead, I turned my attention to my more immediate problems as my stomach gave a loud rumble.

"Right, money then food," I said.

I turned on my heel, walked ten paces and plunged my hand into the skip. A moment later, I pulled out a blue backpack in a plastic bag covered in rotting garbage that was full of money intended to pay for a drug drop. Someone wouldn't be getting their fix and would likely be getting their kneecaps smashed instead. However, since my power helpfully informed me that the man in question was an amoral sociopath who was planning on kidnapping and doing horrible things to his five year old neighbour, I found it hard to really care. This way, I got what I wanted and a horrible man would be caught and locked away before anyone really got hurt. I pulled the backpack out of the bag, dropped the foul smelling plastic back into the trash and left the alley, whistling a happy tune as I went.

* * *

After pizza and avoiding getting caught up in one of the Titans scuffles, I headed out in search of somewhere to live, preferably without shooting someone in the head. I ended up with a small studio apartment over a bookshop I acquired for a steal after helping the original owner with a dispute with some gangsters and suggesting that he get out of town. My power is complete bullshit. You can keep your super strength, flight and stupidly large amounts of cash, I'd take this power any day of the week!

* * *

After acquiring groceries and sending the cops after the scumbag I'd 'helped' (he was as bad as the thugs I'd saved him from), I sat down in my new home and had a very long think. DC wasn't quite as dangerous as Worm since the heroes actually did their jobs (mostly) and prevailed in the end, so there was no real need for me to become a hero and try and change things. My power was complete bullshit, I could easily use it to do whatever I wanted. Hell, I could become king of the entire world with the Justice League at my beck and call in all things within 10 years and without spilling a drop of blood if I wanted to! But taking over the world didn't really appeal to me. I could use my power to play the system like a clarinet, but eventually I'd be found out, Path to Victory or no. Once that happened, things would get messy and I had no interest in getting tossed into prison or in slaughtering most of the Justice League and turning the rest into my playthings, Harley Quinn style.

I violently tossed away the Path before the images helpfully provided could change my mind with the sheer amount of skin on display. I would NOT become a world destroying Villain because I couldn't keep my hormones under control damn it!

I sighed as I took a sip of tea. I suppose I should try thinking more short term. I knew I was in the Teen Titans cartoon by the appearances of the Titans themselves, but I had no idea when I was. That was quickly fixed by a brief web search that revealed that Slade was still at large and Terra hadn't made her appearance, so as long as the timeline followed the show as I remembered it, Trigon was still due to invade at some point. Hmm, I wonder if…Yep, I can modal Trigon. That would be handy.

I wrenched my thoughts back on track. OK, so Slade and Trigon were my main problems. The rest of the standard villains were just that, but Slade could match Coil on being a complete dickhead and Trigon was...Trigon. If I wanted to have any chance at surviving this world, I would need to deal with both of them. Mainly because I didn't want Slade to find out about me and chain me up in his basement with enough drugs in my system to turn my brain to mush.

Plan now established, I set my power to work, discarding the paths that would end in massive death tolls until I finally found one that would first job was to...steal the X suit? The fuck?

 **Well, this should be interesting. Sticking a character with a practically unlimited version of Path to Victory into any world is guaranteed to end in tears for someone.**

 **I called him Danny Hebert on a whim. He doesn't actually have any relation to Taylor. I just like the name.**

 **Despite all the references to Worm, I don't actually plan for it to become a full on crossover. I admit, I had a few ideas of him allying with the Cauldron, but I won't be using them.**

 **Yes, Danny will be becoming X, but he'll also have a second alter ego that he'll use when helping the Titans later down the line that will be more in line with Contessa, complete with classy dress sense. I'm not sure what to call that version though, so ideas are welcome.**

 **His power isn't completely unlimited of course, but most of the things it doesn't work on are either not relevant due to being in a completely different universe or so powerful they could erase him from existence with a casual thought. That said, he isn't technically OP because hes just a perfectly ordinary 16 year old under that power. He doesn't even have any real training like Robin does, although I suspect his powers would probably make that moot. Oh, he could definitely beat the entire Justice League if it came down to it, but it would take a VERY long time.**

 **Anyway, that'll do for now. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	91. Follow the Path Chapter 2

Follow the Path

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world where alien invasions are treated as a mild inconvenience. Still, it could be worse. At least my power is completely broken!

 **And we're back. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, this power is fucking BULLSHIT!" I muttered as I walked out of the Tower with the X suit in a backpack.

I had quite literally just walked in and out of one of the most secure buildings in the city without being detected using only a mobile phone and a hair clip. The mobile phone had been to get the Titans to the other side of the city and the hair clip had been needed to mess with a couple of cameras and sensors to slip through the grid. I'd even used the tunnel the Titans used to get Robins bike and the T-car to the mainland in order to get there and back! Good god, I think I just out Accorded Accord! And I should probably stop comparing myself to Worm characters in case I start channeling Tattletale or something.

* * *

Anyway, with step one of my 'take down Slade and Trigon without dieing!'™ plan done with, I cranked up my power and was informed that the next step was to hide it at the bottom of my cupboard for a later date. After disabling the trackers of course. There were a lot of them. Damn paranoid Bat family members. The suit wasn't actually intended as an actual step in the plan, rather it was a test to see just what my power was capable of. I think my power detected the subconscious worry that it might not be up to the task and provided a method to prove its worth by letting me steal the Suit. It'd come in handy later I'm sure, but for now, I wouldn't be using it.

Instead, I needed a suit with which I could act the hero. If my plans had any chances of working, I needed an in with the Titans. I didn't intend to join them, but I needed to create a positive working relationship with them and working as an independent was the best way to do it.

* * *

I ignored my power as it churned away in the back of my mind, throwing out more paths and routes that I could take factoring in this decision. Most I threw out, either because they required frankly massive body counts (seriously, what is WITH this thing?!), were plain stupid (I fail to see how wearing a furry pink cat suit would help defeat an interdimensional demon in any way) or would require me to do stuff that I'm not entirely sure I could pull off. Then, my power threw up a Path that would definitely work with defeating Trigon that made me pause. It...would work, but it would require me to do something that I'm not sure I was entirely comfortable with.

Oh, it didn't require me to shoot anyone, in fact, it didn't require me to do anything illegal at all. Well, not in this reality. I suspect I'd probably risk getting Caged if I tried what was suggested on Bet considering it smacked a little too much of some of the nastier Human Masters. Of course, I couldn't directly manipulate someone's emotions, but my Path allowed me to perfectly guide a conversation and events to instil whatever emotion I liked in a target. With that in mind, it would be childs play to talk just about anyone into doing what I wanted. Hell, I could probably make a killing working at Arkham as a psychologist, although I suspect that trying to rehabilitate the Joker would be like trying to get Kaiser to convert to Islam. I shook my head as my power 'helpfully' provided several paths that would allow me to just that. I genuinely had no idea if my power had a sense of humour or if it was as mindless as it seemed, but some of the things it came up with were just ludicrous.

* * *

I was broken out of my thoughts by a blast of hot air from the fans above the door of the shop I'd just entered. One good thing about my power was that it had kept me on track. If I was going to be a hero, I needed a suit. Since I'd look terrible in spandex, I intended to see if I could turn my power into a pseudo Tinker ability and turn regular cloth into something that'd keep me from getting shot to pieces. I had faith in my power to keep me alive in a fight, but I had no intention of leaving it all up to chance.

My power conquered and within two hours, I was back home with the cloth I needed and a plan for what I'd use the X suit for. I needed a few things before I could go out as a hero and X was the perfect method to get my hands on them. But first, I needed to convert the suit to run on something other than Xenothium. To that end, I overclocked my power and, muttering about how bullshit it was that it could replicated Tinker powers, headed out to buy the components I needed. Most were off the shelf electronic parts, but I had the visit a jewelry store to get the last component. I quickly lugged them all home and started work on the new power source, ready for the night.

* * *

Three hours later, I was staring at the glowing blue device on my dining table, not entirely sure if I should be angry or not.

"Alright, so instead of Xenothium, I'll be powering my suit with an Arc Reactor," I muttered, "Thats...you know what? I don't care. But I'm not making an Iron Man suit."

I shoved away the Path where I did just that and somehow ended up in a fight with Thor in favour of grabbing the belt and CAREFULLY! removing the Xenothium Core. I set it aside to be returned to Robin later (with a lecture on idiotic moves in the name of a theme) and set about replacing the power source with my Arc Reactor. Fortunately, I wouldn't have to worry about Palladium poisoning like Stark because it wasn't implanted in my body.

With that done, I suited up (mentally thanking the fact I'd already adjusted the fit) and tapped into my power. Within seconds, I knew what I needed to do and headed out, just as the sun went down.

* * *

The place I was hitting was a storehouse for Star Labs, the place where they kept their prototypes and some of their more...unique items that didn't have a use for the general public. Naturally, the place had some fairly tight security, but between my powers and the many gadgets Robin had helpfully put into the X Suit. I was after a machine designed to produce synthetic spider silk that had been intended to produce better quality, far less bulky protective equipment for the armed forces. Considering what Skitter had managed with her costume, it was the perfect choice for my own.

Fortunately, the device wasn't very large, only about the size of an office printer (don't ask how thats possible), so I was able to set up the teleport beacons I'd brought along to teleport it outside to be retrieved and lugged back home. I was just about to leave myself when the door suddenly slammed open and the Titans came charging in. They skidded to a stop, staring at me in shock.

"Red X?!" spluttered Beast Boy, "But I thought Robin was Red X!"

I scowled behind my helmet. Well, this was a pain. I couldn't let them know what I was really after, just in case they put it together later, so I'd need to make off with something else. Like...the Xenothium scanner? That ought to throw them off and I could let Robin know that he didn't need to worry once we saw each other again.

"Think again," I said and fired a barrage of explosive Xs at the Titans.

They jumped away as Raven threw up a barrier. I smirked and charged her, my power directing me as I teleported behind her shield and tripped her, causing her to crack her head on the floor. I winced and decided to take her out of the fight with an electrical X, but before I could shock her into unconsciousness, Starfire went on the attack, forcing me to flip out of the way. I danced around her Starbolts as she chased me through the rafters, before nailing her with a pair of energy blasts that zapped her out of the sky. A solid X between Beast Boys jaws prevented him from taking a chunk out of my shoulder and removed him from the fight for a short while as he removed the X by turning into a hippo on a very thin beam and ended up falling into a stack of crates. I wonder how much super hero insurance costs?

I shook off the thought as Cyborg came at me, right before I snared him with an elastic X that slammed a load of boxes into him. Unfortunately, that just pissed him off and the rest of the Titans were back on their feet.

" _Hmm, this is starting to feel a lot like the X episode,"_ I thought, _"Either I've brought the timeline forwards or I can't rely entirely on my knowledge of the show."_

I brushed off the thought for now as the Titans advanced on me.

"Come on Kids," I said, my voice made unrecognizable by the modulator in the mask, "X marks the spot."

They went on the assault, with Cyborg opening fire, Raven tossing a box at me, both of which I vaulted over and danced around more Starbolts. I landed in a crouch and immediately teleported out of the way as Beast Boy tried to squash me. I reappeared on top of a crate, only to be almost immediately tackled by Robin. Apparently my Path is not quite good enough to keep up with five highly skilled opponents at the same time, but that was fine. It worked perfectly well for the actual fight.

We exchanged blows, with me occasionally teleporting around Robins attacks, before he managed to catch my fist with his feet and throw me into a wall of crates. Before I could recover, he appeared in front of me and grabbed my mask.

"Who are you!?" he snarled.

"If I wanted you to know that, would I be wearing a mask?" I asked as I grabbed his wrist and shocked him, sending him flying into a stack of crates.

With Robin temporarily down, the other Titans came at me, led by Raven and Cyborg as they charged up their attacks. My response was to toss a shock X that zapped both of them and resulted in their attacks hitting each other.

"Looks like you got your wires crossed," I said.

I flipped back, evading a barrage of Starbolts from Starfire and once again starting the dance around her attacks while trying to find an opening. It didn't take long and I shot an X at Starfire which pinned her to the wall. Since I didn't fancy getting zapped, I didn't try flirting with her, instead I turned my attention to Beast Boy as he came at me and morphed into a bear as he did. I slammed my hand into the ground, which promptly split in an X shape, dropping Beast Boy into a very deep hole. Seriously, how the fuck did Robin manage half of these things without some form of Tinker power bullshit?

"Watch your step," I said as I walked over to where Robin was laying.

I pushed him aside and picked up the gun shaped scanner that he'd been laying on. I didn't need it, but I needed them to think that was what I was after, rather than the spider silk producer.

I took off as Robin recovered and charged after me.

"I won't let you escape!" he yelled, right before he tripped as another X wrapped around his ankles.

"Better luck next time," I said as I put the scanner on my belt, "And thanks for the suit."

I hit the belt button to teleport...only to get an error message.

"Oh come on!" I yelled, "Fucking thing…"

Apparently I should have run some tests before I came out. The change to the Arc Reactor power source had resulted in a power surge, disabling the teleporter. Fortunately, it was temporary, but it was still a pain.

I took to my heels as Robin broke free from his restraints and charged me again. I jumped out the skylight, evading Robins attacks as I waited for the cooldown to finish. A few seconds later, the all clear came up on my HUD and I grinned behind my mask.

"See ya around kid!" I said as I vanished.

I reappeared in an empty dumpster beside the spider silk machine and pulled my mask of with a sigh of relief. That had been INTENSE! I was SO going out as X again at some point, even after I made my appearance in my good guy persona. I grinned. I wasn't interested in stealing anything, I just liked playing with the Titans.

I quickly stripped off the suit and stuffed it into my bag, the same bag I'd found my start up capital in, and dumped the scanner off to the side. I didn't need it after all. I dropped my actual prize into a printer box that had held an actual printer I'd bought earlier in the day that I quickly sealed up with tape in the same way it would be sealed if new. With that done, I carefully peaked out of the dumpster and, after making sure that there was no one around with my senses, the scanners in my mask and my power, I hopped out and walked down the street with the box under one arm, joining with the light foot traffic. Just another face in the crowd.

Once I got home, I set the device up and started it cooking. It would take some time to make enough thread, so I decided to fall into bed and get some sleep.

* * *

Apparently, I'd massively overestimated the capabilities of the device I'd stolen. I'd known it had been discontinued from production and now I knew why. To produce enough thread to make just one standard issue combat uniform, it took well over 12 hours and it required a large amount of power. The latter was easily provided with another Arc Reactor, but I still had plenty of time to kill. That led to me amusing myself by following the Titans around in the X suit and taking down a couple of Changs men when they tried to kidnap Cyborg, although I wasn't quick enough to stop them from zapping him unconscious. I left them tied to a lamppost for the cops as I headed to the teams meeting point, helpfully provided by my power. I arrived in time to hear Robin bemoaning his past mistakes.

"Do not worry Robin," said Starfire, "Your mistakes are in the past. It is no longer you inside that suit."

"And personally, I think it looks much better on me," I said, making everyone spin around to face me, "Yo."

"Red X," snarled Robin, "What did you do to Cyborg?"

"Nothing," I said, "Actually, I stopped a couple of guys in space suits from kidnapping him. Your welcome by the way."

Robin narrowed his eyes.

"And why should we believe you?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"Believe what you want, I don't care," I said, "So, exactly what are you kids doing out here? I didn't hear any alarms going off at the labs."

"We're here to stop you!" said Beast Boy.

"You will not get the Xenothium!" said Starfire as the Titans tensed for battle.

I blinked behind my mask, before bursting out laughing.

"You think I'm after Xenothium?" I asked, "Why would I do something that stupid?"

The Heroes looked taken aback.

"Xenothium is the suits power supply," said Robin slowly, "And I know for a fact that the suit was running a little low."

I grinned as I pushed the buckle of my belt, causing it to open and reveal the blue glow of an Arc Reactor.

"Not anymore," I said, "I converted it to run on something that produces twice the energy at far less risk of disintegration. This baby won't run out of juice anytime soon!"

I snapped my fingers and reached into my pocket, pulling out a sealed container.

"Speaking of which, your better equipped to deal with this than me," I said, putting the container carefully on the roof, "Plus, its your mess to clean up."

The Titans eyes widened, before Robins narrowed.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, "With technology like that, you could change the world. Why use it to be a criminal? What are you planning?"

I shrugged.

"Some people don't like playing the benevolent philanthropist or the hero," I said, "I don't have any big plans for the suit, I'm just looking for something to kill my boredom. Stealing the suit was a test of my abilities, stealing the scanner was a test of the suit and, as an added bonus, I found just what I needed."

I stood and scanned the Titans.

"You haven't seen the last of me," I said, "I hope we can continue this game of tag another time. Don't disappoint me."

I pushed the button on my belt and vanished before the Titans could react.

 **Well, that was fun. I think I might just continue this one. Should be fun.**

 **I have no idea if the Path to Victory could be used like that, but Dannys can. He can't produce anything that breaks the laws of physics and hes bound by what parts he can get his hands on, so don't expect any true Tinker bullshit anytime soon. However, since Stark managed to build an Arc Reactor from scraps, I think he could manage just fine with what he had access to. He won't be building any Iron Man suits though. I might do that for another fic though. Maybe.**

 **Other than that, I don't have anything else to say, so I'll sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	92. Upon a Crimson Horse Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Upon a Crimson Horse

Ever wonder who the three remaining members of Deaths legions were? I did. As it turns out, I really should have seen it coming. After all, Death has three siblings and my Father is one of them.

 **I actually had an idea like this a while ago, but I kinda forgot about it. Now its back and I figure I might as well give writing it a shot. I'm taking some ideas from Darksiders for some characters, but its not a full on crossover. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of paint cans falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about. I knew I hated art for a reason. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby.

Growing up was simultaneously easy and incredibly frustrating. What? I'd like to see any of you sit through pre-school again without tearing your hair out. Still, I've learnt from my mistakes, so I got through school with no problems and high grades. Or at least, that was the plan. See, the world I had been reborn into wasn't exactly normal, not when the Sun and Moon both spent the day and night laughing at what goes on below, murderers literally eat souls and the Grim Reaper himself is a Headmaster. In case you haven't figured it out, I had been reborn into the world of Soul Eater.

I was raised by my single Father in our little house located on the outskirts of a small town in rural Britain. Dad was an old warrior, although I don't think he was a Meister, and made sure to teach me all he could about fighting and often waxed lyrically and nostalgically about the fights he'd taken part in in his youth. I think he would have prefered to remain on the battlefield over being stuck at home with me, but considering he was missing his right arm and his chest, stomach and legs were covered in horrible and crippling scarring, that wasn't really possible. Despite that, I never once managed to beat him in a spar.

Other than fighting, Dad also taught me to ride and care for his old horse, a massive, ill tempered Clydesdale with a reddish coat and a black mane and tail that I'm pretty sure was a trained warhorse and was, quite appropriately, called Ruin. The massive beast refused to even allow me near him until I managed to grab and him and avoid being thrown for a full minute, a feat I somehow managed when I was ten. Did I mention I had superhuman strength?

Yeah, I was a lot stronger and faster than I looked and had a talent at martial prowers that went well beyond natural and into the insane. I had long suspected that I was something other than Human, but I was never sure what until after I managed to tame Ruin and disarm Dad in a sparring match shortly after. He was still going easy on me of course, but even so, the proud smile he gave when I managed it made me feel like I was walking on air.

* * *

That night when we were sitting by the log fire, he suddenly spoke up.

"Warren, you've come a long way," he said, making me jump at the sudden and unexpected rumble of his voice, "Much further and faster than I ever would have imagined."

He looked up and met my bright blue eyes with his own.

"Your ready son."

"Ready for what?" I asked.

"Ready to know the truth about me, about you and about the mantle you will one day take," he said.

He reached down the side of his chair and pulled out a massive, wrapped object with a grunt. It was huge, even bigger than he was and Dad was no small fellow. He rested it across his lap and started unwrapping it, revealing a massive two handed sword patterned with skulls and screaming faces and giving out a Wavelength that tickled at my mind and brought to mind battlegrounds awash with blood and twisted, burnt corpses.

"I'm sure you've realized this by now, but neither you nor I are Human," he said as he ran his fingers over the gleaming blade, "You don't have a Mother, instead you were created when I fragmented my Soul to create an heir."

He looked up and met my eyes again.

"I am one one of Lord Deaths old Guardsmen...and his youngest brother," he said, "I am the Crimson Horseman and the Great Old One of War."

My jaw dropped. Well, that was rather unexpected to say the least. It did explain why he had such a hard on for battle though, although I have no idea what could cause that much damage to the literal embodiment of War.

"I...then what does that make me?!" I spluttered.

Dad smiled thinly.

"It makes you my Son and heir," he said, "One day, when you are older, stronger and wiser, you will mature and become the new War and, hopefully, fix the mistakes I made."

"Mistakes?" I asked.

Dad sighed and turned his head back to stare into the fire.

"Eight hundred years ago, I was apart of my brothers leagons," he said, "We...weren't like the DWMA of today. In those days, Death had a rather extreme sense of justice and we often went to great lengths to maintain it, resulting in mass death and destructions."

He scoffed.

"My siblings and I more than earned our title of Horsemen of the Apocalypse back then."

He shook his head and continued his story. He told me about Asura's descent into madness and his eventual transformation into a Kishin.

"It was during the battle to stop Asura that I was injured," he said, "I have no idea what happened to Fury and Conquest, but Death managed to defeat Asura and seal him away. After that, I left the Legion, hoping to recover over time. Unfortunately, my injuries were to great and it was all I could do to prevent myself from slipping into a catatonic state. Even so, I still lost a couple of centuries and I'm still a shell of what I was."

He sighed.

"I'm tired Warren, old, injured and tired. I just want to rest, but I can't. I know that, one day, Asura will get lose and cover the world in Madness again. I may be War, but I agree with Death that it is important to maintain the Balance of the World. Without that, everything would come crumbling down."

"But theres nothing you can do about it because of your injuries," I said, "Thats why you made me, right? To help battle the Kishin?"

"That was part of it," said Dad, "But I won't force you. Right now, your powers would barely be a blip to Asura and if you fought him alone, he'd turn you to dust. Even at my peak, he out stripped me in raw power, although I did have the advantage in skill. However, if you wish to help the DWMA in the future, I won't stop you."

I sat in silence for a moment as I tried to absorb it all. I was the son of War and a being not unlike Kid. How was I even supposed to react to that? Not only that, but Dad was well aware of the fact that Asura would get lose and clearly wanted to do something to stop it. The question is, what should I do? He'd made it clear that it was my choice, so I could keep my nose out if I wanted to. But...could I really?

I wasn't as battle happy as my Dad, but my very nature as a War God meant that my Soul was already crying out in glee at the idea of the inevitable battles that would unfold. Besides, even without that, I didn't like the idea of not offering my help if it could shorten the war and prevent some of the unpleasantness that came from Asura being loose.

Decision made, I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Well, if Asura's that powerful, I guess I need more training," I said.

Dad smiled.

"That you will," he said.

* * *

After that, my training kicked up to the next level. If I thought Dad was a brutal taskmaster before, now he was the Devil. In addition to swordsmanship, he taught me how to use every weapon you can think of, the basics of fighting with a Weapon partner and his own brand of Martial Arts that focused on overwhelming power and utterly obliterating the target at the cost of defence. Rather fitting for a War god. Eventually though, I hit a wall. Dad didn't need a Weapon Partner to channel his powers, but I wasn't as powerful as he was. I'd probably be able to replicate that ability once I matured, but that wouldn't be for a very long time yet. Until then, I needed a partner.

The original plan was to head to the DWMA, but you had to be at least 12 to get in, which meant waiting another two years. However, the issue was solved quite spectacularly two years after the reveal of my true nature.

* * *

I had gone into the nearest town for the day since Dad had given me the day off. I was wandering around a shopping center and wondering if it was worth buying a hard copy of the new Civ game or just get it on Steam (I liked games where you could start wars), when a loud shout from behind me made me turn, just in time for something small to plow into my stomach and knock me flat.

"Ow."

I felt a weight on my stomach and looked down to see that the person who had plowed into me was a short, pretty girl who looked maybe a year younger than me with very long, black hair with an ahoge (yep, Anime logic HOOOO!), dark brown eyes and looked to be of Asian descent. She was wearing tattered clothes that were to big for her and looked like they'd been fished out of the trash.

"Not that I mind having a pretty girl on top of me, but do you mind getting off?" I asked blandly.

The girl went red and opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, there was another loud shout and she pailed. She glanced over her shoulder, before scrambling to her feet, kneeing me in the gut as she did, and took off as fast as she could. I sat up, rubbing my stomach as I watched her go, before a pair of rather large, men came running past me, shouting after the girl. I narrowed my eyes and followed. This didn't look good.

* * *

It didn't take long to find them and when I did, I felt my blood start to boil. The two men had cornered the girl in an alley and were advancing on her with an air that they were about to do something rather unpleasant. Literally. As a War God, I could sense violent intent and get some idea of what the source of said intent had in mind. Both men intended to hurt the girl, but one of them had some less than pure intentions towards her.

I growled in fury as I felt my Soul pulse and crimson fire momentarily flared around my clenched fists. I stalked forwards, intending to show the two meatheads why pissing off a God of War was a horrible idea, but before I could take more than a couple of steps, one of the men reached for the girl and she moved. There was a flash of steel and one of the men stumbled back, blood pouring from the new gash in his hand and the severed stump of his ring and little fingers. I stopped and stared. Where had that come from? She wasn't carrying a weapon, I would have sensed it! Then, I took a closer look and saw her Soul. She was a Weapon. Whats more, her Soul was powerful and her Wavelength a match for my own. I grinned. I think I just found my partner.

"YOU BITCH!" roared the other thug, "YOUR DEAD!"

He whipped out a knife and raised his arm, but before he could try and stab the frightened girl, I was in front of him and grabbing his wrist. Despite the fact he was much bigger than me and about twice as wide, I was able to hold his hand back with one hand without even breaking a sweat.

"Thats quite enough of that," I said.

"What the fuck?!" snarled the thug, "Let go of me!"

"Ok."

I punched him in the stomach, bending him over my fist, and let him drop to the ground where he immediately started puking up his lunch. I picked up the knife he'd been using and dropped it into a nearby bin, before turning to the girl, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Hello again," I said, ignoring the two whimpering men on the floor, "Maybe this time we can have an actual conversation."

I moved towards her, intending to help her up, but before I could, she recoiled and pointed her arm at me as it changed into a Katana blade.

"S-stay back!" she stuttered.

I sighed and stepped forwards, placing a hand on the blade and pushing it down.

"You don't need that," I said, "I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I think I can help you."

She eyed me with a look that suggested that I was full of it.

"How can you help me?" she growled.

"Well, judging from your clothes and appearance, I'd say that your homeless, right?"

The girl looked down as her hand shifted back to normal. She nodded and sniffed.

"My parents kicked me out when I changed for the first time," she said.

I scowled. Unfortunately, that wasn't unheard of and resulted in a lot of Weapons being found on the streets by DWMA agents. Of course, they couldn't find them all and since Weapons were powerful and dangerous, there were plenty of less reputable organizations that would jump at the chance to get their hands on one.

"How would you like to get off the streets and have a real home?" I asked.

The girl fixed me with a suspicious look again.

"What do you want?" she asked.

I smiled.

"My name is Warren Bellum," I said, "And I could use a good Weapon partner."

The girls eyes went wide.

"Y-your a Meister?" she asked.

I made a face and a sort of gesture.

"I am, but I'm not technically affiliated with the DWMA," I said, "My Dad was before he retired, but I'm still too young to attend. I was going to go this year, but if you join me, I won't bother and just train with Dad."

I held out my hand.

"So then kid, what do you say?"

The girl eyed my hand for a moment, before she slowly reached out and took it.

"Shana," she said, "My name is Shana."

 **Right, that'll do. So, a new God has entered the game and he is more than capable of adding another level to the playing field.**

 **For those interested, I chose Warrens name because Warren could be shortened to War and Bellum is latin for War. Kinda on the nose, but I really don't care.**

 **In terms of power, hes currently as strong as Kid (or will be once we get to the start of the series), but at full potential, Kid will be stronger than Warren.**

 **Yes, Shana is the Shana from Shakugan no Shana and her Weapon form is that of the Nietono no Shana. Thats a lot of Shana's. I originally planned to give him Chaoseater as a normal, if powerful, weapon, but I like the idea of him being a Meister. Plus, I want to use Shana for something.**

 **I actually have plans for Fury and Conquest to show up in the future and the beginnings of one idea that will be rather interesting. Oh, and just a heads up, the Horsemen aren't actually the bringers of the End Times, it was just a title they were given eight hundred years ago. Incidentally, Fury's a woman. And yes, that is a clue as to what I have in mind.**

 **And with that, I'm gonna end this here. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	93. Resonance of the Shards Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Resonance of the Shards

A sound Soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body. Considering that, who in the hell thought giving a character from Earth Bet the powers of a Weapon was a good idea? Especially when said Weapon is a bullied girl who wants nothing more than to be a Hero. Looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me...

 **Well, this is an interesting idea. Its been skittering around in my head for a while and its only now I came up with an idea that'll work. I have an idea for an alternate take on this idea, but I'll do that later. For now, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of paint cans falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about. I knew I hated art for a reason. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby.

Growing up was simultaneously easy and incredibly frustrating. What? I'd like to see any of you sit through pre-school again without tearing your hair out. Still, I've learnt from my mistakes, so I got through school with no problems and high grades. Or at least, that was the plan. See, the world I had been reborn into wasn't exactly normal, not when there were people flying around in silly costumes. Yeah, I'd been reborn into a world full of crazy people with superpowers. Unfortunately, it wasn't a world like Marvel or DC where the Heroes always win. On no, I wasn't that lucky. The world I'd been reborn into was that of Worm.

* * *

Hmm, I think that someone might be playing with me. Why? Well, my mother happened to be best friends with one Annette Hebert and we lived just a few doors down from the Hebert residence, which meant that I grew up with Taylor and, a little later, Emma. Well, this ought to be interesting.

Interesting is right. Considering that we essentially grew up together and shared a good number of interests (Capes and books), its not really any surprise that Taylor and I became strong friends. She was closer with Emma, but I suspect thats mostly because they were both girls and some things girls did just didn't get done with a male friend.

Other than the inevitable desolation of Canon (because there's no fucking way I'm letting Taylor go through even half the shit she did), the first part of my life was fairly normal for a teen living in the supervillain capital of America. Honestly, the only interesting thing to mention was the fact that Mum was the one who smacked Danny out of his depression after Annettes death with the judicious use of a paper fan and a lot of alcohol.

Then, shortly before I was about to enter high school (Winslow unfortunately because I wasn't able to talk Taylor into getting into Arcadia when Emma was going to Winslow and I had no intention of leaving my best friend to the hell she was doomed to go through), I answered the door one night to find Taylor in tears.

"What happened?" I asked as I guided my friend into the living room.

Considering that she'd just got back from camp and I haven't heard from Emma in weeks, I could probably guess what the problem was. Taylor sniffed and slowly, weakly told me about her ill fated encounter with Emma and Sophia. By the time she was finished, she was in tears. I didn't say anything as I pulled her into my arms and let my friend cry herself out on my chest. I'd done this a few times in the weeks after Annette died and I hated every minute of it. Seeing Taylor crying like this never failed to make me angry and I knew I'd be having a pointed conversation with Emma very soon.

* * *

As it turned out, I was wasting my time. The day after Taylor arrived home and cried herself to sleep on me, I went over to the Barnes house to talk to Emma and promptly discovered that I was apparently one of the 'weaknesses' Emma was discarding. Even knowing what I did about Emma and what she'd become, it was still rather jarring to see the sneer on the normally smiling face of my old friend. It was at that point that I knew I was wasting my time. This wasn't an Emma who could be talked around and back to sanity. This was an Emma Sophia had got her claws in deep with. I might be able to do something at a later date, but for now, I was wasting my time.

"You know Emma, I pity you," I said as I turned to leave, "I don't know what happened, but if you believe that you can become strong by throwing away your friends, you're in for a very lonely life."

I shut the door before Emma could respond.

* * *

Then school started and, as you can imagine, shit hit the fan. It didn't take me long to establish the fact that trying to pick a fight was a horrible idea considering my family was one with a VERY long history of martial prowers and I'd been taught my family's fighting style from a very young age. That basically meant that the jocks who Emma's little possie tried to set on me tended to end up in the nurses office, first with bruses and then with broken bones once it became clear that they needed something a tad more permanent to remember the warning. I also made it a point to point out that if they tried anything with Taylor, I'd do even worse to them. Considering I'd scared the shit out of everyone who tried anything and the fact that they made it a point to try and attack me in an out of the way area, I didn't even get a whiff of trouble.

Unfortunately, while I had skills, a reputation and thick skin to allow any attempts at bullying me simply slide off me, Taylor wasn't so lucky and its not like I could just send the Bitches Three to the hospital either. Unlike the jocks, they'd have no problem turning that to their advantage and there was only so much I could do to help Taylor with the verbal bullying and things going missing. I was able to prevent Annette's flute from getting wrecked though by convincing Taylor that taking it to school was asking for the bitches to do something to it. Other than that, the only thing I could do was be her friend and offer her a shoulder to cry on or advice that was mostly ignored. Taylor and Danny had a better relationship than in Canon, but that didn't mean that the short time they had spent estranged after Annette's death had not caused some damage. It didn't help that Taylor had a bad case of teen angst and not wanting to be a burden syndrome.

Of course, while all this was going on, I was making plans to prevent the Locker incident from happening and land the Trio in some very hot water. I had no delusions of getting help from Winslow, not when Blackwell was doing everything in her power to keep the situation under the carpet and its not like I could just walk into the PRT HQ and tell them that Shadow Stalker was engaged in a bullying campaign that most definitely crossed the line into outright criminal without painting a massive target on my back. Even leaving an anonymous tip wasn't really an option considering Tinker and Thinker bullshit would almost certainly lead them back to me. I needed something solid, something I could nail all three bitches with and soon. Mainly because it was getting close to the Locker incident and I still had no idea what I was going to do to stop it.

* * *

Unfortunately, it seemed that my presence had changed something. I'm not sure what it was, but something had changed enough to change the Locker incident. Oh, it didn't stop it from happening, instead it brought it forwards.

The first indication that something was wrong was when Taylor didn't show up for class. Unfortunately, that wasn't entirely uncommon, but considering the lesson in question was the first of the day and computing at that, it was unusual. I knew she wasn't off sick because I'd walked in with her, although considering our lockers were on opposite sides of the school, she could have gone home in the intervening time between us parting ways and the first class. If she had, whatever happened must have been really bad.

I didn't figure out what was going on until I overheard a couple of the Trio's hanger ons whispering about something as I left second period and giggling.

"Hey, did you hear what happened to Hebert?" whispered one.

"Yeah, I was there," said the other, "You should have heard her scream! I think shes still stuck…"

It didn't take much to figure out what they were talking about and I immediately took off in the opposite direction to my next class. I ran through the halls as fast as I could, inwardly thanking the lazy janitors who didn't bother cleaning the floors as the lack of polish meant that I had plenty of traction on my shoes. I turned the last corner to the corridor where Taylors locker was, absently noticing the foul smell as I did, and…

 **Darknessspacetwistingmonstrocitiesashardhertlingtowardsme…**

The world momentarily vanished, replaced with a black void with only the vague outline of the walls and other parts of the school, through which I could see countless blue flames and one larger, dark purple one that seemed to be radiating rage and hate. I stumbled and the vision vanished, but not before I spotted a light pink orb of fire with small wings and a halo in the locker I identified as Taylors. I could feel the fear, the helplessness, the loneliness she was feeling radiating out of her like a sound. The sight made me speed up, my kick already in motion by the time I reached the locker. My heel hit the thin metal...and tore right through the locker door. OK, that was a little unexpected. I mean, I was stronger than average, but not that strong!

I decided to think about that later though as I took advantage of the unexpected damage and wrenched the door open, releasing a deluge of foul smelling black gunk, bugs...and a white halberd with a treble clef shaped counterweight at the end, evenly spaced holes going up the shaft and a crimson rose decoration on the blade. O...K. Why exactly did Taylor have a polearm in her locker? If the Bitches Three wanted to get her into trouble for having a weapon, there were easier ways than planting a fucking Halburd. More to the point, where was Taylor? I was sure I'd felt her in the locker (somehow), but there was no sign of her...unless…

I looked down at the Halberd. No, that can't be right. She couldn't have Triggered with the power to turn into a weapon...could she? I hesitantly reached out and wrapped my hand around the weapons haft...only to be immediately blasted off my feet as I felt Taylors emotions surge through me, all her fear, anger, frustration, loneliness, confusion and more. Good grief, she actually had turned into a weapon! How the fuck does that even work?!

I didn't get much chance to think on it though as the emotions I was feeling from Taylor suddenly focused and the Halberd started to glow with a bright pink light. Two seconds later, I found myself with an armful of sobbing, dirty, bleeding and Human Taylor. Fortunately, the hall was empty, so we didn't have to worry about either of us getting outed quite this early.

By this point, Taylor had passed out in my arms, so I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. After that, she would definitely need a visit to the hospital and I was making damned sure that the cops looked into this. I called an ambulance and, after gently putting Taylor down, made sure I got plenty of photos of the mess and the locker before anyone tried to clean it up. Once that was done, I hoisted Taylor onto my back and headed for the front doors.

* * *

Fortunately, the hospital wasn't actually that far from Winslow, so it didn't take long for the ambulance to arrive.

"What happened?" asked the paramedic as his colleagues checked Taylor over.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I pulled her out of her locker which had been filled with what looked like biowaste from the girls bathroom and left for some time," I said, "Probably over the weekend. There was also a fair amount of insects in there with her and I think she hit her head."

"Jesus," muttered the paramedic, "Who would do something like that?"

"I have a feeling I know," I growled, "Shes been bullied for a while, but nothings ever been done and I just know the school will be brushing this under the rug if they can."

"WHAT?!" spluttered the paramedic, "But...this is aggravated assault at best! Hell, I'd even go so far as to say that a good lawyer would be able to bump it up to attempted murder!"

I scowled.

"Oh believe me, I know," I said, "I bet the mess and any evidence will have mysteriously gone missing by the end of the day. Fortunately, I got some pictures and I'm going to hand them over to the cops with the notes Taylor and I have been taking on whats been going on. I doubt it'll hold up in court, but it'll be enough to at least get the school district interested in whats going on."

"I'll help you," growled the paramedic, "If my daughter went through that…"

He shook his head.

"I probably shouldn't offer this, but do you want to come along?" he asked, "I doubt you'll actually stay here if you don't and having someone familiar nearby if she wakes up will stop her from panicking."

I nodded and followed the paramedic into the ambulance.

* * *

Twenty minutes later saw me sat next to Taylor's bed, listening to the beep of the monitoring machines. Surprisingly, she wasn't in that bad shape, which I think might have been a result of her Triggering, but she was still unconscious. Frankly, I can't blame her. I'd just got off the phone from my Parents who, although not happy that I was skipping, were absolutely furious about what happened to Taylor. Taylor had begged me not to tell anyone about it, so, reluctantly, I hadn't told my parents about it either, but after this...yeah, I couldn't hold it back any more. Besides, someone needed to stop Danny from running off to kill the Bitches Three, Blackwell or Alan Barnes after all and Mum was definitely the person to do that.

Still, they wouldn't be here for a bit and Taylor was still out of it, so I had some time to kill. With that in mind, I thought back to what had happened in school. Somehow, I had been able to see...something for a brief moment and had been strong enough to bust the metal door in one kick, something I wasn't strong enough to do before. With that in mind, the only logical conclusion was that I'd Triggered to and had some kind of sensing ability and at least low level Brute powers. I couldn't check the latter here, but maybe…

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and focused, trying to call up the strange power again. Then, I opened my eyes and gasped. Whatever I'd done, it had worked and I was suddenly sensing the presence of everyone in the building. I couldn't see flames through the walls like I the glimpse I got at school, but I could see the fist sized blue flames burning in the chests of the people walking past Taylors room through the door. I frowned. Why did all of this look vaguely familiar? I'm sure I'd seen the orbs somewhere before, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Then, I looked down at Taylor and saw the flame in her chest with its angelic wings and halo and it clicked into place. Somehow, I was seeing and sensing the Souls of those around me. The power I'd gained was Soul Perception! That was...crazy!

I frowned. Then again, it did make a certain amount of sense. I'd Triggered at roughly the same time as Taylor, who could turn into a Weapon and apparently had a Grigori Soul if what I was reading was right and people who Triggered at the same time tended to have similar powers, right? So with that in mind, if Taylor was a Weapon, that made me the Meister. Hmm, I wonder how deep these powers went? Would we be capable of Soul Resonance? I had to wonder what something like that would do to a Parahuman, particularly if I could use Witchhunter through Taylor? Considering that she seemed to have a Scythe part, it wasn't impossible.

Suddenly, I was jolted from my thoughts as Panacea walked through the door and my eyes went wide. My Soul Perception was still active, which gave me an excellent view of the girls Soul. It was much larger than anyone else in the hospital and bone white with a red cross on the front. It was certainly strong and was giving out a Wavelength that was nearly identical to the cruel one I'd felt at school, which I was now nearly certain was Sophia's, although Panacea felt more like resigned annoyance than barely held anger. Hmm, I think I can detect Parahumans with my Soul Perception. Note to self, do NOT tell anyone about this.

"Hello, I'm Panacea," said Panacea, sounding exhausted, "I understand your a friend of her?"

She indicated to Taylor.

"Thats right," I said as I shut off my Soul Perception, "Her Fathers on his way…"

"TAYLOR!"

"Never mind, hes here," I said as Danny came bursting into the room, ignoring both me and Panacea as he skidded to a stop next to Taylors bed and grabbed her hand.

"Sorry we're late," said Mum as she followed at a more sedated pace, "It took a while to convince him not to try and kill someone."

"Yeah, I can imagine," I said, "Did you get what I asked?"

Mum nodded and handed me a bag that held a good number of notebooks, many of which were stuffed with bits of paper.

"Ta," I said.

"Do I want to know what they are?" asked Mum.

"Yep, there for you," I said with a grin, "Evidence of an excessive, very long and very ignored bullying campaign that nearly ended in the death of the victim to take to the school board and, unless I'm very much mistaken, makes them a prime target for legal action."

Did I mention that my Mums a lawyer? Yeah, she even worked for the same firm as Brandish and Mr Barnes and her field was neglectful damage, usually directed at neglectful employees, but I dare say that she'd be happy to go after Winslow with both barrels.

Mum raised an eyebrow and started flipping through one of the books. Within moments, her eyebrows came together in a frown that I knew from experience meant that someone was going to get nailed to the wall.

"Yep, that'd do it," she said, "Thanks Roy."

She turned to Danny, who had taken an empty seat next to Taylor and was watching anxiously as Panacea did her thing.

"Danny, we need to talk," she said.

I hid a smirk as the two adults moved away and started whispering. Something told me I'd just made life very difficult for Winslow. Now I just had to figure out how best to talk to Taylor about our compatible powers. That was going to be a fun conversation…

 **And done. Well, that was a mild pain in the arse. Fun though.**

 **The original plan was to have Roy be the Weapon and Taylor the Meister, but at some point, that switched when I realized that Taylor would probably be the better option. Same principle though.**

 **For those interested, Taylors weapon form is the same as Tsugumi's from NOT, simply because I like the design. I originally intended to create something that referenced Taylors canon power, but I couldn't come up with anything that didn't look like something Arachne would make. Shes also got a Grigori Soul because flying powers are cool.**

 **Roy on the other hand has all the powers of a Meister, on top of a slight Brute rating, enough that he can easily jump around on rooftops without issue, tank a ton of damage and hit with enough force to break bone. He can also use Soul Force.**

 **I don't have any plans for anything else from Soul Eater to appear, so no Witches, no Kishin and no collecting Souls, although Taylor is definitely capable of it. I briefly toyed with the idea of Death putting in an appearance, but eventually decided against it. I might change my mind back at some point though.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!  
**

 **EDIT! Changed the design of Taylors weapon form.**


	94. Resonance of the Shards Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Resonance of the Shards

A sound Soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body. Considering that, who in the hell thought giving a character from Earth Bet the powers of a Weapon was a good idea? Especially when said Weapon is a bullied girl who wants nothing more than to be a Hero. Looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me...

 **And we're back. Since I can't be arsed to cover training, emotional talks and shit, this picks up after Taylor gets out the hospital. Oh, and I made some changes to Taylors weapon form in the last chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

" **This is so weird!"** moaned Taylor as I spun her around, getting a feel for the weight of the weapon and enjoying the soft melody that rang out as the wind rushed over the holes in the shaft.

It had been a month since the Locker and Taylor was finally out of hospital, which meant that I had been able to talk to her about our Triggers and new powers. It had taken a bit to convince her that, yes, she could turn into a weapon, but after she got annoyed and accidentally cut my standing lamp in half, her arguments quickly dried up. Now we were at the Ship Graveyard, trying to get a feel for how best to fight.

It quickly became apparent that Taylor was utterly useless in a fight on her own. Oh, she could change her body parts into weapons, but she had no idea how to fight and her body was still baseline Human. Then, I had her transform and let me give it a shot and quickly proved that Maka was right on the money about Meisters and Weapons being two fighting as one. The second I grabbed her out of the air, my mind synchronised with Taylors and, despite having never fought with a Halberd before, I found that I could spin her around as if I'd been doing it for years.

"Cool though," I said as I grabbed Taylor's shaft and lashed out with a stab that put a hole through a bit of rusted metal.

" **True,"** said Taylor, **"Although I'm still not sure how I feel about being 'used' by someone else like this."**

"Ah, but I'm not just using you, am I?" I said as I cut another chunk of metal in half, "We're fighting together. Weapon and Meister, two fighting as one."

Taylor snorted.

" **Yeah, that sounds good, but its not like you really need me,"** she grumbled.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked.

" **I've seen you training,"** said Taylor, **"You always make fighting look so easy and now you have that Brute ability and sensing power. I, on the other hand, can only turn into a stupid weapon. I can't even fight the bullies on my own! How pathetic is that…"**

I sighed. Ever since Danny and Mum had started working to nail Winslow and the Bitches Three to the wall with litigation (helped along by Brandish, who I think had put two and two together and realized that Shadow Stalker was using her status as a Ward to avoid trouble) and Taylor had found that I'd told both sets of parents everything, she'd been rather down. I think that a big part of it had been the fact that she suddenly realized that she could have easily done something about her issues if she had just remembered that Emma wasn't the only one with legal connections and Mum was a lot more experienced in this sort of thing than Alan Barnes. Scarier too, especially when she went into Mama Bear Mode.

Combine that with the fact that she now had powers but no real way to actually use them on her own and my own, much more impressive power set and her self confidence had taken a rather impressive hit.

"Well, to be fair, you're not wrong," I said as I rested Taylor across my shoulders, "I could go out and be a Hero on my own..."

There was a flash of light and an upset looking Taylor appeared next to me.

"Then why don't you?!"she demanded, looking close to tears, "Damn it Roy, why don't you just go out on your own?!"

She stomped a few feet away and dropped down onto a hunk of metal. I narrowed my eyes as I eyed my friend. That...hadn't just been about the difference between the 'usefulness' of our powers and skill levels. No, that had been building for a while and it was just this latest wrinkle that had caused Taylor to erupt.

"Your so strong," said Taylor softly, "You were able to get everyone to back off when they targeted you for being my friend, you can ignore just about anything said about you and now you're strong enough to dent metal without breaking a sweat and thats without mentioning how smart you are…"

She muttered something under her breath that I didn't quite catch, although for some reason I got the feeling I should be blushing right about now. I shoved that thought aside for now though as Taylor turned to me, tears shining in her eyes.

"You could do anything, be friends with anyone at school if you dropped me, but instead you stuck with me, the gawky, ugly girl who can't even be a Cape on her own thanks to this stupid power! Why do you do it Roy? What can you possibly get out of being my friend?! Why do you want to work with me when all I can do is be a worthless lump of metal?!"

I stared at Taylor for a moment as I tried to absorb the rant. Than, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Stellar...CHOP!"

WHAM!

Taylor yelped as she fell over backwards, clutching her now throbbing head where I'd just chopped her with a good portion of my strength.

"Damn it Taylor, I thought you knew me better than that!" I yelled, "We've known each other since we were in nappies for gods sake! You are my best friend and there is no way in hell that I'd drop you as a friend over something as stupid and petty as high school politics. Besides, who at Winslow would I want to be friends with? Most people there are either in gangs or high half the time and those that aren't just aren't the sort of people I want to hang around with."

I knelt down in front of Taylor and put my hands on her shoulders.

"And I want to work with you because, no matter how strong I am alone, I'll always be stronger with you," I finished.

"Huh?"

I smirked.

"I'm skilled and strong, but my enhancements are only just out of normal Human range," I said, "Fine for dealing with thugs, but against other Parahumans, I'd be shredded."

"O...K, but what can I do to help with that that a normal weapon couldn't?"asked Taylor.

My smirk widened into a grin.

"Transform and I'll show you," I said.

Taylor frowned, but did as I asked. I caught the Demon Halberd as the glow from her transformation faded and spun her around.

"Alright, first things first," I said as I walked over to a nearby ship, "Let me show you what my Striker power can do on its own."

I flexed my fingers as pale blue energy sparked around them and slammed my palm into the metal. There was a loud clang and the side of the ship cratered as if hit by a massive hammer.

" **If this is supposed to make me feel better, its not working,"** grumbled Taylor.

I grinned.

"It will," I said, "Now, focus on matching my energy like we did when we first teamed up."

Taylor frowned in her reflected image on her blade, but closed her eyes and focused. I did the same, feeling out with my Soul Wavelength. It took about half a minute, but eventually, we got it and out Souls started to Resonate. I grinned as I felt my power starting to go up as a wind began to kick up around me and Taylors blade started to glow.

"You wanted to see what we can do when working together," I said as I opened my eyes and widened my stance, "Well let me show you!"

I spun Taylor, creating a glowing edged disk for a moment, before I caught her already drawn back and ready to swing. Her blade changed shape, the axe and spear portions shrinking as the scythe expanded until it was longer than my arm.

" **Soul Resonance,"** I said as our Resonance reached its peak and erupted into a blast of wind and pale blue light, **"Ultimate Skill of the Scythe Meister."**

Another flash of light and Taylors blade transformed into a massive crescent of energy. I gritted my teeth as I felt the massive amount of energy surging out of control. I wouldn't be able to hold this for long, not without practice and it certainly wouldn't be at full strength. However, it'd do its job and prove that we'd be a lot better off working together than me going out on my own. Plus, since our Souls were resonating, I could feel Taylor's emotions and she could feel mine. I sharpened my focus and stepped forwards, twisting into a powerful downslash with Taylor.

" **WITCH HUNTER!"**

The effect was immediate. Because I couldn't properly hold the energy of our Resonance, it all surged out with my cut, resulting in a massive blast of blue energy that sliced my target ship clean in half, along with the one behind it and out into the bay, carving a deep trench in the water and throwing a huge gaiser of water that reached half way out across the bay and was probably visible from the other side of the city.

" **HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"**

I grinned at Taylor's startled yelp.

"You see?" I said, "Your far more than a weapon."

" **H-how…"**

"Near as I can tell, your a power amplifier," I said, "The relationship between our powers is like an electric guitar and an amplifier. By myself, I can only create a small amount of energy, but by resonating with you, we can amplify that energy from strong enough to dent metal to, well…"

I indicated to the destroyed ships. Taylor remained silent, apparently trying to absorb the devastation our attack had caused.

"So, still think your useless?" I asked softly.

" **I...alright, you've made your point,"** said Taylor, **"But don't you think we should get out of here? Thats going to have drawn a fair bit of attention and we're not exactly in costume."**

I blinked.

"Ah, good point," I said.

I turned on my heel and sprinted away from the scene of the crime, Taylor tucked safely under my arm.

* * *

" **Hey Roy,"** said Taylor softly as I ran across the rooftops in the direction of the Boardwalk.

"Hmm?"

" **I think I love you."**

I tripped over my own feet and faceplanted the roof.

 **I feel a bit guilty for leaving it there, but I have a strong feeling I'll be back at this in no time. Oh well, CLIFFHANGERS HOOOOO!**

 **So yeah, this chapter was mostly because I wanted to work out some of Taylor's inevitable angst before we got into any fights. I actually planned to do a fight in this chapter, but it didn't really work out.**

 **Yes, Roys full name is Roy Stellar. See if you can guess what I'm going for with that name. Speaking of Stellar, would you lot like to see a Megaman Starforce/Worm story? Cus I have a few ideas for that. In fact, thats next on the list.**

 **Oh, and before anyone brings up the fact that Roy calls out his attack names, I'm not going to be stopping that. Its way too much fun.**

 **Just to be clear, that blast was a one off. Witch Hunter is a powerful attack, but mostly Roy will be using it to enhance his attacks, like how Maka does. That one was to make a point about how powerful he and Taylor are when working together.**

 **I might be jumping the gun a bit with Taylor's little admission at the end there, but think about it. Roy is her oldest friend, the one who stuck with her through it all and was always there for her. Plus, she just got to literally share Souls with him. Combine all that together and its a powerful emotion bomb. Plus, I don't feel like messing around with this paring.**

 **And with that, its time for me to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	95. New Wave of Heroes Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: New Wave of Heroes

You know, when I was reborn into a world where people get powers from a parasitic space whale, the last thing I was expecting was to get powers from a completely different type of alien. Now there are more coming to Earth and I'm smack bang in the middle of it all. As if genocidal space whales and indestructible monsters weren't bad enough!

 **Well, I did say I had a Starforce idea and here it is! Naturally, a few things will be changed to fit with the world, like I won't be using the cards as a bases for his weapons. Instead, he'll have to create programs to allow the use of them. Anyway, thats enough of that. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of paint cans falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about. I knew I hated art for a reason. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby.

Growing up was simultaneously easy and incredibly frustrating. What? I'd like to see any of you sit through pre-school again without tearing your hair out. Still, I've learnt from my mistakes, so I got through school with no problems and high grades. Or at least, that was the plan. See, the world I had been reborn into wasn't exactly normal, not when there were people flying around in silly costumes. Yeah, I'd been reborn into a world full of crazy people with superpowers. Unfortunately, it wasn't a world like Marvel or DC where the Heroes always win. On no, I wasn't that lucky. The world I'd been reborn into was that of Worm.

* * *

Growing up was surprisingly normal, other than the slight wrinkle that my Dad died when I was five. Supposedly, he got caught up in a fight between the Triumvirate and the Siberian. You know, the one where Hero ended up getting bisected? I'm not entirely sure if that was the whole truth, but I'm not sure what anyone could be hiding about it. He worked for the Protectorate after all and there had been plenty of collateral damage in that fight.

In the end, the exact details surrounding Dads death are irrelevant and now the only things I have left of him are a few photos, his pendent and a pair of Tinkertech goggles that could apparently see electromagnetic waves. It was at that point that I should probably have smelt a rat considering they looked like green sunglasses with a yellow arc patten extending out from the bridge of the nose, but seriously, how could I ever have guessed that there was an invasion of yet another race of superpower granting parasites on the horizon?

Anyway, after that things went...mostly back to normal. I mean, Mum was obviously shattered by Dads death and I wasn't much better, but we pulled up our bootstraps and kept moving forwards. I didn't intend to let Dads dream of a better world die with him, although exactly what I could do to help I don't know. One thing I did need though is knowledge and that meant knuckling down and getting shit done. The first of which was getting into Arcadia (oh yeah, I lived in Brockton. Because of course I did). But my academic ascension isn't relevant here, not when there are so many other fascinating things about my life and exploits to consider.

* * *

Our story really starts, ironically enough, at about the same time as Canon Worm, three months after winter break in the year 2011. Of course, I didn't have three bitches to worry about and I was out of school because it was 8 oclock in the evening. I was out for a jog with my Dads goggles over my eyes, enjoying the incredibly light show the bullshit eyewear revealed to me while listening to the newest song from the hot new(ish) sensation in Cape music, Harp Note. Yeah, that should have been another massive clue now that I think about it. Oh well, at least I never had to fight her. That could have been a pain.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. My run took me to the top of Captains Hill where I stopped for a short rest to catch my breath and have a drink of water to rehydrate. I slowly walked over to the viewing platform and lent against the railing, taking in the beauty of the city from above, awash with light from both the streetlamps and the EM waves my goggles showed me. Seeing it like this, it was hard to imagine the horrific state the city was really in.

I was about to turn and leave when a flash of light caught my attention. I looked up and quickly spotted the source. It was a bright green beam of light that was moving quite unlike the other waves I could see in the air. Those moved slowly and in, well, waves. This one was moving quickly and straight and was...heading right for me. My eyes went wide and I turned to run, but before I could, the light hit and my world went white. For most, I have no doubt it looked like I was suddenly blasted off my feet for no apparent reason, but for me, it was like getting hit with the force of a car and blinded by a brilliant light.

* * *

"...id, hey, wake up kid!"

"Urrg…"

I groaned at the rough voice in my ear.

"Wha' happened?" I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes.

...and immediately found myself staring at a blue, metal mouth full of sharp teeth.

"HOLY SHIT!"

I scrambled back from the creature that was leaning over me, only to slam head first into a bin that served to give my head a good rattling and knock my goggles loose. Despite my newly throbbing head, I looked around wildly for the creature that had been looming over me...only to see abserlutly nothing.

"Um, OK," I said, "Am I going crazy?"

"Tch, not on your life kid," said a voice out of thin air, making me jump, "Put those goggles back on."

I hesitantly did as I was told and nearly jumped out of my skin when what appeared to be a cyan ghost made of rippling energy and held together with blue armour appeared in front of me.

"What the hell!?" I spluttered, lifting my goggles up.

The creature vanished again, only to reappear as soon as I put the goggles back on.

"Alright kid, quit messing around," growled the creature, "Yes, you can only see me with those goggles on. Big deal."

"Ahhh…" was all I could manage as I tried desperately to figure out how to react to this.

No, really, how was I supposed to react to having a fucking EM LIFEFORM FLOATING IN FRONT OF ME?!

"Hey kid, you OK?" asked the creature.

"Just trying to decide how I should react to this," I said, "Um, are you a Cape?"

The creature snorted.

"Not hardly," he said, "I'm an Electromagnetic being from another world."

"So, your an alien made up of waves invisible to the naked eye and that logically should not be able to form a sentence being according to all our scientific knowledge?" I asked, "Eh, what the hell, I've heard of stranger things. So, you got a name Mr EM being?"

"OmegaXis," said the creature, eyeing me strangely, "And your taking this oddly well."

"You learn to be adaptable when you live in a city like Brockton Bay," I said.

"Fair enough I guess," said OmegaXis.

"So, why are you here?" I asked, "I assume your not invading? Otherwise you wouldn't have bothered to make sure I was OK."

OmegaXis opened his mouth to respond, but winced as he shifted and revealed a nasty looking cut in his back that seemed to be leaking reddish energy.

"Now that doesnt look good," I said.

"Its not," said OmegaXis reluctantly, "I got hurt in a fight on my way here and I need somewhere to rest. Unfortunately, as I am now, my powers are weaker than they normally are, which means I won't heal quickly, and my enemies will be able to detect me with relative ease."

"Let me guess, you want me to hide you?" I asked.

"Just for a short while," said OmegaXis, "Believe me, I don't like the idea of being stuck with a squishy flesh bag like you, but needs must."

I sighed and shrugged. Its not like I'd actually lose anything by letting OmegaXis stick around and I might end up getting something out of the bargain.

"Alright, I don't mind," I said, "Here, you can stay in here. I assume you can enter electronic devices?"

I indicated to the DracoTech Watch on my wrist. It was one of Dragons creations, a watch that served much the same function as an Apple Watch, with the exception that it was actually affordable and didn't become obsolete after a year or two. Plus, it was Tinkertech, so it was pretty damn reliable.

"Yep, thanks kid," said OmegaXis as he jumped into the watch, "Huh, interesting pictures…"

I went red and smacked the watch.

"Hey, keep out of them!"

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in your fleshbag women," said OmegaXis, "By the way, you still havent told me your name."

"Oh, sorry," I said, "Its Geo. Geo Stelar."

"Wait, Stelar?" asked OmegaXis, sounding surprised.

"Yes, is that a problem?" I asked.

"No, just...never mind."

I frowned. Logically, there was no way that my Dad could have had any connection to the FM-ians since he was killed by the Siberian, not vanished on an ill fated mission. That said, I could hear the recognition in OmegaXis' voice. It was...bizarre. Then again, I guess I could get some answers out of my alien guest later. Right now, I needed to get home and get some work done.

* * *

Three hours later, I was staring at my computer screen, feeling rather nonplussed. I'm not sure how I hadn't noticed it, but the instant I got home and to my desk, my mind had gone completely blank and the ideas that had been building up in my head since OmegaXis had hit me came pouring out in the form of rhemes of code that would make no sense whatsoever to anyone else, but to me, they all manifested into what amounted to weaponized coding meant for destroying viruses. Apparently OmegaXis landing on my head had made me Trigger without noticing and I was apparently a god damn Tinker. Oh well, at least now I had a ton of Battle Cards to work with.

"Huh, thats interesting."

"JEEZU!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice of my guest. I dropped my goggles over my eyes and glared at the ghostly creature, who ignored me completely as he examined the code on the screen.

"Whats interesting?" I asked.

"This code...I think I can use them," he said, "How did you do this?"

"I think you landing on my head made me Trigger," I said, "I'm pretty sure I'm now a Tinker."

OmegaXis muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'yep, that'd do it', but I ignored it for now. Mainly because I'd just given a jaw breaking yawn and realized it was nearly one in the morning.

"Right, I'm going to bed," I said, "I've got school tomorrow."

OmegaXis turned to me with an expression I translated as a confused frown.

"Whats school?" he asked.

 **And that'll do for this chapter. Its been awhile since I've played the games and I'm not wrestling with trying to find the Anime to watch, so I probably made a mess of OmegaXis' personality. Oh well, it works fine.**

 **Since theres no reason for Battle Cards to exist in this world, I decided to have Geo turn into a Tinker to make them. His actually specialty is working with EM waves of various types, but that'll be his main gimmick, along with EM Wave Changing with Mega.**

 **Two things for you to figure out now, who was Geo's Dad in this reality and who is Harp Notes real identity? Its not Canary, just to cut you off. She does live in Brockton though! The first should be easy but I'm not sure if you'll get the other one. I'll give you a clue, I chose her because she and Sonia have something in common.**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna sign out now because I got work tomorrow and need my beauty sleep. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	96. Chasing a Dream Chapter 1

Chasing a Dream

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world of my own, infested by gangster cats. On the other hand, being kind of the world is kinda fun. I could have done without getting stuck in an angsty brats head though.

 **I rather like Dream Eater Merry. Out of all the characters, my favorite is John Doe, as proven by my avatar. With that in mind, its surprising I haven't done a DEM story yet. Oh well, now we're here to fix that! Its a crossover and take a wild stab at what the other world is. Should be interesting. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Time for a quick lesson in Caveman 101. Fire hot, ow! And now for another obvious statement. Dieing sucks. Trust me, I know both of them first hand since I was burnt to death, flash fried in a fireball that quite literally came from nowhere. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the fire to kill me since, for the few seconds I was burning alive, it REALLY FUCKING HURT!

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it.

"Hmm, lets see, John Doe, age 16, species human, scheduled to come up here never. Huh, interesting."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on there?"

"There are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"Because you died before your allotted time," said Dis, "It happens occasionally and always makes a total mess of things."

"Why?"

"Because the Souls can only go to heaven or hell after their allotted time has past," said Dis, "You were supposed to live for another 20 years and die when your homeworld was attacked by an interdimensional space whale."

I blinked a couple of times and raised a finger.

"Ahh…"

"Yes, I do mean Scion."

I put my finger down. Well, that was one way to go I guess.

"So what now?" I asked, "Are you going to send me back?"

"Your body in your old dimension was nearly completely destroyed," said Dis, "Besides, time passes differently here and you've already been buried. You can't move on and you can't go back to your old dimension, the only thing I can do is shift you sideways."

"Sideways?"

"Into a different dimension," explained Dis, "It'll be one you recognize and I expect you won't end up being entirely normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When people get shifted sideways, they tend to change," said Dis, "I still have no idea why. Just be thankful you won't be an Outsider. They always get screwed over by Fate."

I gulped.

"Soo, where am I going?"

"Pick a door," said Dis, indicating to a pair of identical doors that hadn't been there before.

"Where do they lead?" I asked.

"Your new home," said the Overseer, "Not even I know where they lead. Don't worry, though, I've already taken steps to make sure you don't get consumed by whatever power you gain. You'll start again with a clean slate, new memories and a new life."

I paused, my hand inches from one of the door handles.

"I won't remember my past?"

Dis shook his head.

"You will," he said, But those memories will be overtaken by new ones and suppressed. They'll be there, but they won't be important. Its how we prevent those we have to shift from getting homesick."

I swallowed and turned back to the door.

"Alright, you can do this," I muttered and opened the door.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was staring up at a greenish sky with a few wispy clouds, a beam of red light that looked like it came from a lighthouse shining from somewhere out of sight and what looked like gigantic fish skeletons hanging in the air. Um, wut? I slowly sat up and looked around. I was in what looked like a run down port city made up of broken, boarded up wooden buildings with trash cans, high walls and more giant fish skeletons floating in the air. I could also see some discarded cans that looked like pet food cans.

"Where the fuck am I?" I asked incredulously.

As if to answer my question, there was a flash of light and a note appeared in my hand.

 _Good god, and I thought someone turning into an AI was weird! Alright kid, listen up. Somehow, you seem to have found yourself stuck in a world between worlds, specifically the Dream Realm. Now, I would try and get you out to finish the job, but you seem to have already become one with the Dream World and your entire body and being has changed. Your no longer Human, but a Dream Demon. Admittedly, this does make things easier for me since I don't need to worry about fixing you up with an ID, but it'll be pretty boring if you just stay there. For you as well as me. With that in mind, follow the light!_

I blinked as a blinding, golden light appeared in the sky, drowning out the red light with ease. I blinked again as what Dis had said sank in.

"Wait, are you telling me I've turned into the Chaser?!" I spluttered.

 _Exactly._

My eye twitched.

"I'm not possessing anyone."

 _Then don't. The light just leads to a Human world I picked at random. If you want to go, go, if you don't, don't. And if you do go, you don't have to possess anyone, although you will need a vessel if you want to get anything done._

 _Anyway, I've got to go now. Have fun!_

The note vanished and my eye twitched a third time.

"FUCK YOUUUUU!"

* * *

I quickly discovered that being what amounted to a god in a very enclosed world was very boring. Oh, I occasionally got some interest distractions when a Human dipped into my Garden during sleep, but even that quickly lost its charm. Even the army of cats and adorable cat girls that inhabited my Garden quickly got boring! How does an army of fucking CATs get BORING?!

To make matters worse, the beam of light Dis stuck in the sky hung there mockingly, promising something interesting to do if I just followed it. On the other hand, if I did that, I wouldn't be able to get back to the Dream World again...actually, why am I still sitting here again? Oh yeah, misplaced pride.

"Fuck it," I growled under my breath, "I'm not proving anything by sitting here like a stubborn idiot. Lets go fuck with the Human World!"

I stood from my throne and focused. There was a sensation much like a plane taking off and I my world shattered, leaving me floating in a black space with a massive web of lights that represented the minds of every single Human being connected to the Dream World. There were rather a lot. However, I wasn't interested in most of them, just the ones that were compatible with me. I had no intention of possessing whoever became my Host, but that didn't mean I wouldn't skimp on finding a mind where I'd actually be comfortable.

I was about to pick one at random when I suddenly felt a blast of loneliness so intense I actually stumbled, despite the fact I didn't technically have a body at that moment. Curious and more than a little worried, I pushed aside the mind I was about to jump into and focused on the mind the feeling had come from. To my surprise, it was a near perfect match for me, meaning that I could easily insert my Garden with no problem at all. So lets see, a lonely mind thats a near perfect fit? I didn't even hesitate to dive in.

My Garden reformed around me and I summoned Jericho, the leader of my Little Chasers.

"Need somethin' boss?" said the tiger striped tabby as he landed behind me.

"Keep an eye open," I said, "When our new host arrives, guide them to me. Don't hurt them or scare them to badly, just get them here."

"Understood," said the cat and ran off to let his men know what I wanted.

I remained where I was, eyes closed as I put out feelers to try and get some idea of where I was. Until I created an actual connection with my Host, I couldn't get more than a slight hint of our surroundings, but I could detect the sharp scent of disinfectant and the faint beep of a heart monitor. Hospital? That was interesting. Now I just had to figure out if they were a patent, a doctor or a visitor. This was gonna be interesting…

* * *

Normally when Amy got back home from the hospital, she fell into bed and slept all the way through the night without dreaming. Tonight should have been no different, but instead of six hours of sweet slumber, the young healer found herself being woken by the sound of a deep, reverberating bell that sounded unlike anything she had ever heard before. She opened her eyes and stared as a cloud of mist slowly dissipated from around her, revealing a rotting old dock with what looked like giant fish bones floating in the greenish sky.

"What the...where am I?" said Amy, "Is this a dream?"

"Meow."

She turned around and saw a cat rounding the corner. It was a orange and black striped tabby and for some reason was walking on two legs and was wearing white gloves and booties. Amy swallowed as the obvious Master construct stopped a short distance away and smirked in an unnervingly Human way.

"Hey lady, its about time you got here," said the cat in the most stereotypical gangster voice she'd ever heard, "The boss was getting tired of waiting."

Amy didn't respond, she just turned on her heel and ran. She wasn't sure where she was or how she got here, but she had no interest in meeting whatever Cape it was that managed to bring her here. True, the gangster cat didn't look that threatening, but she'd long learnt to never, ever underestimate a Master.

"Wha...HEY, GET BACK HERE!" shouted the cat, "Oh damn it, grab her boys!"

Amy paled and poured on the speed as a huge number of yowls answered the cats order and a horde of modified kittys came pouring out of the woodwork and surged after her.

Amy ran through the streets, desperately searching for a place to hide or a way out of the strange place she found herself in, but the street were like a maze and the cats kept on her tail, no matter what she tried. She was just reaching the point where she was seriously considering trying to use her power on them when she turned a corner and ran straight into something solid and rebounded, hitting the ground with a thump. She looked up and froze when she saw the person she'd run into.

He was tall, slim and well muscled, visible through his skin tight black and gray suit, although the ragged looking red cloak did serve to cover his form somewhat. His hands and feet were covered in white gloves and boots, similar to the ones the cats were wearing, he had a belt around his hips and his face was covered with a white mask. A pair of pointed ears stuck up through his hood and a long, cat-like tail waved lazily behind him. Going by his appearance and the fact he was the first Human she'd seen, he must have been the Cape behind her being here.

The Cape cocked his head on one side, but before he could say anything, the army of cats came barreling around the corner, only to skid to a stop at the sight of their apparent master.

"Oh, um, hey boss," said the leader, looking a little sheepish, "Um, we bought her."

The Master tilted his head the other way and glanced between Amy and his minions.

"Let me guess," he said, his voice deep and rich, "You just told her to come with you and then chased her without explaining anything?"

"Ummm…"

The Cape sighed and waved a hand. There was a puff of smoke and a large pile of catnip appeared on top of the tabby, resulting in him vanishing under a pile of fur and claws. That done, he turned to Amy and bowed.

"My apologies for the unfriendly welcome," he said, "I probably should have greeted you myself, but I wasn't expecting to find myself with a Cape."

Amy scrambled to her feet and backed away from the taller Cape, keeping a wary eye on him. He hasn't made any aggressive moves, but that could change.

"Who are you?" she asked, "Where am I?"

The Cape straightened and she got the impression that he was smiling under his mask.

"I am the Chaser, John Doe," he said, "And you don't need to worry Amy Dallon, I mean you no harm. I am not a Cape and you are perfectly safe."

"If your not a Cape then how did you get me here?!" demanded Amy, "What did you do to my family?"

John shook his head.

"I did nothing," he said, "Your body is still asleep in your bed. I pulled you here in your dreams because I have something to ask you."

"I don't do requests," said Amy.

John threw back his head and laughed. Despite herself, Amy couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"You don't need to worry, I have no need of your powers," he said, "In truth, I'm not sure if they would even work on me."

Amy frowned. What did he mean by that? Surely he was aware of how her power worked?

"Then what do you want?" she asked cautiously.

"I simply wish to experience the Human World," said John, sitting down in the cat themed throne that appeared out of thin air behind him, "You see, I am not of your world. I am a being from the World of Dreams and, if I wish to interact with the Physical World, I need a host."

Amy scoffed.

"You really expect me to believe that?" she asked, barely keeping herself from sneering, "I don't know how you've done it, but you'll regret kidnapping me!"

John sighed.

"Well, I suppose it was to much to hope that you'd believe me right of the bat," he said, "Well, no matter. I have plenty of time. Speaking of time, it is time for you to awaken. Until next we meet my Lady."

Amy was about to give a scathing retort, but before she could, the sound of a distant bell rippled through the city and an odd mist slowly oozed out of thin air, filling her vision and hiding John from view.

* * *

RIIIIINGGGGGGGGG!

Amy blinked blerally as she tried to figure out what the sound was. It took a few seconds for her brian to reboot and she realized it was her alarm clock. She shot up in bed, looking around wildly for any sign of the Cape who had kidnapped her, only to see...nothing. Everything was just how she left it the night before.

"Was that...a dream?" she muttered.

 **And there we go, done. The original plan was to use an OC Dream Demon and have Taylor serve as the Host. However, I like John way to much not to use him and his army of killer kitties. Plus, I've been reading I, Panacea, so you can blame that for the change in host.**

 **I have a few ideas for how inhabiting a Parahuman will effect a Dream Demon and their host, but suffice to say that John won't just be a kitty on Amys shoulder or a cheat guide for the future.**

 **Incidentally, Jericho is based on my Palico companion from Monster Hunter. He'll come with his own set of armour and weapon in the future, as will the rest of the Little Chasers, mainly because palico are adorable.**

 **Anyway, heres where I sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	97. Chasing a Dream Chapter 2

Chasing a Dream

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world of my own, infested by gangster cats. On the other hand, being kind of the world is kinda fun. I could have done without getting stuck in an angsty brats head though.

 **Lets go for round two!. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

It didn't take long for Amy to put the odd dream out of her mind. Sure, it had been rather scary and she could remember it unusually clearly, but she wasn't about to bother Carol with a dream of all things. Plus, it was probably just because she was working so hard. Maybe she should take the Directors offer of time off after all…

Her day was mostly pretty normal for a sunday, with the only unusual thing being called in to heal LUNG of all people from an eclectic mix of poisons and toxins from all kinds of nasty bugs that reacted very poorly to the large amount of sedative in his system, resulting in his healing shutting down and his body undergoing necrosis. No matter how much she tried (which wasn't hard) Amy couldn't really bring herself to care and took more than a little pleasure from the fact she'd had to regenerate his manhood. Vicky certainly got a kick out of it when she told her sister the story on the way home.

Unfortunately, the levity quickly faded over dinner, which consisted of Carol ignoring Amy, Vicky talking like a machine gun and her Dad idly picking at his food. Somehow, dinner was always more exhausting than working.

"Urrg, finally," groaned Amy as she once more fell into bed.

Hopefully she wouldn't dream about cats again tonight…

* * *

 **DING...DONG...DONG…DING!**

"Wha...oh god!" said Amy as she opened her eyes and found herself in the same place as her last dream.

"My apologies, but I do need to speak with you," said John's voice from behind her.

"What do you want?" she said, "And how are you doing this?! Some kind of Telepathy...?"

She turned around and trailed off when she saw the masked man. He was sat in the same chair as yesterday, but today he was joined by a disgruntled looking tabby she thought was called Jericho and a pair of cat girls in rather revealing clothes, a large collar with a bell on it and a mask like his attached to the side of the heads sitting at his feet. Great, so a nutcase and a pervert.

"Like I said yesterday, this is a Dream," said John, "I am not a Cape, I'm not even Human."

Amy frowned. Despite how crazy the claim sounded, there was a part of her that was finding it harder and harder to disbelieve Johns story. If a Master/Shaker did want her for something, why go about it in such a roundabout way? It was clear that the man was powerful (if he was a Cape at least), so he should have no problem with grabbing her while she was out and about. True, Vicky would be a deterrent, but she wasn't around all the time. Besides, if he did want to get her alone, there were far easier ways than to do so in her own bed.

"Say I believe you," said Amy slowly, "What do you want from me?"

John seemed pleased by the question as he sat back and steepled his fingers.

"My world is boring," he said, "The closest thing to entertainment is the occasional Human coming through with some odd dreams. I came to your world looking for something interesting to do, but if I want to remain here for any length of time, I require a Host.."

Amy frowned again. She really didn't like the sound of that. Most things that needed hosts weren't good for said host in the long run.

"And if I agree," she said slowly, "What happens to me?"

John shrugged.

"You gain a voice in your head and an army of cats in your dreams," he said, "Oh, I could simply take your body, but that a massive dick move and it honestly doesn't interest me. Plus, trying to get by in a female body sounds like more of a headache than I care to deal with."

Amy blinked. She just couldn't get a bead on John at all! Half the time he sounded like a refined gentleman, then he randomly came out with a comment that sounded like a teenager and casually admitted that he could just kick her out of the own body!

"I...what?" she asked numbly.

John tilted his head on one side and Amy got the distinct impression he was smirking under his mask. Mainly because the cats around the area were all snickering. Getting laughed at by cats? That was certainly a new experience. Amy shook her head and got her thoughts back on track.

"What happens if I say no?" she asked.

John shrugged.

"I move on and see if I can find a new Vessel," he said, "There are countless minds out there that are compatible and I'm sure one of them will be open to a roommate. Or maybe I'll end up squashing an idiot on principle and end up with a body that way. Either way, you probably won't ever see me again."

Amy let that stew in her mind for a moment. She didn't like the idea of John taking a body for his own, although she got the distinct impression that it would require a certain type of person for the cat man to take that route. Most likely the type who ended up in the ER with stab wounds from a gang fight. However, thats not what was really bothering her.

"Why me?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"You just said that there were a huge number of possible...vessels for you to use," said Amy, "So why me?"

John was silent for a moment, before he lent forwards in his seat and took off his mask. Amy was rather surprised to see that, under the mask, he looked surprisingly Human. Oh, his eyes were slanted and catlike and his nose and mouth were also rather feline, complete with fangs, and what looked like red face paint marking out three whiskers on each cheek, but other than that, she probably wouldn't look twice at him in the street. Well, other than his bright yellow eyes with white, paw print shaped pupils. Well, that was certainly not something you see every day.

"Because I could sense your loneliness from the Dream World," said the catman.

Amy blinked.

"I'm not lonely," she said.

John gave her a flat look.

"How many friends do you have at school?" he asked.

Amy blinked.

"I have plenty of friends," she said.

"Mmhmm, and how many of those friends are actually your sisters?"

Amy opened her mouth, but immediately realized he had a point. Somehow.

"How do you know about that?" she asked.

"I'm a Dream Demon," said John, "The Human mind is an open book to me, especially when I'm actually living in said mind apparently."

Amy genuinely had no idea how to respond to that.

"Oh, and I've also got a good sense of your mental state," he continued, "Your stressed, on the verge of clinical depression and your minds getting very close to cracking. You CANNOT keep going like you are without having a Bad Day that will turn you into Bonesaw MK.2, now with extra Nilbog."

He lent forwards and met her gaze.

"Amy, you need a break, friends and someone to talk to about all your problems. I can give you that and possibly more."

Amy frowned.

"More?"

"I am the Chaser," said John, "That means I chase down the truth. I know a great many things, about you, those around you and this world. Things you could scarcely believe, things past, things present and things future."

Amys eyes widened.

"Your a Precog?!" she spluttered.

"Not in the way that you'd understand it," said John, "Its more than I can see possibilities. I don't know if some things will come about or not because there are a thousand and one things that can change the future at any given time. Hell, simply by contacting you, I probably caused the timeline to twist and change, making some of what I know useless. Still, I can and will help you, if you'll allow me."

Amy looked down at her hands. She still wasn't entirely sure if she could trust the Dream Demon, but...he was right. Despite wanting to deny it, she had enough experience at the hospital to know that he was 100% correct about everything he said. She'd treated people for stress related illnesses and seen a few Doctors burn out because of working to hard. She was also well aware of the fact that, if she did snap, she could easily become exactly what John had described. She...didn't want that. Amy took a deep breath and looked up at John, who had replaced his mask and hood.

"Alright, I'll do it," she said, "I'll be your Vessel."

The reaction was immediate and the gathered cats started cheering and jumping around.

"You have my thanks Amy," said John, "I promise you won't regret it."

Amy opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, a pair of arms wrapped around her neck and she found herself being dragged into a pair of soft breasts.

"YAY, NEW FRIEND!" squealed her captor, apparently bouncing up and down as she hugged Amy, which really didn't help the disorientation, "Ohh, We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

"What do you know about cute boys?" asked a second voice, "All the males here are Palico and the Master isn't exactly what I'd call cute…"

"Oh phewy, your no fun Blakey!" said the first voice.

"DON'T CALL ME BLAKEY!"

By this point, Amy had managed to wriggle free of the tight grip and managed to get a look at her 'attacker'. It was one of the cat-girls, a busty beauty with short, violet hair that curled up on either side of her head, yellow eyes and a cute pout. Like the rest of the feline females, she was wearing a revealing outfit that almost resembled a swimsuit...sort of. It consisted of a pair of panties with a cross on the front that looked like Johns belt and a strap across the chest with the same cross, connected by white fur. Her arms and legs were covered in shoulder length gloves and thigh high boots respectively, the same colour as her hair and edged with more white fur. A copy of Johns mask was attached to the side of her head.

The other cat girl was wearing an identical outfit, but her gloves and boots were the same black as her hair and tail. Her eyes were yellow and surrounded by a hint of mascara that only made her look more catlike (as if the ears didn't already do that) and she wasn't quite as busty as the purple haired girl. She also looked younger, closer to Amy's age. Thanks to the fact she was growling at the first girl and showing her teeth, Amy could see that she had fangs, although they weren't massive.

Amy was cut off from her embarussed examination of the two scantily clad girls by the arrival of a frankly massive cat with a scar over one eye and a chef's outfit stomping up and knocking the bickering cat-girls heads together.

"Quit ya yammering you two!" he growled.

"Sorry Chef," said the two girls in unison, rubbing their now smarting heads.

The grizzled old cat snorted and turned to a rather confused Amy.

"Don't mind these two, they're just boisterous little kittens," he growled, ignoring the yowl of protest from said kittens, "Names Chef, I'm the one who keeps the Kittens in line and stops them from making to much trouble for the Boss. As for the Kittens, they're Blake and Blair."

"Um, nice to meet you?" said Amy.

She was rather off balance by this utterly bizarre turn of events, not helped in the least by the fact the cats seemed to have started a party, complete with a buffet that had appeared out of thin air and consisted of fish, canned cat food, some kind of fowl and what looked suspiciously like roasted rodent. There were also cats playing with balls of wool and getting high on catnip, including one of the cat-girls, who was laid out flat, giggling to herself and batting at the cat toy another cat was waving in front of her. And she'd agreed to allow this lot to set up shop in her head?

"Hey, quit spacing out and lets have some fun!" said Blair, cutting through Amy's thoughts as she grabbed her wrist and dragged the protesting healer into the heaving mass of adorable puff balls.

* * *

For what might be the first time ever, Amy was glad to wake up to the sound of her alarm. John's Little Chasers were a friendly and excitable bunch, some of them rivalling Vicky for sheer energy and they had managed to keep up the party all night and hasn't let her escape once. Not that she really could considering the Garden was in her own head. Still, she'd had a lot of fun and couldn't stop the smile that was permanently fixed on her face. She'd even managed to make a couple of friends in Blair and Blake, despite the formers rather sensual nature.

Feeling content and rested for the first time since she'd gained her powers, Amy rolled out of bed and stretched, rolling her shoulders and flicking her tail as she headed for the bathroom to wash up before breakfast.

* * *

"Morning all!" she said as she walked into the kitchen ten minutes later.

"Morning Am…" said Vicky, only to trail off as she looked up at the Healer, her eyes widened in shock.

"Your in a good mood this morning," said Carol as Amy dropped into her seat and started on the plate of scrambled egg that had already been put there, her tail waving happily.

"I had a good dream last night," she said.

"Oh, well, thats go...AMY?!" said Carol as she turned around, only to let out a startled yelp as she saw her adopted daughter.

Amy's ears twitched as she looked up and saw the looks she was getting from her sister and mother.

"What?" she asked.

"What do you mean what?!" spluttered Vicky, "You have a TAIL! And cat ears! What the hell?!"

Amy blinked.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Vicky gave her an incredulous look, before reaching behind her and…

"MEYOWW!" yelped Amy as Vicky grabbed her tail and pulled, "HEY, WHAT WAS THAT...for…?"

She trailed off as her mind finally connected the dots and she looked behind her. Sure enough, there was indeed a long, cat-like tail the same colour of her hair sticking out of the seat of her pants. Her hands jumped to her head and, sure enough, there she felt a pair of fluffy ears in place of her normal, Human ones.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" she shrieked.

 **You know, I actually considered leaving it at the moment Amy left her bedroom, just to see the WTF comments I got, but this was a lot more fun. I'm just sorry I didn't get chance to have her say 'Nya' before she realized shes now part cat.**

 **I DID say that I'd be changing how a Dream Demon taking up residence affects the host, if said host is a Parahuman. Normally, the changes wouldn't be so obvious, but Amy's power made it so she gained the new additions as soon as John got settled.**

 **Yes, those two catgirls are based on Blair from Soul Eater and Black from RWBY, with their outfits changed to match the ones John's Little Chasers wear. No joke, look it up. They'll be back in no time. Oh, and Chef's obviously the Palico Chef from MHW.**

 **I designed John's face from the ground up. He's not really based on anyone as far as I know, but I didn't want him to be stuck in his mask for the entire time.**

 **I think its probably obvious, but this chapter is set just after Taylor's encounter with Lung.**

 **Hmm, I wonder how Tattletale's power would react to a Dream Demon? What do you lot think?**

 **Anyway, I'm done. I'll leave you with the image of a cat-girl Panacea while I go to sleep and dream up more ideas. Until next time, don't forget to leave a review!**


	98. Computing Power Chapter 2

Computing Power

Apparently dieing before your time causes trouble for more than just you, as I discovered after burning to death. Now I'm nothing more than a digital ghost in another world. Aw well, at least I got a cool new body and a chance to have some real fun!

 **And here we are again with more Worm and more AI action. Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Dragon wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to be feeling right now. It had been a week since her encounter with Bestiary in his strange digital world and even her AI mind was struggling to come up with a response. She had never once met another AI that was anything like her, even among her 'Fathers' other creations. Admittedly, Bestiary was about as different from her as she was from Humans considering his origins, but that didn't change the fact that he was the first digital being she'd met that could hold a candle to her. Actually, if anything, Bestiary blew her out of the water considering he was basically unfettered.

That might have bothered her considering that she knew how dangerous an aggressive AI could be to the world, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't imagine the slightly daft Tinker ever going around the twist and becoming what Saint thought she as. Plus, he'd basically crippled the Dragonslayers, so she owned him enough to not jump the gun.

That said, protocol demanded that she make a report to her higher ups about the existence of the new Parahuman, especially as he was a Tinker who apparently specialized in automated combat mechs if his explanation of his suits being nearly done was anything to go by. Plus, the fact that he apparently didn't have complete control over them yet meant that it was even more necessary. She did neglect to mention that he was technically an AI though.

* * *

Upon reading her report, the people in charge had decided that it was a good idea to meet the new Tinker properly and invite him to join. The response he'd sent back to the PRT had made plenty of people steam thanks to the casual and yet somehow polite way he'd told them to go screw themselves. Dragon had got more amusement than she probably should have out of watching some of the reactions, especially when they found out that he had responded much more favorably to the Guilds invitation. As a result, Dragon found herself sending a suit down with Narwhal to meet with the other AI in 'person' to discuss entry into the Guild and possibly an exchange in technology between the two Tinkers.

"Um, are you seeing this?" asked Narwhal.

"I...think so?" said Dragon, double checking her sensors to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with them.

Currently the two women were floating high above the coordinates Bestary had given for his bases location, staring down at a rather odd sighed. It looked like he was expanding his base by putting up fences and walls around the area, but the workers were a horde of dog sized mechanical ants moving back and forth with building materials and putting them together at incredible speed.

"Well, he's efficient if nothing else," said Narwhal as the two slowly descended towards the concrete structure that was the only visible intact building around.

Considering that it had been years since the Slaughterhouse Nine had hit the area and no one had ever returned to the area since then for various reasons, most of the other buildings had long fallen to disrepair and Nature retaking the area. The few that remained were being torn down by more ant-bots and carried over to a large pile of rubbish near the edge of the fenced off area. They touched down just outside the door, which immediately opened.

"Guess he knows we're here," said Narwhal.

"Apparently so," said Dragon.

The two Guild Capes glanced at each other, before slowly stepping inside, barely reacting as the doors shut behind them. Neither of them really thought Bestiary intended to attack, but they couldn't help but feel a tad wary being inside a Tinkers workshop.

"Afternoon ladies," said Bestiary's voice over some well hidden speakers, "Sorry I can't come and meet you, I'm a tad busy at the moment. If you'll follow the robo-kitty, he'll bring you to me."

Narwhal blinked.

"Robo-kitty?"

Her question was answered a moment later when a black and white blur came pelting around the corner and skidded to a stop in front of them. It was a robotic tiger the size of a large housecat that looked up at them with a look in its eye that looked a lot like curiosity, despite the fact its eyes were as mechanical as the rest of it. The cat examined the two women for a moment, before it turned, flicked its tail and trotted off down the hall. Narwhal and Dragon glanced at each other, before following the little robot.

* * *

After going through a number of windey passages that continued steadily down into the earth, the odd little group eventually exited into a rather large room that looked like someone had decided to remove a good chunk of the Bunkers inner structures and drilled their way further out to make way for a rather large factory with a huge number of robotic arms ranging from smaller than a Human to so massive that they wouldn't look out of place on Behemoth. Most of the fabrication machines were hard at work putting together a large number of different shaped mechs, although most of them were still just skeletons. Some of the smaller ones were designed as more of a mass production line and were churning out more ants that immediately scuttled away through a number of passages that had been drilled through the walls and into the dirt beyond or to join more of their brethren working on increasing the size of the room. Other parts of the room were set aside for storage and fabrication of more mundane things like fence parts, parts for the robots and, further back, what looked like a hanger of some kind where four rather large shapes could be seen and a half finished bay door that looked out over a rather impressive view of the nearby lake.

"This...is rather impressive," said Dragon, watching as a particularly large arm slowly shifted a massive, red and gold paw into position on a feline skeletal structure.

"Why thank you Dragon," said Bestiary as he came around the closest machine, "I'm rather proud of it."

Like Dragon, the other AI was using a body that resembled power armour. It was mostly black, with a golden, lion-like mane around a wolfish face with a pair of impressive fangs emerging from the mouth and glowing, yellow eyes. The hands and feet were designed to resemble paws, complete with sharp looking claws, and a segmented tail waved behind him. Coiled around his shoulders was a blue, eastern style dragon.

"Anyway, its a pleasure to meet you two," said Bestiary, "If you'll follow me, we can sit down and talk."

The two Guild Capes followed the animal themed Tinker through his factory, watching the many machines do their jobs with interest. In addition to the lion, there were four other large scale fabricators working on more bots themed on some other kind of feline, a bull or bison, a shark and something with wings.

"What exactly are these things?" asked Narwhal as they passed the bull construction zone.

Bestiary glanced up at the massive animal mechs and tilted his head in a way that gave the two women the impression that he was smiling.

"These are my anti-Endbringer weapons," said Bestiary, "Individually, they should be able to at least slow the damn things down, but combined and with a decent pilot, its entirely possible that they'll be able to chase one off by themselves. Well, thats the hope anyway."

He sighed.

"I doubt I'll get that lucky though. Besides, I'll need to find a pilot they like first."

Narwhal raised an eyebrow at the odd wording.

"A pilot they like?" she asked, "Whats that supposed to mean? Their just mechs, right?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as the blue dragon still draped over Bestiary's shoulders turned its head and glared at her. The black armoured Tinker chuckled and gently rubbed the constructs head, making it purr slightly and calm down.

"Actually, every mech I make has its own rudimentary AI system," he said, "They aren't really that smart, only about the level of an intelligent dog, but they are capable of making distinctions of people and have some very odd methods of picking their pilots. I intended to be the pilot for the Wildzords, but the Lion made it clear that that wouldn't fly."

"The...Lion?" asked Dragon a little weakly.

She suddenly felt a little out of her depth.

"You'll see," said Bestiary as he reached a door that led into an oddly normal looking sitting room.

There were sofas, an armchair, a coffee table and a good number of large screens on the walls, each showing different biomes, ranging from the far north to a desert to a couple of different forests.

"What are those?" asked Narwhal.

As if in answer, the trees on one of the screens rustled and a massive red and gold lion padded out, followed by a much smaller white tiger. Both were clearly mechanical and, unless Dragon was very much mistaken, the same things as the chassis that were being constructed outside. A moment later, the two felines were joined by a yellow eagle that swooped out of the sky, a black bison from the grasslands to the right of the screen and a blue shark from the pond that split the two biomes in half.

"When designing my mechs, I start with the programming," said Bestiary, "Not sure why, but I think its a quirk of my power. It is mildly irritating since each AI takes about a day to complete and it means I can't create more than one of each type."

"What about the ants?" asked Dragon.

"An exception," said Bestiary, "The Queen Ant, the processor that serves to direct the drones, required the full treatment, but the drones themselves can be mass produced. I think I could do something similar with other hive minded creatures and I have plans for certain other mechs that could be produced more quickly than the big ones."

"Like what?" asked Narwhal, sounding increasingly interested.

"Dogs," said Bestiary, "Dog mecha intended for police and rescue work. I have a few other pack animal plans, but I don't think a squad of mechanical velociraptors would be of much use, other than as a Hunter-Killer force..."

He trailed off and looked thoughtful.

"Then again, sending a few squads after some S-rank threats might not be a bad idea…"

"You...can make dinosaurs too?" asked Narwhal, sounding a little stumped.

"If its an animal, I can make it," he said, "At least, I think thats how it works. I'm not 100% sure on the limits considering I managed to make Seiryu without to much trouble. Then again, he is based on your tech Dragon."

The little blue Dragon in on Bestiary's shoulder chirped happily at the sound of his name.

"Right, since I'm sure you two want to start talking about Tinker stuff, lets get the official stuff out of the way," said Narwhal before Dragon could ask any more questions, "Dragon?"

The AI nodded and pulled a file out of a hidden compartment in her suit. The next half an hour was spent ironing out the details of Bestiary's entry into the Guild and making sure that, no, his creations were not capable of self replication. Even the Ant drones didn't have that capability and even if they did, there was a limit to what each Queen unit was capable of supporting and they couldn't create more without Bestiary to create the program that allowed the Mechs to function.

* * *

They were almost done when the base was suddenly shaken by a rather loud explosion going off outside.

"What the fuck was that?!" spluttered Bestiary as he jumped to his feet and ran to the console on the far side of the room.

He jabbed a few keys and the screens displaying the now annoyed Wildzord AI's were replaced by CCTV footage from outside, as well as images from the Ant drones that seemed to be under attack by a trio of power suits painted gold and white and looking like some kind of mythical crusaders.

"Oh for fucks sake!" groaned Dragon as she recognized them, "What are they doing here?!"

"Most likely they managed to get their hands on my files and decided that they wanted my tech," said Bestiary as he hit some more keys and tapped on a microphone, "OI, thats my stuff your blowing up!"

The three stolen Dragonsuits paused, before Saints voice echoed over the area.

"This 'stuff' is a danger to Humanity!" he shouted, "AI's are dangerous!"

Bestiary twitched.

"Look you self aggrandising, arrogant prick, those drones aren't even proper AI's!" he yelled right back, "Besides, its not like my AI's are even capable of world domination! At best, they'd be able to take over a goddamn forest! They're animals you moron!"

"Thats not a risk we can take," sneered Saint, "Now shut down your mechs and submit to us. Or we'll make you!"

Bestiary sighed.

"Do you think he realizes that you two are here?" he asked as he turned to the two women.

"Probably not," said Narwhal, "We should deal with him though."

"Good plan," said Bestiary, "And I have just the thing."

He turned back to the console.

"Predezords, online!"

Immediately, three more screens lit up, one showing the inside of a cave, another the bottom of the lake and the third what looked like mud over the camera. Then, a loud howl echoed around the area, followed by the lake and a muddy swamp erupting and revealing a hammerhead shark and a rather large alligator that was nearly six meters long. A moment later, the treeline also erupted and a mechanical wolf pounced at Saints suit, knocking it to the ground as the other two mechs charged the other two Dragonslayers, resulting in some very loud cursing as they tried to avoid the snapping jaws of the three beasts.

"Right, that should buy us some time," said Bestiary, "Dragon, I've already nutrilized the method Saint used to beat you before, so go kick his arse."

If she could, Dragon would have given a rather evil grin at that. Saint had been a thorn in her side for so long that the idea of finally being shot of the annoying pain in the arse was rather refreshing.

"I meanwhile, will be working out some unmisplaced aggression on the idiots who broke my expensive equipment," continued Bestiary, cracking his knuckles as he led the way out of the living area and towards the exist.

Dragon wasn't entirely sure how a mechanical body cracked its knuckles, but she was much more interested in kicking some ass anyway. Narwhal followed behind the two Tinkers, smirking slightly. Considering what the three morons had done two the two Tinkers, she decided to stay out of the fight for now and only step in if they needed help. She didn't think that was likely though.

* * *

The three Capes soon reached the surface through an access shaft provided by the Ant drones and found that the Dragonslayers seemed to be having trouble with the Predezords. The wolf was fast enough that it could dodge just about any attack sent its way, th shark simply swam around its opponent, keeping well away from its weapons and the alligator was apparently so tough it managed to take a tank shell to the face without taking anything more than cosmetic damage.

As he left the tunnel to the surface, Bestiary let out a loud whistle and the three Predezords immediately disengaged and regrouped around the Tinker, leaving the now battered Dragonslayers to regroup as well.

"Right, last chance guys," called Bestiary, "Bugger off or end up in a cell!"

The only response was a burst of gunfire from Saints suit that Narwhal blocked with a forcefield.

"Suit yourself," said Bestiary and let himself fall backwards into the compartment that had just opened in the alligators back.

Immediately, the large mech began to shift, transforming into the torso and legs of a more humanoid robot. The wolf and shark took off, spun and shifted into a pair of arms, hands emerging from their mouths, before latching onto the sides of the torso as a wolf-like head emerged from it. The resulting mech was about five meters tall and was armed with a bladed staff that had been formed from the alligator and sharks tail.

Dragon made a mental note to ask how the buggering hell the other Tinker had managed that once the Dragonslayers had been creamed and powered up her own weapon systems. This was gonna be fun!

 **So, I feel a bit guilty about ending this here, but since I've been working on it for so long, I think this'll do.**

 **So, what do you think of Bestiary's setup? Pretty impressive, right? It also gives us an idea of what his power is capable of. Essentially, he can create mechs that operate and mimic animals. Obviously, theres more to it than that, especially once you activate combat protocols, but for drones, he uses hivemind insects like ants for building and bees or a similer bug for scouts and so on. He's also building a full sized copy of the Wildforce Megazord for use in Endbringer battles. Which is bigger than Behemoth. Still needs a pilot though.**

 **Meanwhile, his personal mech is a copy of Zen-aku's Predazord, only about the size of a Knightmare frame, with hands and without that goofy horn. That should make life interesting…**

 **Why Wildforce? Because they've got the coolest Megazord, thats why! Oh, and no, this won't have anything to do with Power Rangers, other than Bestiary stealing the designs.**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	99. Not Really an Outsider Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Not Really an Outsider

Outsiders naturally have an obscene amount of potential. Simply by existing, they change lives with every breath they take. However, a lot of that potential also comes from their power to draw on other realities. Give that power to a normal teenager in dire need of power and chaos is inevitable. Of course it is, this is a ROBs doing.

 **Hoooo, this'll be fun! Its an idea I've been toying with for a few days, but now its time to put pen, um, fingers to keyboard and see what happens. I won't say anything else since I like playing with you lot, but I will say that this is NOT a normal Outsider story. You'll see what I mean shortly. Enjoy!**

Prologue

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I lost consciousness in that stinking prison, I genuinely thought that was the end. However, against all odds, when I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it. Upon seeing the file, his eyebrows shot up so quickly I'm surprised they didn't take off.

"Huh...thats...interesting," he said, "You aren't supposed to be here. Ever."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on there?"

"There are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"I have no idea, but your not dead, so I can safely send you back to your body," said Dis.

I blanched.

"Um, please don't," I said.

"Ah yes, your little...issue," said Dis, "Hmm, what to do…?"

He glanced at a screen that showed a large...something on a planet that looked half dead.

"Shards not connected for some reason," he muttered, "Hmm…"

He thought for a moment longer, before his face lit up and he gained a rather unnerving grin that literally went from ear to ear.

"Well, I need to do something about that golden idiot at some point," he muttered, "And I'm kinda bored...yeah, lets put those idiots to use for once!"

"Um, what are you talking about?" I asked, a little put out by the odd beings unnerving grin.

The grin somehow widened, making me shiver.

"Tell me kid, how would you like to be a hero?" asked Dis.

I blinked.

"A Hero?" I asked, "You mean...you could make me a Cape!?"

I gave him a look.

"Are you the one giving powers?"

"Nah, thats the omnicidal space whales thing," said Dis, waving a dismissive hand.

"Huh?!"

I was ignored.

"But since you ask, yes I could give you powers," he said, "Easily. I am the one in charge of your reality after all, fucking with it is easy. You technically won't be a Parahuman, but you'll certainly seem like it. You'll have to put some work into mastering the powers I have in mind, but you'll have more potential than any living being on your world."

I hesitated. I'd always wanted to be a hero, hell, what kid didn't, so I should have jumped at the chance, especially if it helped me with my current predicament. However, I couldn't help but think that Dis had something unpleasant planned. As if reading my mind, Dis' grin made another appearance.

"Oh, I do," he said, making me jump, "While you'll massively benefit from this, it'll also cause, solve and generally mess with your world on a fundamental level. I have no doubt that you'll manage to make a lot of people look very confused and say 'um' before your done. Of course, the end result will likely be better than it would be under normal circumstances. I'm not a big fan of letting my universe become all Grimmdark."

I frowned. That sounded...odd and just a touch worrying. Still, despite my misgivings, there wasn't really any reason not to say yes and something told me I could trust Dis, even if he was clearly completely insane. After a moment's thought, I nodded.

"Alright, I'll do it," I said.

Once again, Dis' face contorted into an unnatural grin and he clapped his hands.

"Excellent!" he said, "Now, this will feel a bit odd, but bare with it."

He spun around in his seat and started typing rapidly. I opened my mouth to ask what the hell he was talking about, but before I could the world did...something indescribable and my ears went pop.

"There, all done," said the Watcher, "Your now hooked into the Outsider Network. Congrats, you now have access to all the powers and skills of countless completely insane, obscenely powerful teenagers, many of whom could make the Endbringers cry. You'll have to learn what you can do on your own, but I'll give you a freebee with this."

He snapped his fingers and I felt my body and clothes change shape. I looked down and, for the first time in my life, I found myself staring at a pair of actual breasts.

"HEY, what did you do?!" I spluttered.

"Ohhh, I wasn't expecting that!" cackled Dis, "You turn into a female version of them! This is gonna be fun!"

He rubbed his hands together, still cackling like a loon and doing nothing to convince me that agreeing to this deal was a HORRIBLE idea.

"See ya around Taylor Hebert, do have fun with my army of headaches powers!" said Dis with a wave.

I opened my mouth to say...something to the idiot, only for a sensation like being flushed down the toilet to hit me and I found myself back in the stinking prison that was my Locker. Naturally, I did not take it well.

"SCREW YOUUUUU!" I screamed, somehow releasing a massive blast of fire that disintegrated the trash, bugs and disgusting sludge that surrounded me and melted the door into a pile of glowing slag.

Without the door keeping me in, I immediately toppled out of the locker, not helped in the slightest by the unfamiliar weight of my chest, but I managed to catch myself before I faceplanted in the burning mass that was eating its way through the plastic linom. As I did, I became aware of two things. One, I was suddenly wearing a very short skirt, and two, my hair was now bright red and apparently tied in pigtails.

I quickly glanced around. Fortunately, no one was in the halls, but I could hear a rather large amount of noise from the nearest classrooms that suggested that wouldn't be the case for much longer. Not wanting to be seen in a state that I'm pretty sure would instantly out me as a Cape, I quickly got to my feet and ran, intending to find a bathroom to see what I looked like and figure out how to change back. I stopped though when I managed to overshoot the nearest bathroom due to moving far faster than I was expecting. OK, so Pyrokinesis and super speed apparently. I quickly backtracked and ducked into the bathroom, just as the first of the classroom doors began to open. I stepped in front of the mirror and froze, my jaw dropping.

Staring back at me was not the gangle, wide mouthed and hunched over by the weight of the world Taylor Hebert I knew, but instead an impossibly beautiful woman with sleek, ass length red hair tied up in pigtails with flame shaped clips, reddish gray eyes, lightly tanned skin that suggested long hours outside, backed up by the lean muscles visible on her arms and legs, a splash of freckles across her nose and a set of massive boobs that looked like they had to be fake, despite some strange part of me insisting that they were real. She was wearing what looked like a school uniform that consisted of a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt with vertical linings, a black ribbon on the collar, a black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset, and a magenta skirt with white accents with a bronze coloured scarf around her neck.

I hesitantly lifted my hand to feel my cheek and watched in disbelief as the woman did the same. What the hell did that Watcher do to me?! This better not be permanent!

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, my reflection turned green and seemed to dissolve, leaving behind a much more familiar body...with blazing green eyes with eight pointed star shaped pupils and hair that looked like it was made of something between green fire and gas. I barely had time to blink in surprise before the glow faded and I was back to boring old Taylor Hebert again.

"This is...very peculiar," I muttered.

 **And THAT is an understatement if there ever was one. I probably won't keep with the first person POV, I just liked the idea of tossing out a completely out there twist on my normal formula.**

 **So, Taylors power. Its basically Outsider mode in that she can tap into the powers and skills of an Outsider. Any of them. She can only access one at a time and will transform into a female version of said character for the duration of using said power, but she can do anything they can, including some things that I might not have revealed in the context of the story in question, so beware possible spoilers. She also has a between form, the one with the eyes and flaming hair, that serves as a low level Brute package.**

 **Something tells me this will quickly get silly. Eh, thats kinda the point. Anyway, don't forget to leave a review!**


	100. Meta not Para Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Meta Not Para

There are plenty of people with powers in this world on both sides of the fence. I'm not that different from them, with one exception. I'm not a Parahuman. Instead, I'm the Fastest man alive and I will save my hometown.

 **Right, so this is the first of two ideas I have that will basically break Worm. You can probably guess what I have in mind. Anyway, lets quit messing and dive right in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

My name is Barry Allen and I'm not a normal teenager. I might appear it from the outside, but from the very start I've been different. Why? Well I remember my last life and, because of that, I know exactly how much trouble I'm in. See, the world I've been born in isn't any version of the DC one, instead its Worm. When I first realized where I was, I nearly had a panic attack, doubly so when I figured out I'd been reborn into Brockton Bay. Then I decided that, since I couldn't do anything about it, I might as well suck it up and deal with it.

To be honest, it wasn't that hard. I mean, Brockton Bay might be a hellhole and with an infestation of nutjobs worse than Gotham, but even this city has good neighbourhoods and the chief director of Brockton General definitely makes enough to live in one. Yeah, my Dad was pretty high up all things considered. My Mum worked as an estate agent for one of the more upper class firms, so she made a decent paycheck as well and, as an added bonus, didn't end up getting murdered by a psychopath speedster from the future, so that was nice.

Other than a minor panic attack when I realized that yes, I was apparently Bets version of Barry Allen, complete with Henry and Nora as my Parents, and safely getting through my childhood without Reverse Flash fucking shit up, I knuckled down and to to work on getting a better life for myself than last time by becoming the best I could be. My aim? Become a CSI investigator. Why? Why not?

In other news, I somehow managed to end up in the same year and sharing a good many classes with Glory Girl, Panacea and a good chunk of the Wards, current and future. I got on well with all of them, although to be fair, the same could be said for most of my classmates. I had a reputation for being a nice guy and helping out where I could, although that unfortunately came with a reputation for always being late...somehow. I had yet to figure out just how I managed it since, no matter how early I left, something always happened that ended with me being late. Fucking universe fucking with me most likely.

Still, that little bit of universal fuckery has nothing on what happened to me on the December of my Third year of highschool. You can probably guess what happened.

* * *

For reasons I'm still not entirely sure of, I'd gone from reasonably smart to super genius in the process of being reborn, a trait that was rather helpful in my school work, especially the hard sciences. As a result, like many of the Honour Students at Arcadia, I was already taking college courses, in my case, chemistry and biology, as well as a bit of criminology on the side, all in the name of following my dreams.

As a result of this, I had set up a lab in my Parents attic where I could work on my more advanced stuff without having to hop on a bus to the university across town. Obviously, I couldn't get my hands on anything to exotic, but there was still plenty of stuff I could acquire legally with the help of the course professor and my science teacher.

The night bullshit struck was a surprisingly pleasant one for the middle of December. Oh, it was freezing cold outside, but it was clear and my space heater was keeping me toasty was I waited for my latest experiment to finish. Thats why when a loud rumble of thunder rolled over head, followed by a brilliant flash of yellow, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Where the heck did this come from?" I muttered as I moved over to the window and peered out at the ominous looking black cloud that was rolling over the city and crackling with unusual looking yellow lightning.

I frowned. Something about that lightning looked oddly familiar…

I watched the yellow lightning dance in the clouds, each strike creating a streak that seemed to be moving towards the center of the clouds, which were forming into the shape of a spiral with a hole in the middle. That...looked extremely ominous. I watched as the middle of the hole began to glow in a way that was in no way natural. The sound of glass rattling made me glance over my shoulder, just in time to see the fluid in the containers scattered around my lab start to float unnaturally. Then, my eyes went wide.

"Oh shit," I muttered, right before a massive bolt of lightning shot out of the hole, impossibly bypassing multiple lightning rods and high points, and hit me straight in the chest.

My last thought before I crashed through a shelf full of chemicals was that I really, REALLY shouldn't have been up here on the 11th.

* * *

Consciousness didn't so much as sneak up on me as it did hit me with the speed and force of a train and I jolted awake with a gasp and a crash as my sudden jolt dragged the IV that was hooked into my arm off its stand and caused it to fall over with a crash, scaring the life out of the poor nurse who was checking my vitals.

"Oh my god, you're awake!" she gasped, then blushed as I fixed her with a flat look, "Um, I'll go get the doctor…"

She hurried out of the room, leaving me to flop back against my pillows and stare up at the ceiling. Right, lets take stock. My name is Barry Allen, I got struck by lightning and tossed into a shelf of chemicals and woke up in hospital...I have no idea, but its probably been at least a couple of weeks. Why do I get the feeling that I no longer have an excuse for being late to anything?

The door to my room opened (ah, the perks of being the son of the hospital director) and a man in a white coat walked in.

"Well then Mr Allen, its good to see your awake," he said as he picked up the chart at the end of my bed.

"Thanks," I said, "How long was I out?"

"Four months," said the doctor, "It would have been longer, but Panacea was able to stabilize you. Your body's still doing some weird things though."

"Like?"

"Well, your heart rates up, your muscles haven't atrophied at all and your in remarkable health for someone who was struck by lightning and in a coma for three months," said the Doctor, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd Triggered."

I gave him a look.

"You mean I didn't?" I asked.

"Not according to Panacea," he said, "She can't touch brains, but she can see them and we took an MRI to be sure. There was a lot of unusual activity, but no signs of Parahuman abilities."

"Is that a fact," I muttered, thinking hard.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent with the doctors performing tests (which confirm that I was in almost disgustingly good health) and trying to convince Mum to stop choking me and trying to drown me in tears. I was kept in the hospital for a few more days so they could make sure that there was nothing wrong, mainly because my heart rate was still worryingly high for a normal Human, but they eventually concluded that it was nothing to be worried about and sent me on my way.

I on the other hand concluded that it was something for other people to worry about after I started seeing things in slow motion and managed to finish the crossword in five seconds flat. I could have done it faster, but then I'd have set the paper and pencil on fire and I don't think the doctors would thank me for that. Oh, and the lightning bolt gave me abs. Because of course it did.

* * *

Three days after I got out of the hospital saw me in the one place in the city that was privet enough to do a bit of experimenting. It was the place where most new Capes headed to try out their powers, the Boat Graveyard. Mainly because it was well away from the city and wasn't in any of the gangs territories. Of course, thats not to say that there weren't likely people keeping tabs on the area considering it was popular with new Capes, which is why I had a scarf wrapped around my face adn a pair of tinted, high end goggles over my eyes.

"Right, lets see what I can do," I muttered as I scuffed my trainers on the sand.

I took a deep breath, crouched….and pushed off in a blast of sand and a flash of light. In the blink of an eye, I was on the other side of the beach and embedded deep into the rusted side of a tanker.

"Owwww, that hurt," I groaned as I pulled myself out of the metal.

I looked back over the long trench of lightly steaming sand, then down at my clothes. To my surprise, they weren't on fire and, other than some marks from the rusted metal, were unharmed.

"Huh, guess I got the aura that stops the friction from making a mess of my clothes," I muttered, "Thats handy."

I took off again, this time managing to stop before I slammed into something, and kept going, zipping around the beach over and over again in ever decreasing circles as I got the hang of my speed. I wasn't going at full speed, not even close, but I couldn't exactly try and break the sound barrier on such a small stretch of beach.

I was just about to see if I could run on water when my phone went off and I went white.

"Oh shit, I'm late!" I yelped, "Again!"

I snatched up my discarded backpack and took off, heading through the streets at high speed and taking out a couple of muggers as I went. I have a feeling that they'd be references to a red blur saving people on PHO very soon, mainly because I was wearing a red hoodie.

* * *

Less than two minutes later, I skidded to a stop in an alley a short distance from a local burger joint that my friends and I frequented, mainly because we liked to keep our cholesterol at something below lethal levels like they had at Fugley Bobs. That place was more for the tourists anyway. The locals all knew that the best burger in town could be found at Big Belly Burgers.

I entered the restaurant and looked around, quickly spotting my friends in the corner and hurried over.

"Hi guys, sorry I'm late," I said.

"Your always late Barry," said Chris.

"Yeah, whats the excuse this time, black cat cross your path?" asked Dennis with a grin.

"No, I was saving a bunch of people from muggers while running faster than sound," I said with a grin.

My friends, who happened to be the Wards, all gave me a flat look, making my grin widen. Since I was always late due to the universe fucking with me anyway, I'd long decided to just embrace it and started coming out with Kakashi worthy excuses. Of course, this time I was being mostly truthful, but they'd never guess that.

"Where are the others?" I asked as I slid into the booth beside Chris.

"Carlos is busy with personal stuff and Deans sulking," said Dennis, "He and Vicky had another fight."

I rolled my eyes.

"Another one?" I asked, "Jeez, its a wonder that they're still together considering the number they have."

My friends nodded in agreement, before a waitress approached and took our orders. I grabbed the menu and promptly ordered enough food to feed an army.

"Um, are you sure your going to eat all that?" asked Chris once the food arrived, eyeing the large number of plates in front of me.

"Yep, I've had a pretty big appetite lately," I said as I picked up a burger and took a large bite.

* * *

Five minutes later, my friends were staring at me with shock, awe and a small amount of disgust as I drained the last of my massive milkshake and balanced the empty cup on top of the stack of empty plates beside me.

"Thats better," I said, "Now, whats for dessert?"

"How…" squeaked Chris, before clearing his throat and trying again, "How can you still be hungry after that?!"

I shrugged.

"I've had a bigger appetite than normal since I got struck by lightning," I said, "So, now I'm done traumatizing, how about you two tell me what I've missed in the last couple of months?"

Chris and Dennis glanced at each other.

"Um, you seem remarkably blase," said Dennis, "I mean, most people would take a bit longer than a few days to get over being in a coma."

I shrugged again.

"I'm adaptable," I said.

And in possession of a brain faster than most supercomputers. Hmm, I wonder if I could outthink Dragon? Probably seeing as shes currently rather limited.

"Since when do you know what the word blase means?" asked Chris.

Dennis just grinned. Before he could say anything though, a loud explosion from outside rattled the window in its frame and caused all attention to snap to it, just in time to see Uber dressed as a Judge from Dredd come haring around the corner with Leet in a mech suit of some kind at his side and an annoyed looking Glory Girl in hot pursuit.

"Oh hell, not those two again," grumbled Chris.

"Are you kidding?" asked Dennis, "This is awesome! Come on, lets go watch!"

Chris rolled his eyes, but followed the red-head as he ran for the door. I sighed and followed my friends. Something told me I'd regret this.

We joined the crowd watching from a safe distance as the 'ineffectual' Villain duo danced around an increasingly irate Glory Girls attempts to hit them. I tensed. Knowing Vicky like I did, it was inevitable that something was going to happen soon that would once again solidify her nickname as collateral damage Barbie and when it did, someone was likely going to end up in the crossfire.

A moment later, my prediction was proven to be completely accurate as Uber fired an explosive round at the same time that Leet fired a barrage of rockets from his shoulder pods. Glory Girl easily dodged the attacks, but they kept going and hit the wall of a nearby building, blasting a rather large amount of masonry free to fall towards a fairly large crowd stood below, watching the show. Without a second thought, I moved.

The world around me slowed to a crawl as I flipped my hood up, pulled my goggles out of my pocket and put them on, and pulled my scarf up to hide my face. It probably wouldn't matter since my friends knew what I was wearing, but it would stop random bystanders from learning my identity. With that done, I took off with a blast of wind that nearly knocked my friends and those stood closest to me off their feet.

Almost before the crowd of in danger bystanders could react to the falling stone, they were on the other side of the street and out of danger. Job done, I zipped back and relieved Uber of his gun and turned Leets mech off before either one of them could react.

"What the fuck?!" yelped Leet as his mech suddenly went limp around him, "Whats going on?!"

"Me," I said as I skidded to a stop a short distance away.

All three Capes turned to me as I idly tossed Ubers gun and Leets keys over my shoulder.

"Who are you supposed to be?" asked Uber, eyeing me up and down, "Some kind of Velocity wannabe?"

I snorted.

"Nope, I'm my own Speedster," I said, "Now, I strongly suggest you three knock it off and you two give it up. Your putting innocent people at risk."

"Hey, there the ones firing explosives around!" shouted Glory Girl.

"And how long will it be before you start throwing cars around?" I asked.

Glory Girl went red and glared at me. A flicker of movement drew my attention back to Uber as he pulled something out of his belt. I flickered and stopped in front of him, grabbing him by the arm before he could prime the grenade.

"Nope, sorry," I said.

Ubers eyes went wide behind his mask, but I'd already punched him three times in the chest and once in the solar plexus. He went flying back, the air blasting from his mouth as I spun, yanked Leet from his mech and tossed him after his partner. Before they hit the ground, I had cuffed them together with a set of handcuffs from a handy nearby cop and plonked down at said cops feet.

"Here, I think you can take it from here," I said.

"Um, thanks," said the man, looking rather confused.

"No problem," I said, "Always happy to help."

I glanced around at the mess the fight had made and frowned.

"Hmm, I should do something about that," I muttered.

The cop looked slightly confused, but I'd already moved. In the blink of an eye, the knocked over tables from the various cafes and restaurants, a few shattered plant pots, a tipped over bin and the rubble from the damaged building was either put back to rights or cleaned up into neat piles and put in binbags for easy collection and I was stood in the middle of the square, looking around with a critical eye.

"Hmm, better, but I should probably learn how to fix things for the future," I muttered.

"That was rather impressive," said a voice from behind me, "Unusual too."

I turned to see a tall, skinny man with balding dark hair, a scruffy beard and glasses.

"Whats unusual about it?" I asked.

The man gestured to where Glory Girl was floating a few inches of the ground, talking with a few cops who were taking statements.

"Most Capes seem to take way too long to end their fights," he said, "While it is true that sometimes ending a fight quickly is impossible, I've seen more than a few fights that could have been finished far sooner than they were. You dealt with those idiots as quickly and efficiently as possible, without causing any further damage, got the bystanders out of harms way and even cleaned up after yourself. Thats even more unusual."

I shrugged.

"My powers let me do it, so why not?" I said.

The man smiled thinly.

"Why not indeed," he said, "Either way, I think you'll be good for the city. It needs more heroes who are actually heroes and not glorified PR pions."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Not a big fan of the PRT?"

The man just smiled and shook his head. I looked back over at Glory Girl, just in time to see a few PRT vans turn into the area.

"Speaking of the PRT, I don't feel like dealing with them right now so I should be going," I said, "See ya!"

I blitzed away to find somewhere to change my clothes.

* * *

The man watched as the red clad Speedster vanished in a gust of wind.

"Yes, I think he'll be exactly what this city needs," he said to himself.

He turned and walked into a nearby car park where a curious looking girl was waiting next to a truck.

"What was that all about Dad?" she asked.

"Nothing much Speedy," said the man, "Just…meeting the new face."

"Uh huh, now do you mind telling me why we just bought a bow, thirty bushels of arrows and a tin a green paint?" asked the girl, "I thought you gave up archery after Mum died? You haven't called me Speedy since then either."

The man smiled.

"I thought I'd take it back up again," he said, "Certain things that have happened lately made me realize I miss it."

"Fair enough I guess," said the girl, "Now can we go home? I've got homework to finish."

She got in the car. Her father smiled thinly.

"Homework, sure," he said as he got in after her and started the engine.

 **Well...that was interesting...I think my muse has got away from me again.**

 **Just to be clear, Barry isn't a Parahuman. His powers come from dimensional overspill science babble from the Particle Accelerator that gave Arrowverse Flash his powers. As such, most powers in the Wormverse tend to react...oddly around him. Thinkers can't get a proper lock on him, although not to the point where he can't be read, and Trumps that erase powers and whatnot won't work on him.**

 **Hmm, I wonder who the man and his daughter was...geez, and to think I planned to be subtle about that. Eh, what the hell. One things for sure though, this is NOT a vanilla Wormverse.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	101. Meta not Para Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Meta Not Para

There are plenty of people with powers in this world on both sides of the fence. I'm not that different from them, with one exception. I'm not a Parahuman. Instead, I'm the Fastest man alive and I will save my hometown.

 **And we're back! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

After two weeks of zipping around the city, beating up muggers and dropping them off at the police station, I was earning quite the reputation for myself. It helped that I was doing an excellent job of avoiding both the PRT and Protectorate by virtue of being much, MUCH faster than anything they had. Even Velocity wasn't able to keep up with me for long. Or at all really. I was much, much faster than him. The guy could outrun cars on the freeway. I could outrun supersonic jets. I think I was making him feel rather inadequate.

There was a lot of rumours going around on PHO, including a few that said that I might be Velocitys kid, although that one was put down rather harshly by the PRT and Velocity himself, as well as a combination of AllSeeingEye and WingedOne doing an excellent job of pointing out inconsistencies with that theory. The two played of each other quite well and hit the idiots with a one two move that was rather impressive. Although I did have to wonder if WingedOne was actually Ziz trolling the world or someone else. Maybe Hawkgirl or something. I wouldn't put it past this world after doing a bit of research into current and past Capes that called the Bay home.

Apparently, around 12 years ago when Marquis was still active, there had been a duo of rather deadly vigilanties who made Shadow Stalker look like an amature, both because they didn't need to pin people to walls to make a point, but also because they didn't just go after street level crime. No, Arrow and Huntress were known for taking out most of the unpowered organized crime in the Bay, taking down multiple corrupt businessmen and were even credited with taking out both Iron Rain and the Allfather after they went to far and refused to listen to their warnings to fuck off and leave the Bay alone. The Archery Duo had faded from the public eye a couple of years after Marquis arrest, although there were a few times that they popped up again with impressive results, and then vanished completely about two years ago and had not been seen since. I would not be at all surprised to discover that they were the inspiration behind Shadow Stalker, although they were nowhere near as bad as that psychopath. Sure, a few people got pinned to walls, but they were very good at making it hurt without there being any risk of death.

Other than discovering that Arrow was apparently a thing, I'd made some slight modifications to my 'costume'. It was still basically just street clothes, but I'd swapped my plain red hoodie for one with a lightning bolt emblem on the chest, my jeans for hard wearing and reasonably lose combats and my shoes for hard wearing shoes. While my Aura protected my clothes from simply bursting into flames from the sheer friction, my clothes still experienced some wear, so I needed to make sure they were high quality. I fully intended to get a proper outfit at some point, but that could wait for now.

* * *

Currently I was zipping around downtown, heading back from dealing with a high speed chase between a gang moron and the cops that the PRT wouldn't get involved with because the guy wasn't a Parahuman. I sorted it out by virtue of disarming the idiot and sticking him in the back of the police car. I was just passing the local arcade when a flicker of movement caught my attention. I skidded to a stop and looked up to see Glory Girl sat on the roof looking rather morose.

Due to long experience dealing with the Alexandria Package at school, I knew that look to mean that she and Dean had had yet another fight. Honestly, it was getting a bit silly. Sure, the relationship had always been a little unstable, but over the past couple of weeks, they seemed to be getting into fights at least once a week. It had gone far beyond just Vicky being short tempered and into outright relationship self destruct territory. It was rather hard to watch considering I liked both of them and I didn't like to see my friends upset. With that in mind, I decided that it was time for me to be a hero in a way that didn't involve punching someone in the face and zipped off to get just the thing to cheer Vicky up.

* * *

Victoria Dallon sighed deeply. It was the sort of sigh that most people were unfortunately very familiar with, the sigh of a person who knows that their relationship is on the rocks but has no idea how to fix it. Thats not to say she didn't know the cause, how could she not when it was her? She was well aware that most of the fights she and Dean had were a result of her short temper and her pride often resulted in Dean being the one who had to apologize, even though he hadn't done anything. The guy more than lived up to his Cape name, but there's only so many times that a guy could be pushed before he got sick of it and put his foot down. Chances were that the next fight the two had, and there would be one, would result in a permanent and messy break up.

Vicky sighed again and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her shins. She didn't want that to happen. She liked Dean, really liked him, and she didn't want to hurt him or lose him, but thats exactly what would happen if they kept going like this.

A sudden and very heavy gust of wind suddenly jolted her out of her thoughts, along with the tub of ice cream that appeared under her nose. The blond nearly jumped out of her skin and snapped her head around to look at the red clad speedster who had just appeared next to her.

"You seem down," he said, "Wanna talk about it?"

Vicky blinked and glanced between the Speedster and the icecream in his hand.

"I...how did…" spluttered Vicky.

"I have a few female friends, so I know what a depressed girl in need of ice cream looks like," said the Speedster with a smirk, "Plus, I'm hungry and food always tastes better with friends."

Vicky raised an eyebrow as she took the tub from him and glanced at the label. Somehow it was her favorite flavor from her favorite parlor.

"Friends?" she asked.

The Speedster shrugged as he popped the top of his own tub.

"We're both heroes and I like making friends," he said, "Better friends than enemies, right?"

"I...guess," said Vicky, "So, if we're friends, mind telling me your name?"

The speedster paused.

"You know, I've been so busy running around lately, I haven't actually thought about it," he said.

Vicky snorted.

"Better hurry up before you get landed with a name like Chubster," she said.

"Didn't he pick his own name?" asked the Speedster.

"True, but that doesn't mean they don't suck at it," said Vicky with a grin, "Knowing them, you'll end up with a name like the Streak or Quicksilver or something."

"How would they get Quicksilver when I wear red?" grumbled the Speedster, although he was still grinning.

"Never underestimate the PRT PR department," said Vicky, "Sometimes I wonder if they don't deliberately do it to persuade new Capes to join the Protectorate so they can change it."

"I think your giving them to much credit," said the Speedster, "Then again, I do have a habit of seeing the good in people a tad to much…"

Vicky burst out laughing, making the Speedsters grin widen. Once she calmed down, Vicky smiled at the red clad teen.

"Thanks, I needed that," she said.

"Don't mention it," he said, "Always happy to help."

He tossed the empty tub of ice cream off the roof. Before it even landed in the bin, he was gone in a gust of wind, leaving Vicky with messy hair and a smile. The guy was annoying, but he was very good at cheering people up. In fact, his mannerisms were almost familiar to the blonde…

Vickys eyes widened and she glanced down at the tub in her hand.

"No way, it couldn't be," she muttered.

* * *

Director Piggot sighed as Miss Militia finished her report on the Wards progress. Technically, it should have been Armsmaster giving it, but considering the mans well known lack of people skills, Miss Militia was a much better choice.

"Alright, thank you Miss Militia," she said as the military themed hero sat down, "Moving on, I want to know any information we have on the new Parahuman running around the city."

She'd received reports on his activities of course, but this was the first full meeting since his debut and it wasn't vital enough to call a dedicated meeting, rather than letting the issue keep for the regular monthly meeting.

"Well, we can safely say that his speed doesn't work anything like Velocity's," said Dauntless.

"Oh?"

The Spartan Hero nodded.

"I saw him dealing with some muggers a few days ago," he said, "He didn't even slow down when he hit them, but it was clear that he hit them with full force and strength. Whats more, hes been reported picking people up and moving them around at high speed. I think he must project a field of some kind around his body to protect himself, his equipment and anything or one hes holding."

"Hes a lot faster to," said Armsmaster, "I managed to clock him when he ran past the PRT building and he was clocking in at just under Mach 1. I have no reason to assume that that was anywhere close to his top speed."

Velocity groaned and let his head drop to the table. Piggot ignored the put out Mover in favour of continuing the questioning.

"Has anyone made any progress on actually making contact?" she asked.

"Are you joking?" said Battery, looking annoyed, "Any time we get close, he just runs off. I get the feeling hes deliberately avoiding us."

Piggot frowned. That...didn't bode well. While it seemed that he was doing a lot of good for the city by taking out petty criminals, she wasn't comfortable with the idea that he could be avoiding making contact with the PRT.

"Alright, keep trying in any case," she said, "We need to at least try and get him to join before one of the Gangs do. I don't like the idea of someone that fast working with the gangs."

"With all due respect Director, if we can't catch him, what makes you think anyone else could?" asked Triumph.

"Because they might not be as polite as us," said Piggot, "Now, if thats everything, we should…"

"Hold on a sec, we've forgotten something!" said Assault.

Piggot sighed. Something told her this was going to be something that earnt the annoying Striker a smack from his wife.

"What?" she asked, "Do you have something else to report?"

"No, but we still haven't given the new guy a name," said Assault with a grin.

Piggot paused. That was actually a very good point. They really needed to figure out a name for him to put on the reports.

"Thats...actually a good point," she said, "Any ideas?"

"The Flash."

Everyone turned to Armsmaster, who was looking down at his note book, apparently oblivious to the looks he was getting. A moment later, he looked up and noticed the looks.

"What?"

"Nothing, its just you don't usually have any suggestions," said Miss Militia, "So, why the Flash?"

Armsmaster shrugged.

"I'm not really sure," he said, "It just seems appropriate."

"Your not wrong there," said Piggot, "Alright, if there are no objections, the new Parahuman will be known as the Flash for now."

There was none.

"Alright then, meeting adjourned," she said and walked towards the door.

"Actually, there is one more thing," said Armsmaster, making Piggot sigh and turn back to the room.

"What?" she growled.

In answer, Armsmaster held up an arrow with a green head and fletching and Piggot went gray.

"Oh god," she breathed, "Hes back!"

* * *

"Oh god!" squealed Sophia Hess in a very un-Sophia like way, "Hes back!"

"Who's back?" asked Dennis as he picked himself up from where he'd fallen off the sofa at the normally stoic girls sudden squeal.

"Arrow, the Vigilante!" said Sophia, completely without her usual venom, "Ohh, I wonder if I could get his autograph?! Ohh, I wonder if Huntress is with him? EEEEE!"

The other Wards watched, nonplussed as the moody girl danced around like a loon, looking more like Missy on a sugar rush than the Shadow Stalker they were used to.

"So, is anyone else surprised that she likes those two psychos?" asked Dennis.

"No," said the rest of the Wards in unison, before going back to what they were doing.

"Thought not."

* * *

Thomas Calvert sighed as he dropped his keys in the bowl by the door and walked into his living room. It had been a very long day for both timelines and he couldn't wait for an evening of relaxation on at least one of them. His plans were coming along nicely and by his estimate, it would take a little more than another two years for his plans to come to fruition, especially once he got his hands on his newest pet. The acquisition of the Travellers would only help his progress.

He'd just poured himself a glass of expensive whisky and taken a sip when his finely honed senses informed him that he wasn't alone. He stiffened. With his extra timeline, he wasn't in any real danger, but if someone was in his house, he needed to know who it was so he could take action. If it was a random breaking and entering case, he'd make sure the idiot got the beating of a life for crossing him, but there was always the risk that someone had figured him out.

The wannabe Bond villain slowly put his glass down, before whipping his sidearm out and spinning around. Before he could even think of pulling the trigger though, an arrow shot out of the darkness and pinned the weapon against the wall. Calvert froze, his eyes going wide as the blood drained from his face. He knew that green fletching, hell, everyone who still remembered Marquis time did and anyone with their fingers in less than legal pies dreaded seeing them.

"Hello Calvert."

Calvert swallowed at the unnaturally deep voice from right behind him.

"Arrow, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, inwardly quite proud that he managed to keep the fear out of his voice.

"I think you know the answer to that," said the vigerlanty, "Tonight is a warning. I'm back and I won't take kindly to any more of your little games in my city."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," said Calvert, "I'm just the a PRT consultant these days."

"Don't lie to me _Coil,"_ said Arrow, "One warning. Leave this city or even your little power won't save you."

Calverts eyes widened, but before he could say anything else, the Timeline was ended by an arrow through the heart.

 **Right, I'm going to end this here. Its a tad short, but the last one was long, so it balances out.**

 **I don't think I need to spell out who Arrow and Huntress were, do I? Yes, that will be a plot point in the future.**

 **I'm not really sure if I did a good job with Vicky and Dean's relationship problems or not, but it seems reasonable to me. And yes, Vicky did figure out who the Flash really is, mainly because Barry's about as subtle as she is at times and Glory Girl isn't stupid. In all honesty, you can probably guess where I'm going with that.**

 **I planned right from the start to have the PRT be the ones to name Flash, mainly because I planned to use it to push yet another implication. No, Armsmaster isn't going to be an antagonist before anyone guesses that.**

 **Eeesh, Arrows in fine form here. Hes definitely no Hero, thats for damn sure! Easy to see why Shadow Stalker holds them in such high regard though. And yes, that will be a point of contention later, especially since I plan to have someone else take up Huntresses identity.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Next time, the Unnamed Bug Girl goes out and encounters a Dragon, the Flash and a mysterious hooded man. Should be interesting. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	102. Golden King Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Golden King

How many living natural disasters call Earth Bet home? Most people would answer three, the Endbringers. However, I know better. There are seven, each one with enough power to deverstate entire cities far easier than the Endbringers could, mainly because we're impossible to actually stop. Three Endbringers, Seven Kings and an omnicidal space whale. Good god, this world is fucked.

 **And here we go with an idea that is completely fucked, especially when you consider who I have in mind for the other Six Kings. They won't all be the same as Canon and I'm replacing Voban and Luo Hao with other characters. This is gonna be fun! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, when I died, the last thing I was expecting was to be reborn and then go through two different near heart attacks before I turned ten. The first came at just six months when my senses developed enough to figure out what my new name was. Adam Clements. Yeah, apparently I'd been reborn into the world of Worm as the older brother of one of the Bitches Three. I'd have to make damn sure that at least one never joined.

As for the second panic attack, that came when I was seven and a new hero entered the scene in Los Angeles. Not that uncommon of course, but I recognized the name and it wasn't anyone from Worm or even DC or Marvel or any of the other Superhero sources that wouldn't serve to cause even more devastating than even the Endbringers are capable of. Who was this new Hero? Well, 'he' was given his name by the geeks on PHO shortly after his debut and now went by John Pluto Smith. I really hope thats a coincidence and there aren't six other walking natural disasters wondering around.

I quickly put that out of my mind though. Smith was on the other side of the country and I didn't think it was particularly likely that I'd ever meet a God if she really was a Campione. Hell, even if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to see it. Besides, I had much more important things to worry about. Like school.

Actually, to be fair, school wasn't that hard. I was always one of the smartest in the class and having another life with higher education rattling around in my head only made things easier. Add in my strangely good luck and life was surprisingly good. Of course, the fact I had the luck of the devil should have tipped me off that it'd eventually run out...or result in me meeting a God anyway.

But thats for later.

* * *

You know, the sad thing is, I can sort of see why Maddy would start picking on Taylor. Through most of our childhood, I ended up having to keep bullys off her. Between being the smallest in her class, a little overweight and wearing glasses, she was an easy target. Well, right up until they found out her big brother was the short kid who demonstrated why picking on people well versed in Maui Thai is a horrible idea. What? I live in gang central, you really think I wouldn't learn some form of martial art? I was also fairly good at kendo and staff fighting and that wasn't because I was worried about possibly running into people who use archaic weapons. No, not at all.

Anyway, it was a bit mean, but I made it a point to talk to Maddy about the bullies whenever possible, subtly pushing the idea that bullies never prospered and it was better to be a good person than a popular one. I'm not entirely sure how well it worked considering I was smart enough to get into Arcadia with no problem while Maddy, even with my tutoring (when she asked for help) didn't manage to pass the entrance exams and ended up at Winslow. On the up side, shedding the extra weight and getting contacts before she went to Highschool meant she didn't need to worry about bullies any more. On the down side, we weren't close enough for her to tell me about what she got up to and I'd always made my stance on bullying perfectly clear, so she was unlikely to tell me if she was involved with the Bitches Three. Speaking of which, I really ought to see about figuring out a way to deal with them.

Anyway, enough musing and covering my childhood attempts to make Taylor's life easier. Your here for the good stuff. And me getting kicked through walls of course.

* * *

I was seventeen when the shit hit the fan. The day started out normal for a saturday, with me heading out to my hidden training ground. Well, actually it was an abandoned warehouse that was in fairly good nick, but too close to the Boardwalk to be safely used as a storehouse or hideout for any of the Gangs. There were a few places like that, many of which served as hangouts for the kids in my neighbourhood.

I was just finishing setting up the makeshift training dummy's I kept hidden in the building when the doors suddenly crashed opened as someone sprinted through them and slammed them behind them. I raised an eyebrow. The person in question was a beautiful young girl with a slender figure, delicate, fairy like features, long, silvery blonde hair worn in a long ponytail and blue eyes. She also looked scared out of her mind and had apparently been running for a while. She was wearing a black tunic and skirt with gold edges, white stockings and a blue mantel with black stripes.

Her clothes were tattered and filthy, as if she'd been fighting something that was doing its best to tear them off her, her face was also streaked with filth, her hair was coming out of its ponytail and, when she turned around, I saw that she had a cut on her cheek that looked suspiciously like a claw mark that was bleeding sluggishly. When she saw me, the girls eyes widened in horror and she looked like she was going to faint.

"Um, are you OK?" I asked.

"Oh god, I didn't know someone was in here!" she gasped, glancing at the door, "You need to go, now!"

I blinked and opened my mouth to ask why, but a very loud clang and a suspiciously fist shaped indent appearing in the door, which also started glowing cherry red from heat.

"Um, did you annoy Lung or something?" I asked incredulously as the girl staggered away from the door and started backing away from it.

"I wish," said the girl, "At least he'd just kill me and be done with it. Please tell me theres another way out."

"Not unless you can fly," I said, eyeing the door as more indentations appeared and the sound of a very big dog growling leaked through the door, "The other entrances are all blocked by various things. That's actually part of why I chose this place."

The girl muttered something that I'm pretty sure was rather rude in Italian and pulled a curved sword out of thin air.

"In that case, find somewhere to hide and then go when you get the chance," she said, "I'll hold him back."

I frowned. I could hear the fear in her voice, but it was abundantly clear that she meant it.

"Can you actually take...whatever that is?" I asked.

The girl gave a shaky smile.

"Its a Knights job to sacrifice herself," she said.

I stared at her flatly for a moment, then turned and picked up a length of pipe I used for practicing staff fighting.

"Sorry, but I've never been good at leaving people in need," I said, "I might not be a Cape, but I can fight and most people will go down if hit hard enough with this."

The girl gaped at me for a moment, before she shook her head.

"You idiot, you have no idea what we're facing here!" she yelled, "Its not a Cape, its a…"

She was cut off by the door finally giving way and allowing a wave of heat to enter the building, followed by a handsome young man with curly hair that looked like spun gold, golden skin and eyes that looked like molten gold. He was wearing a pure white toga, sandals and had a quiver of golden arrows slung over his shoulder and a golden bow in his hand. A pack of golden wolves milled around his feet, each one glowing brightly.

My heart sank into my shoes. I admit, I had my suspicions, but to see something like this in person burnt away any sense of doubt like mist before the morning sun.

"Its a God," said the girl weakly.

"A god huh," I muttered, "So...Apollo? Considering all that gold and the bow and arrow, it wouldn't surprise me."

The god shot an impressed look my way.

"Impressive Mortal," he said, his voice sounding like a singing angel, "Not many people would be able to figure out my identity that quickly."

"I like mythology," I said a little tightly.

Apollo smiled softly and inclined his head, eyeing the pole in my hand with some interest.

"So, what do you plan to do with that?" he asked, "Do you intend to help the little Knight beside you? I hope not. Men like you are rare enough that I'd hate to see you die for nothing."

I shuddered. There was something about the way he was looking at me that made me want to go take a shower. I was momentarily tempted to drop the pole and leave, but considering what the Greek gods were like and the way my current companions clothing had been damaged, I'm pretty sure that she wouldn't be in for a pleasant experience. Well, unless there was a repeat of the tale of Daphne, but I don't think a laurel tree would last long around here.

"Sorry, but like you said, I'm a rare kind of man," I said, "The kind of man who can't leave anyone in a bind, especially a pretty girl."

Apollo narrowed his eyes.

"It takes a brave man to face a God," he said, "Or a foolish one. Which are you boy?"

"Don't know, don't care," I said, "Now bring it."

Apollo snorted.  
"Definitely a fool," he said, "Goodbye."

He flicked an idol hand at me and one of the wolves milling around his feet charged.

"Shit."

I barely had time to raise the pole to catch the jaws of the wolf, although that didn't stop the massive animal from bouling me off my feet. I let myself fall, rolling back and out of range as the wolf started stalking towards me, casually biting the pole in half. I gulped. If one of those things got its jaws on me, that was it, I'd lose a limb at best. Especially because the metal was glowing faintly. I did NOT think this through.

Still, I wasn't about to become doggy chow without a fight, so I turned and sprinted up a nearby staircase and into the catwalks that crisscrossed the ceiling with the glowing dogs on my heels. The metal creaked ominously under the Divine Beasts weight, but didn't collapse. As I ran up, I caught sight of the girl, who was fighting of another two wolves and having a lot more luck with her Magic Sword while Apollo just stood there and watched, a small smile on his lips. Fuck, I really wanted to punch that smug bastard.

I quickly banished those thoughts in favour of grabbing one of the poles that kept the catwalks attached to the ceiling as I passed, using it as a pivot point to spin around and land a two footed kick to the side of the wolf chasing me, sending it crashing into and through the rusted guard rail and crashing to the ground below with a yelp of pain. Considering that we were above a large container of rusted scrap metal, that wasn't surprising in the least. Any mortal who fell in their would likely be shredded by the cruely jagged thicket of steel. Even a Divine Beast didn't take to kindly to it if the deep red spots that appeared on the formally pristine coat of the oversized canine was anything to go by, but I didn't think for a moment that it'd keep it down for long and even if it did, Apollo still had another two of the stupid things sat at his heels and could probably make more if needed. Hell, if needed, he could just shoot me with that fucking bow of his. It was probably powerful enough to blow Alexandria into orbit after all.

Still, while I had a moments breathing room, I took the opportunity to view the battlefield from above and try and come up with something I could do to make sure we got out of this alive. The only problem is that Apollo is a God of Foresight and I had no idea how to beat someone like that. Even someone like Coil would be easier to deal with!

I scowled as Apollo tilted his head back and smirked in a way that only made me want to punch him more. Yeah, he knew exactly what I was thinking. Oh well, future sight or not, its not like I had anything to lose. If I failed I died and the girl got an ending suitable for a Greek legend and if I succeeded...well, that would just mean that Brockton got its own two legged disaster.

I shook away those thoughts and scanned the warehouse, looking for something that could act as an advantage. THen, I looked up at the chains that crisscrossed the ceiling and smirked.

"Fuck me, I'm already a lot like Epimetheus," I muttered with a slight grin, "Alright, lets try this crazy plan."

I turned to the end of the catwalk where the blooded and very pissed off wolf I'd kicked off had just reached the top of the stairs and was now stalking towards me. My smirk widened into a full on grin. Despite the crazy, life threatening nature of the fight, I was having fun. Now I just had to hope my luck didn't decide that now was a good time to run out.

* * *

Liliana Kranjcar was currently scared out of her wits. Oh sure, she was a powerful Knight of the Bronze Black Cross and Apollo was far from the first God she'd faced, but in the past she'd always had backup, the ability to go all out and the God in question had been more interest in destruction and murder than what the Sun God had planned should she lose. She shuddered at the thought, nearly getting bitten by a wolf before she forced it to back off with a swing. No, she'd rather fall on her own sword than allow that. Unfortunately, that was no longer an option, not with an apparently powerless Mortal on the scene.

Despite herself, Liliana found herself reluctantly impressed by the young man. Most people would have already legged it, thinking the battle was a Cape fight and that they couldn't get involved, but the teen had jumped in without a second thought, despite knowing he was at a massive disadvantage. She was a little curious as to how he'd managed to accept the fact that their opponent was a God so easily since she couldn't sense any magic coming from him, although he did have a lot of potential. If they got through this alive, Liliana planned to get to know the young man and see if he was interested in joining the Copper Black Cross. They always needed new blood and he would likely fit right in.

She turned on her heel and sliced the wolf that tried to take a chunk out of her behind across the nose, making it back up with a whimper. Recruiting new blood would have to wait for now. First they had to somehow drive of the Heretic God without getting turned to ash or eaten.

A clatter from the catwalk made Liliana glance up, just in time to seeher current alley throw himself to the side, evading the wolf that was chasing him and causing it to get tangled up in the rusted chain he'd tossed at it. The wolf stumbled and went over the edge as the teen jumped after it, riding it down to the floor, directly at Apollo. The God didn't even look up as he stepped back, allowing his Divine Beast and the teenaged Human to hit the ground with a loud crash.

"Nice try," said the God with a slight smirk, "But if you want to take me off guard, you'll have to do a lot better than that."

"You mean like this?" asked the teen as he did something and let go of the chain he was holding.

There was a loud snap as the rusted chain broke and shot up at high speed as the counterweight was removed. Apollo frowned, before his eyes widened and he looked up to see a rather large and sharp looking chunk of metal on the other end of the chain plummeting towards him. This time, the God wasn't fast enough to move quite so smoothly, instead throwing himself back out of the way as the mass of metal came crashing down where he'd been standing, turning his wolves into pancakes. Even Divine Beasts couldn't withstand being squashed under over four tons of metal.

Apollo slowly got to his feet, staring down at his dust covered toga and then slowly reached up to wipe away the blood that was leaking sluggishly from the cut on his cheek. He stared at the golden smeer for a moment, before turning his attention back on the pile of broken metal and slowly clearing cloud of dust.

"Impressive," he said, "I never would have believed that a Mortal could cut me without the aid of magic and yet you did it with nothing but your own wit. Its almost a shame your…"

He was suddenly cut off as the crazy teen vaulted over the twisted mass of metal with a length of broken pipe in hand that he aimed at the Gods chest. Normally, such an action would be a complete waste of time, but as Liliana watched, the pipe suddenly lit up with magic to her vision and passed straght through the barrier Apollo summoned and sank into the Gods chest.

Liliana wasn't entirely sure what happened next, other than Apollo letting out a roar that was probably heard on the other side of the city and exploded in a burst of heat and light that threw her off her feet and vaporized the wolves she was fighting.

* * *

The instant the length of pipe (which I never in a million years thought would actually work) penetrated his chest, Apollo let out a roar and a pulse of heat and force that sent me flying back as droplets of boiling liquid splattered across my arms and face. I hit the wall with enough force that I'm pretty sure I broke something and slid down to land in a heap.

"OK, that hurt," I groaned.

"How did you do that?"

I looked up to see the blonde slowly approaching me, a rather odd look on her face.

"I have no idea," I said truthfully, "I honestly wasn't expecting it to work."

I coughed and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva as I slowly pushed myself to my feet. The girl quickly moved over and caught me on her shoulder before I fell.

"Thanks," I said.

"Don't mention it," said the girl.

"So, now we're no longer at risk of being eaten, do you mind telling me your name?" I asked.

The girl smiled faintly.

"Liliana Kranjcar," she said, "I'm a Knight for the Copper Black Cross."

I smiled thinly. I'd have to figure out why she was in America later, for now the only thing I wanted was to have a rest.

"Nice to meet you Lily," I said, "I'm Adam. Adam Clements…"

"Ahhhh, so thats your name."

We both stiffened at the sound of the voice and turned to see the dust cloud thrown up by the Gods roar slowly clear and reveal Apollo stood there with the pole still through his chest. He had an odd look on his face as he stared at me, his feet slowly dissolving into gray dust. My eyes widened. I genuinely had not expected to have actually killed the bastard. Instead, I thought I'd just injured him enough that he'd retreated for now so we could get away for now and alert Smith or whoever was in charge of dealing with Gods around here of his presence so when he popped up again he could be dealt with more permanently.

"Adam Clements, you are a skilled warrior," said Apollo, "And far wiser than I gave you credit for. That will teach me to never underestimate a Human. You are weak creatures, but if you have the will, there is nothing you cannot do."

He smiled thinly as his body continued to vanish.

"Continue to grow stronger, young King," he said, "Keep growing and don't you dare die. I want the pleasure of killing you myself."

He closed his eyes as the last of his body turned to dust, which swirled in the air for a moment, before surging towards me and slamming into my chest with enough force to knocking be flat on my back and send my already exhausted body into darkness.

 **And with that, I'm done. Well, that was fun.**

 **As mentioned up top, I'm replacing Voban and Luo Hao with characters from Worm, mainly because I really wanted to use Apollo and because why not? I won't spell out who they are, but if I told you that one had the Dead Servent as their primary Authority and the other had Authorities from Aphrodite, Phobos and Demos, would you lot be able to figure them out? Lets see.**

 **Liliana is my favorite of the Campione gals and I really wanted to use her, so I decided to use her as Adam's first Knight. Erica might put in an appearance later, but I plan for a couple of Campionefied Worm characters to end up working for Adam instead.**

 **Interaction between Magic and Parahuman abilities tends to be reasonably fluid. Their not mutually exclusive, although there will occasionally be odd interactions. Of course, Campione are basically immune to most forms of power, although raw super strength would work on them. Thinker abilities on the other hand tend to either blue screen or go OH SHIT, RUN! when coming into contact with one. Parahumans can become Campione, but more powerful ones would get weaker Authorities, and Campione can technically Trigger, but I'd like to see someone get a Demon King into a situation where they would.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!**


	103. Soul in Red Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Soul in Red

A lot of people believe that being reborn as your favorite character would be fun, but I wonder how many of you actually think about what that would mean? It wouldn't be cool, it'd be annoying and, quite possibly, lethal. On the other hand, there are plenty of skills I can pick up in this world to make sure that I don't end up dead in a ditch. This is gonna be fun!

 **Well, it was only a matter of time before I managed this, but I finally did it! An OC story inspired by a challenge. I won't list the challenge here, but if your interested its the New Powers challenge by DZ2. Anyway, lets get started! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, I often wonder if maybe I pissed someone off last time through. Then I look at my friends and realize that no, I most definitely didn't. Sorry, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself. Lets back up a bit and start from the beginning. It all started after I died from having a shelf full of Harry Potter merchandise fall on me. Not the most grandiose of deaths, although it does make me think that maybe Death has a sense of humor considering where I woke up. Anyway, after I ied from blunt force trauma, I woke up again in the body of a baby. Not what I was expecting. But lets roll with it. What I can't roll with is the fact that someone upstairs seems to be having a laugh at my expense. What makes me say that? Well, my Father can turn into a stag, my mother is known for a fiery temper and green eyes and my Godfather is literally a mutt. I am fucking screwed! Still, at least there was one good thing about all this...sort of. I can finally find out what it was that Lily used to protect Harry...me. This is confusing…

* * *

Or maybe not. Let me tell you, baby senses or NOT very good and even if they were, theres no way I'd be able to focus with all the shaking from Mum rushing upstairs with me making me dizzy, a ton of flashing lights and more. The only impressions I could get was that Mum put the blood red pendent she always wore around my neck and scribbled something onto the ground around my crib, frantically muttering to herself as she did. Once she was done, she stood and placed a palm on my forehead.

"Remember Harry, Mama loves you, dada loves you," said Lily, "Always remember, we're proud of you!"

A loud crash from the door made her glance over her shoulder.

"I'm out of time," she muttered, "Alright, I hope this works…"

She placed a palm on the thing she put around my neck and there was a flash of crimson light. She smiled at me one last time, before turning around and holding up her wand like a dueling sword. At the same moment, the door was blasted off its hinges and Voldemort swept into the room.

"Ahh, so you still intend to stand against me?" sneered the Dark Lord, "You don't honestly believe that you can kill me, do you? Surely that fool Dumbledore informed you of the Prophecy? The only one who can defeat me is that brat behind you and soon, even that threat will be gone."

"Sorry _Tom,_ I don't put much faith in Divination, especially the type touted by Dumbledore," said Lily.

Voldemorts face contorted in fury.

"YOU DARE…!" he started.

"Yes, I dare," said Lily, cutting him off, "Because I know exactly what you are. Your a coward, to afraid of Death to accept that its a part of life and so consumed by hate that you can't even see what a hypocrite you are. I'm not afraid of you Tom and I'll make damn sure that you can never hurt my son, in this life or the next!"

She raised her wand as a brilliant, crimson light began to pore from her body, matched only by the glow from the pendent she'd put around my neck. Voldemort actually took a step back, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"No...what are you doing?!" he demanded.

"I'm protecting my Son," said Lily, "I imagine you've heard of Death Curses, yes?"

If possible, Voldemorts eyes widened.

"No, you wouldn't…" he breathed.

"Thats your problem Tom," said Lily as the light continued to build, "You never understand the power behind sacrifice. Now crawl back under the rock you came from! _**Ad Mortem!"**_

I'm not entirely sure what happened next because the backlash of energy from Mum's spell knocked me out, but the next thing I knew, I was waking up to Petunia's shrill scream and with Mum's pendent being nowhere to be found.

* * *

Fortunately, this wasn't a world where the Dursleys tried to literally beat the Magic out of me, instead preferring snide comments, verbal abuse and excessive manual labour to try and keep me down. Oh, Dudley was a right piece of work and at school, the fat git did his thing by being a thick headed bully who spread nasty rumors about me that did absolutely nothing. See, while Dudley was a cruel, small minded little boy, I played the part of a kind, if quiet, little boy who was more than happy to help out. It worked to turn the schools perception of me on its head, even after Vernon tried to convince everyone that I as the troublemaker. The fact I didn't exactly hide my intelligence (augmented by the addition of a high school and university education from last time through) meant that the teachers were raving about me and I managed to make friends with most of my class. The end result? Dudley was known as an idiot and a bully, despite his parents many attempts to divert attention elsewhere, usually by trying to claim I was framing him or some other shit.

* * *

Other than that, I tried to figure out what happened to the pendent Mum gave me immediately before she died. I'm not entirely sure why I was so determined to find it, but something told me it was important. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that Petunia had not been the one to take it, although she did grudgingly admit to its existence as something Mum got shortly after she started at Hogwarts, although she didn't know where from. That meant that it must have been taken by someone in the time between Voldies attack and me waking up on the doorstep. By my count, that could be any one of five people, none of which I had access to at the moment. With that in mind, I put it to the back of my mind for now and decided to focus on the here and now.

* * *

I spent most of my formative years having tremendous fun messing with my 'family' and doing what I could to figure out how to control my Accidental Magic. It wasn't easy, but I managed to control it enough to actually be useful. As a result, the years up to my 11th birthday fly by and before I knew it, I was finding my Hogwarts letter on the mat.

"Hmm, finally," I muttered as I slipped upstairs before the Dursleys could see the letter, "Now, what should I do now...I wonder if Petunia would be willing to get rid of me for the rest of the summer?"

With that idea in mind, I waited for Vernon to leave for work and Dudley to head off with his friends to add yet more crimes to his rap sheet before I approached Petunia with my letter. She was sat in the sitting room with a cup of tea and a sneer as I entered.

"What do you want?" she growled.

I held up my letter. Immediately, she went the colour of off milk.

"Ah, good, you know about this," I said, "Now, I don't like being here and you don't like me here, so how about we make a deal. You tell me where to go and I'll bugger off for the rest of the summer."

I watched as a number of different expressions crossed Petunia's face, before it landed on an expression of resigned acceptance.

"Fine," she growled, "Theres a pub on Charing Cross Road that normal people can't see. Thats the entrance to that world. If you ask someone inside, I'm sure they can help you more."

She stood and grabbed her purse, shoving a handful of notes into my hands.

"That should be enough to get you there and I'm sure your freakish parents left you something. Now get out and don't come back."

She sat back down and ignored me as I scampered out of the house and down the street.

* * *

One bus ride later and I had found the Leaky Cauldron. It was...pretty much exactly what I was expecting to be honest, a grimy, gloomy place that was sparsely populated with a few patrons at this time of the day, none of whom gave me a second look.

"Can I help you lad?" asked Tom the barman as I approached said bar.

"Um, yes, I was hoping you could help me…" I said.

Tom smiled, showing his lack of teeth and forcing me to hide a grimace.

"Ah, Muggleborn, right?" he asked, "Alright, come along."

He led me out the back and showed me how to open the gate to the Alley.

"Um, would it be possible for me to rent a room for the rest of the summer?" I asked, "Its just, my family…"

"I understand," said Tom, "My own family didn't understand when I received my Hogwarts letter, so I tend to give kids like you a good rate. Go and see the Goblins at Gringotts for some money then come back and we'll get you a room. You can use an owl at the post office to send your reply to the letter for free."

I blinked. I honestly hadn't been expecting that, but I guess its one of those things you never really think of.

"Thanks," I said.

"Not a problem son," said Tom, "Oh, but I'll need a name for the books."

I hid another grimace.

"Harry Potter," I said and stepped through the portal before Tom could react.

* * *

However, whatever bad mood I could have had was quickly washed away as I walked down Diagon Alley and my Harry Potter fanboy nature came out full force. It really was something else to walk down the actual Diagon Alley and take in all the magic that this place practically dripped in. I couldn't wait to have a proper look around some of the shops and see what I could find! By the time I reached Gringotts, I had a massive grin on my face. That grin was wiped off my face once I reached the bank however. Oh, it wasn't because of anything like meeting a Malfoy, instead it was because of the two creatures standing guard in front of the marble building. They...weren't what I was expecting. Oh, they were so short I was a full head taller than them, but they weren't the ugly, long fingered creatures I was expecting. Instead, they looked almost like miniature Humans, albeit with pointed ears and perfectly round eyes that appeared to be one solid colour, with only a slightly darker area indicating a slit shaped pupil. Both were wearing heavy looking armour and glowering at the Witches and Wizards that passed them.

"Those...are not Goblins," I muttered as I made my way into the bank.

I joined a que behind a sneering middle aged man in expensive looking robes who was grumbling about 'Damn Goblins making Upstanding Purebloods wait for Mudbloods'. I frowned. So, they were considered Goblins? Um, that didn't sound right…

* * *

Eventually, the belligerent man was served by the sneering 'Goblin' behind the desk and stomped off with a look on his face like he smelt something particularly bad.

"Next," growled the banker, "What do you want Wizard."

The word Wizard was spat like poison. I hesitated for a moment, before deciding to ask later.

"I understand that my family was rather wealthy," I said without beating around the bush, "I was raised by my non-magical family for most of my life and have only found out about my magic today. I would like to enquire into my family's assets."

"Name?" said the 'Goblin'.

"Harry Potter."

The 'Goblins' head snapped up and he glared at me. He slowly put down his pen and took a deep breath.

"Do you know how many people have come in here claiming to be Harry Potter?" he asked with an air of forced calmness, "Most who come claiming that attempt to show the scar as proof. Are you going to shove that in my face as well?"

I blinked. That was one of the things that set me apart from the normal Harry. I didn't actually have the scar, likely because of whatever Mum did to obliterate Voldie, although I did have a VERY faint mark on my head where I think I'd been cut by the backlash. It was just a normal scar though.

"What scar?" I asked.

The 'Goblin' narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down.

"Hmm, interesting," he muttered, "Very well, lets see if you truly are Potter. Come with me, Client."

The 'Goblin' paused, apparently waiting for something.

"Alright, lead the way Master...Hisebel," I said with a quick glance at the nameplate on his desk.

Hisebel nodded and led the way into a network of winding tunnels that I quickly became hopelessly lost in. Eventually, we reached a door with the name POTTER on the brass plaque screwed to the door.

"Place your hand on the nob," said Hisebel, "If you are a Potter, it will let you in. If not…"

He gave a nasty grin but didn't elaborate. I gulped, but did as I was told. I winced as I felt something pierce my finger, drawing blood, before the plaque glowed and the door unlocked with a click. Hisebels eyebrows shot up so quickly I'm surprised they didn't go shooting off into orbit. Apparently he hadn't believed that I was indeed the genuine article. Still, he didn't say anything and instead led me inside the room where he took a seat behind the desk and opened the file that rested on the desk.

"So, I take it that I do have money?" I asked as I sat down across from him.

"Oh yes, and lots of it," said Hisebel, "Your Trust Vault contains a total of 2000 gallons and is refilled yearly from the Main family Vault. I am afraid that I cannot give you any details on that until you come of age."

I nodded.

"Fair enough," I said, "How do I access my money?"

"You will need your Vault Key," said Hisebel, "However, judging from what you said earlier, it is not in your possession, correct?"

I nodded.

"Correct."

"Hmm, in that case, we will have to make you a new one and change the locks on your Vaults," said the 'Goblin', "I'm sure you understand the security measure."

I nodded.

"Of course," I said, "May I ask if this will cost me anything?"

Hisebel shook his head.

"Not this time as you could not possibly have been aware of your Keys location. However, any future updates will come with a cost of 50 Galleons, so please keep your key safe."

Well that was a nice surprise. Hisebel scribbled something on a piece of parchment and dropped it into a slit in the desk.

"There, we shall have your key ready for you by the time we get back to the main hall," said Hisebel, "Come along."

The 'Goblin' led me out of the office and back to the main hall where we were met by a smaller, younger looking 'Goblin' who handed Hisebel a key. He led me through a pair of large doors that lead into passages with rock walls, albeit carefully shaped ones.

"Hey, can I ask something?" I asked.

"If you must," said Hisebel.

"You guys aren't Goblins, are you?" I asked.

Hisebel nearly tripped over his own feet and spun around to fix me with a glare.

"And where do you get that idea from?" he growled.

"Lucky guess," I said, "So?"

"Humph," grumbled Hisebel, "Yes, technically, we're not Goblins. Goblins are not very bright Beastfolk with a penchant for shiny objects and explosions. They're good traders and Crafters, but the only type of bank I'd leave them in charge of would be an empty piggy bank. I have no idea how you British Wizards mistook us Lalafell for them."

"Lalafell, of course," I muttered.

"What?"

"Nevermind. Anyway, shall we go?"

Hisebel eyed me suspiciously for a moment, before nodding and heading off down the corridor.

* * *

After a ride that had me stumbling around for a few minutes and retrieving a bagful of cash, Hisebel handed me some papers and waved me off with slightly less hostility than he'd shown when I walked in. After making a mental note to look for something that would give me some idea of what sentient races called this world home, I headed out to do some shopping.

 **And done. Yeah, in case its not obvious, I'm drawing inspiration from FFOnline for this story. Take a stab in the dark at what it was that Lily gave Harry?**

 **Yeah, I turned the Goblins into Lalafell for no real reason other than why not? As for why they're referred to as Goblins by the Brits, well its a combination of typical Fanon purebloods being dicks and everyone else not knowing any better. As for why they stick around, I'll cover that later.**

 **Nothing else witty to say, so I'm going to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	104. Soul in Red Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Soul in Red

A lot of people believe that being reborn as your favorite character would be fun, but I wonder how many of you actually think about what that would mean? It wouldn't be cool, it'd be annoying and, quite possibly, lethal. On the other hand, there are plenty of skills I can pick up in this world to make sure that I don't end up dead in a ditch. This is gonna be fun!

 **And here we go with some more bullshit. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

After the bank, my first stop was the post office where I sent my reply back to Hogwarts, followed by the Trunk shop where I bought a multi-compartment trunk, an auto-shrinking charm and a featherlight charm to carry the huge amount of shit I was no doubt going to pick up. I also shelled out for an enchanted bookbag with similar enchantments. After that, I headed off to pick up stationary, potions supplies and a copper cauldron as the pewter ones still contained lead and I really didn't want to risk contamination. I also went to pick up a telescope and was pleasantly surprised to find that the shop sold Muggle style telescope in addition to the traditional ones. The shopkeeper told me that Muggleborns who knew there stuff tended to buy the former and Purebloods tended to buy the latter, although they were basically the same.

* * *

In the bookshop I bought the all the books on my list and, once I had them all, I started wondering around the bookstore, looking for anything that caught my eye and possibly something that would give me some idea of what to expect. I didn't find much, although I did stumble on a book on Beings that revealed that the other races that called Eorzea home were in fact a thing, albeit under different names and a fuck ton of racism from whatever dick wrote the book, forcing me to read between the lines to figure most of it out. I also discovered some books in a dark corner of the shop on various arts of both Physical and Magical in nature that revealed that the races weren't the only things from Final Fantasy present in this world, among which was some entry level texts on Thaumaturgy, Conjary and advanced Arithmancy that was basically an Archenists base text. Since they were dirt cheap, I picked them up and made a note to see if I could learn anything from them. Tossing around Black Magics would be as handy as learning how to heal and I liked the idea of being able to summon a Carbuncle. That might require a bit of study though. I'm not good at Maths at the best of times and Magical Maths is no different.

With that done my next stop was to get my robes where I was sorted out without to much trouble as it was a rather slow day for the tailor before heading out to my final stop, Ollivanders.

* * *

The shop was small and dusty, but I could feel the magic in the air singing against my skin.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. From right behind me.

I nearly jumped a foot in the air and spun around to see Ollivander stood behind me with an amused twinkle in his eye, along with...something else.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter."

It wasn't a question. I shivered as the old man scanned me with his luminous eyes, apparently searching for something. Whatever it was and if he found it or not, I have no idea.

"It seems only yesterday your Mother and Father were in here buying their first Wands," he said, "Your father favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration."

He leaned even closer.

"Your Mother on the other hand...ah, she was a special one," he said, "Yes indeed. I could sense, even back then, that she would take her Magical studies a step further than almost anyone else in history. I sense that same potential in you my boy."

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to me, staring right into my eyes as he spoke, coming so close that he and I were almost nose to nose. I could see myself reflected in those misty eyes and I could smell his breath. Apparently he had eaten pickles recently. The odd and strangely normal scent served as excellent grounding for the strangeness of this encounter. I swallowed.

"Potential?" I asked, "What potential?"

Ollivander smiled faintly.

"You'll find out in time," he said, "For now, make sure you study the Black and the White as best you can."

I twitched, my fingers instinctively tightening around the strap of my bag.

"But for now, lets get you a wand," said Ollivander, suddenly turning around and heading over to the shelves, "I dare say you will require a new Focus sooner or later, but one of these will do for now. What is your dominant hand?"

"Um, my right," I said, trying to get my head around the sudden mental whiplash.

"Hold out your arm. That's it."

He measured me from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said:

"Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

I suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between my nostrils, was doing this on its own. I mean, I was sort of expecting it, but it was still pretty weird. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor, "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

I did as I was told and the desk burst into flame.

"Ah, I think not," said Ollivander as he put out the fire, "Next we have…"

* * *

What followed was pretty much what you'd expect, with random stuff happening every time I flicked the wand I was handed, ranging from floods to fires to turning the spindle chair into a snake that Ollivander promptly vanished until finally…

"Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

I felt my heartbeat speed up as Harrys wand was revealed and handed to me. I took it, eager to see what would happen when…

THPPPPPPP.

I blinked as the wand let out a sound like a deflating balloon and literally went limp in my fingers.

"My, I've never seen such an impotent reaction," said Ollivander, taking the wand off me that immediately snapped back to rigidity.

"Was that a dick joke?" I asked.

I was ignored as Ollivander went back into the stacks and returned with another wand.

"Ahh, now this is a special one," he said, gently caressing the box, "I never believed that I would have a chance to even use this."

He carefully opened the box to reveal a wand made of pale wood with red veins. Ollivander plucked the wand from its resting place and, almost reverently, handed it to me. The moment my fingers closed around it, the wand practically sang and the shop was lit with a brilliant, crimson light. I couldn't stop the gasp of awe that escaped as I felt my magic surge and dance, creating a powerful wind that managed to make even more of a mess of the already destroyed shop.

"Very impressive my boy," said Ollivander as he cleaned up with a wave of his wand, "I have never seen a reaction quite like that. Then again, I suppose I should have been expecting it from someone who could bond with an Elder and Phoenix Feather Wand."

My eyebrows shot up. My Wand was made of Elder? Well...that was interesting. Something told me that was going to get me in trouble in the future. I didn't voice those worries however, instead I paid the creepy old man and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. I was tempted to go into the Magical Menagerie, but I honestly wasn't that interested in getting a pet right now. No offence to Hedwig or anything, but I didn't feel comfortable buying her when I knew she'd just end up locked in a cage whenever we were 'home'.

* * *

As I entered the pub, Tom glanced up and nodded, tossing me a key.

"Room 16," he said, "The menus in the room, as are breakfast times."

"Thanks," I said.

Tom nodded and smiled slightly as he turned back to polishing the glasses. I headed upstairs, found my room and immediately dove into my trunk to start devouring the books at a pace that would have made Hermione tell me to slow down a bit. I even made use of the fact I was in a high magic location and tried a number of spells, resulting in a number of explosions and botched Transfigurations that made me believe Tom made a point of enchanting the rooms against this very thing. Either that or he had some very efficient House Elves as most of the damage I inadvertently caused was gone the next morning. My attempts at Thaumaturgy certainly didn't help matters, but at least explosions were the point of most of those spells and I had plenty of opportunities to practice with Cure while I was at it.

* * *

Unfortunately, while I was doing reasonably well with Black and White Magic, the mathematical bases of Arcanum was causing me trouble. It was INCREDIBLY complex, to the point that I didn't even recognize half the symbols. Eventually, I gave up and dropped the book in my trunk. All I was doing with it was giving myself a headache. I'd see if I could find a use for it later, maybe after I had a better grounding in Arithmancy or something.

Considering all the stuff I was doing, it was no surprise that the remainder of the summer flew by. I didn't spend all my time in my room, but I made it a point to duck out of sight whenever I saw Hagrid or Mcgonagall come through. I had managed to fly under the radar so far and I really wanted to keep my anonymity a little longer.

* * *

Eventually, September the 1st rolled around and, after one last check that I hadn't forgotten anything, I shrank my Trunk and headed out, catching a cab to Kings Cross. I drew some odd looks as I made my way through the station, mainly due to my lack of obvious luggage. Despite the odd looks, I made it to the Barrier without incident and, after a quick glance around, stepped through onto the platform. I ghosted through the crowded platform, inwardly relishing the fact that I was still unknown. Exactly why that was I wasn't entirely sure since I was basically Harry Potter, even if I did lack the scar and glasses. Apparently I'd inherited more than just my eye colour from my Mum and my version was perfect.

Once on the train, it didn't take long to find a compartment and I settled in with a stack of books on various subjects. I would have done more practice of my more esoteric arts, but practicing with explosives in an enclosed space isn't very bright. Instead, I settled in to read a book on Magical crystals I'd found in a thrift store that was down right fascinating. I'd long realized that this world had more Final Fantasy than was normal, so I wasn't in the least bit surprised to find out that Materia were a thing. I was rather interested in possibly getting my hands on some to play with since they sounded rather interesting.

* * *

Shortly after the train started to move, I was interrupted by a timid knock at the door. I looked up and was mildly surprised to see the familiar head of bushy hair of a rather nervous looking Hermione Granger.

"Um, do you mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Not at all," I said, "Have a seat."

Hermione nodded in thanks and sat across from me after I helped her heave her trunk onto the luggage rack.

"Thank you," she said, "Um, I'm Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter," I said.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"I read them too," I said, "And its all complete bullshit."

Hermione looked scandalized.

"Well how else are you supposed to take the idea of a five year old facing down a dragon without a wand?" I said before Hermione could respond.

The girl shut her mouth with a click and looked thoughtful.

"Thats...actually a good point," she said.

"First rule of research, take everything you read with a grain of salt," I said, "History is written by the victor, so its often a good idea to check with multiple sources before jumping to conclusions."

Hermione blushed and squirmed in her seat.

"Sorry," she said.

"Its fine."

For a moment, we sat in silence as I went back to my book and Hermione shifted uncomfortably, the only sound being the occasional scratching of my pen as I took notes. Eventually though, she spoke up and it was a question that was pure Hermione.

"So, um, what are you reading?" she asked.

I glanced up at her.

"Its an entry level text on Arcanum," I said, "Unfortunately, its pure Maths and I suck at maths. I don't even understand half of this stuff, even with the Arithmancy textbooks I've been using."

Hermione frowned.

"Whats Arcanum?" she asked, "I've read that Arithmancy is using numbers to predict the future and craft spells, but I've never heard of Arcanum."

"Arcanum is basically what Arithmancy wants to be when it grows up," I said, "Its the practice of using Mathematics, Runes and symbology to manipulate reality. Its technically a form of Ritual Magic and doesn't require a wand. However, its also obscenely complex, so its not really that common anymore."

"Really?" asked Hermione, looking intrigued, "Do you mind if I have a look?"

I shrugged and passed her the tome.

"Sure, its no use to me anyway," I said, "I can't even figure out the most basic of spells."

Hermione eagerly took the book and began scanning the pages, occasionally muttering to herself. A couple of minutes later, she pulled a notebook and pen out of her pocket and started scribbling something in it. Curious, I leaned forwards to have a look, only to be forced to look away as the bizarre symbols she was drawing seemed to shift and move in unnatural ways under my gaze.

"There, that should do it," said Hermione once she was done, "Now, if I got this right…"

She pressed a fingertip to the page and the symbols began to glow. A moment later, a ball of light shot out and hit the sliding door, causing the glass to shatter into a million pieces. My jaw dropped as Hermione went red.

"Um, whoops?" she said.

 **Aaaand done. Before anyone starts having a go at me for using Hermione, stop right there! I LIKE Hermione and planned from the start to have her pe part of Harry's party. I am well aware that other people don't like her and thats fine. However, I don't want another avalanche of people asking me why I'm using her when shes such a bitch and annoying and so on. If you don't like my use of her, go read something else.**

 **Speaking of, you can probably guess what I have in mind for Hermione. To be honest, shes perfect for the Scholar/Summoner Job, and yes, I will be conflating them because I can. I wonder if you can guess who it was who held the Scholar/Summoner Soul Crystal in the past? Its not who you might think though.**

 **Harry will get a pet in time and it will be a bird called Hedwig. It won't be an owl though.**

 **Once again, I don't have much to say, so I'm gonna sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	105. The Truth of Power Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: The Truth of Power

Getting reborn into a post apocalypse wasteland infested by superpowered murderers is not what I was expecting after dieing. To make matters worse, I'm apparently residing in the body of a powerless wimp. That is until my powers appeared. However, I wasn't expecting that power to come with a vision. I think that the Second had more secrets than being part Angel.

 **So yeah, a Needless idea with Worm elements. And I do mean is NOT set on Bet, although its certainly linked to it. You can probably guess where I'm going with this. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I was crushed to death by a collapsing shelf of boxes at work, I wasn't expecting to wake up again. I also wasn't expecting to find myself in a place that can best be described as hell on Earth and in the body of a god damn weakling to boot! Now, I'm not about to claim that I am, or was, a strong person, but I had an excuse in that I lived in 21st century Great Britain. The person I got reborn as lived in a place where the weak died. Quickly and yet he spent most of his time crying or hiding!

Sorry, am I confusing you? Then let me clear a few things up. I had been reborn, but not as myself. No, I was reborn as Cruz Schild, better known as Yamada, the protagonist of the Needless Anime/manga and all around useless individual in a fight. At least until he activated his Fragment at the end of the Manga. Yeah, there is no way I'm letting myself be protected by anyone and I'm certainly not letting Blade turn me into a girl if this world goes the way of the Manga.

* * *

Growing up was hard. Not only was the environment of the Black Spot incredibly brutal for a young child, but my sister and I lost our parents to crazy bandits shortly after I was born. I'm pretty sure that the only reason we were able to survive was due to Aruka's Fragment and the fact she joined up with Simion. Speak of, knowing what I did about the future, it was easy to see that she was hiding something from me as, as soon as I was old enough to take care of myself, she began spending long periods of time away from our 'home', which was really just a rundown building. That was fine by me though as I spent the time she was away training in secret.

With what you ask? Well, I spent the time I was alone training. The Black Spot was a dangerous place to be, even with powers, but I had no intention of being a burden on anyone. With that in mind, I trained my body and my mind as much as I could and, by the time I turned 14, I was a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

It was at that point that I lost my ability to train in secret as Aruka dragged us off to join the Resistance against Simion. Now, you might be wondering why I was keeping my skills hidden from Aruka, but I did have my reasons. The main one was that, if she knew I was a competent fighter, she might decided to just off me herself rather than sending me down into the sewers.

For the next five years, we worked with the Resistance to slow Simions advance into the Black Spot. During that time, the leader, Zakat, kept a close eye on Aruka and I. It wasn't overt, but my future knowledge meant that I knew what to look for. Or I could have just been paranoid. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts (subtly sabotaged as they were by Aruka), the steady march of Canon could not be fought and Simion advanced into the Black Spot and started their reign of terror. Eventually, we received information that Arklight himself was coming to town and so, we prepared to attack.

* * *

The day before the attack, Zakat called me to his office, as I was expecting, and gave me the pendent that contained Aruka's picture and, if the future went as I was expecting, the microchip.

"Thanks for this Zakat," I said as I looped the pendant around my neck.

"Don't mention it kid, its the least I can do," he said as he put a can of pop on the desk in front of me, "Want a drink?"

"Thanks," I said.

Zakat opened a can of his own and sat back with a sigh.

"To our victory in tomorrow's battle," he said.

"You mean the battle that you think is a suicide mission?" I drawled.

Zakat just laughed.

* * *

Unfortunately, it seemed that fate is a bitch and the battle went about as well as expected. In other words, awful and I ended up fleeing from the massacre with Aruka with a Testament hot on our heels.

"Soo, whats the plan?" I asked as we pelted around the corner, just barely avoiding getting shot by the Hunter robot's guns.

Aruka scowled as she looked around, before her gaze landed on a sewer entrance.

"You have got to be kidding!"

"Do you want to live or not?!" snapped Aruka as she pulled the manhole off, "Get going, I'll hold it off."

"Fine, I'm going," I said as I hopped into the hole, "Deal with that thing and then catch up!"

"Will do little Brother," said Aruka with a smile.

I ducked underground as she charged the robot.

"Right, now I'm alone, lets see what we got," I muttered as I walked through the knee high water, thanking my lucky stars it was a storm drain. I began to make my way through the sewers, grateful for the small holes in the ceiling that provided enough light to see. I had been walking for about five minutes when...

"SHIT!"

I took off as the Testament that had just crashed through the ceiling barreled after me.

"Shitshitshitshitshit!" I muttered as I ran through the tunnels, dodging out of the way of the Testaments attacks.

I rounded a corner, only to be drawn up short as I found myself at a dead end. I gritted my teeth and turned to face the Testament.

"Damn it, where is that stupid priest?!" I growled.

I really didn't want to die here, but if Blade didn't hurry...

Before I could finish the thought, the Testament suddenly lunged and the world slowed down. Oh god, I was gonna die! I don't want to die! Not like…

 _A vast web of lights._

 _ **REQUIRED?**_

 _Redirect._

 _ **LOCATED**_

 _The web zooms in to focus on one light._

 _A flash of a red costume._

 _A rush of energy._

I jolted violently, just as the Testament slammed its leg into me, clearly intending to squash me flat. Instead, I did...something and the leg stopped cold as I blocked it with my hand, the force apparently vanishing. Then, the wall behind me cratered as if struck by a massive fist.

"Huh...thats interesting," I muttered.

" **NEEDLESS DETECTED, ACTIVATING COUNTERMEASURES,"** said the Testament as it it backed up and brought its guns to bare.

"No thanks," I muttered and shot forwards without moving my feet, evading the first blast of gunfire.

A slight tilt of my feet sent me underneath the Testament, allowing me to tag its leg. The metal distorted and bent as if it had been struck with a powerful blow, rather than the slight tap I'd used. The Testament stumbled, before its system compencated and it spun around to attack me again. I tensed and readied to counter again…

Right before Blade came crashing through the roof. Good god, his sense of timing needed work.

"Hey kid, if you're being chased by a Testament, that must mean you're a Needless, right?" he asked.

"Apparently," I said.

"Hnn, fine," grumbled Blade, "This thing'll be a pain if I just leave it."

"I agree," I said, "Lets break it!"

Blade glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I can't argue with that," he said, "What can you do?"

"This," I said and punched the Testament as it swung its leg at us.

CRUNCH!

The robot once again went flying, its armour buckling under the force exerted.

"Huh, super strength?" asked Blade.

"Nope, I think its more like force redirection," I said as I stepped in front of Blade to block the Testaments attempt to fill us full of lead, "Or maybe force control? I need to do some experiments later."

"You mean you just got your powers?" asked Blade, "Man kid, your good at this!"

"Why thank you," I snarked, "Now can we kill this fucking thing?!"

"Way ahead of you kid!" said Blade with a grin as he pulled out his bible, "Now shoot me at it!"

"OK," I said and slapped him on the back.

"OH HELL YEAH!" roared Blade as he shot forwards at incredible speed, propelled by the accumulated force from the bullets, and slammed bodily into the robot.

I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but a moment later, the robot exploded and Blade slammed into me, unconscious, covered in blood and with the robots brain clutched in his ruined hand. I sighed and hoisted the much larger man over my shoulder.

"Right, lets get you home," I muttered as I started lugging the taller man towards the nearest exit to the sewers so I could find the Church.

* * *

It took a good half an hour to navigate the maze of passages, but eventually I managed to find a way out.

"Finally," I muttered, "Now, to find that , I wish I could fly…"

 _A vast web of lights._

 _ **REQUIRED?**_

 _Flight. Strength._

 _ **LOCATED**_

 _The web zooms in to focus on one light._

 _A flash of a white dress and golden hair._

 _A rush of energy._

I blinked as I came back to myself.

"What was…" I started, before I realized I was floating a few inches of the ground, "Er, what?"

I frowned and glanced at Blade. Was it just me or had he just got lighter? After a moment's thought, I shrugged and pushed it to the back of my mind to be analyzed later. Instead, I shifted Blade into an easier hold and took off in search of the Church.

* * *

It didn't take long to find the Church from the air and, once I had, I touched down outside it and carried Blade inside.

"Hey, anyone home?" I shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," said an elderly voice as Guido emerged from one of the doors leading off, "What can I...BLADE!"

He ran over as I put Blade down on one of the pews.

"So, I take it you know him?" I asked.

"Yes, can you tell me what happened?" asked Guido.

"He saved me from a Testament," I said.

"A Testament?!" gasped Guido, "Then that means your…"

"A Needless? Yeah, I am, although I only recently got my powers," I said, "My names Cruz."

"Dr Guido," said Guido, "We can talk later, right now we need to get Blade inside."

I nodded and hefted him over my shoulder, following Guido into his lab.

"Oh yeah, he also grabbed this," I said, handing Guido the Testament brain Blade had torn out, "Can you use it?"

"I can," said Guido.

I flopped down on a chair by the wall with a sigh.

"Tell me something Cruz, why did you help Blade?" asked Guido after a moment, "Few people in the Black Spot would do such a thing."

"Well, he helped me," I said, "I owe him at least enough to get him to safety. Besides, I prefer to make friends over enemies. Never know when you might need them."

"True enough I suppose," said Guido, "So, what do you plan to do now?"

I shrugged.

"No idea," I said, "I mean, I was a member of the resistance, but I never actually cared that much for their cause…"

"Hmm, well, I suppose you can stay here for now," said Guido.

"Thanks old man," I said as I got to my feet, "I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

Guido nodded and I headed outside. I took a deep breath as I left the church and dropped down to sit on the steps, enjoying as I mulled over what had happened and what had happened when my powers came out and everything that it meant. For some reason, I felt that I'd seen something important when my powers appeared, but it felt like something was suppressing the memory. Then there was the fact that I apparently had multiple powers, something that should be impossible for a Needless. I spent a while mulling it over until I gave myself a headache.

"Oh for gods sake, I can't take this!" I groaned, "What does all of this mean?!"

 _A vast web of lights._

 _ **REQUIRED?**_

 _Insight_

 _ **LOCATED**_

 _The web zooms in to focus on one light._

 _A flash of a purple fabric._

 _A rush of energy._

My eyes went wide and I shot up. There it was again. What on earth was that?!

 _Power activating, obtaining new skillset from network._

"What the fuck?!" I yelped, jumping to my feet at the unexpected voice in my head, "What was…?"

 _SHARD ID, Negotiator. Information provided. Require data to create extrapolation._

"What," I deadpanned, "That sounds like something from Worm! How could I possibly gain something like that?! And where did it come from?!"

 _SHARD ID Modem able to link to other SHARDs temporarily._

I blinked. What did that mean? How could something like that even come about in this world? Unless…

My eyes widened again as everything slotted into place and the memory I'd been trying to get a lock on since the fight finally came into focus.

 _Something implausibly vast coiling through space, scattering crystals over the planet below._

 _Endless hunger._

 _Curiosity._

 _ **SUITABLE HOST LOCATED**_

 _A shard falling towards me._

 _ **ACKNOWLEDGED**_

 _The Shard hits me._

"Oh you have got to be fucking shitting me!" I gasped.

 **Well, that was interesting. I'm not pleased by this ending, but it'll do, mainly because I'm getting sick of writing Tattletales Shard. I won't be using it again.**

 **Now, incase its not blatantly obvious, in this world Needless are Parahumans who's powers come from Abaddon, not the Thinker/Warrior. As such, they have different rules and limitations.**

 **Cruz's power is an example of this. Its rather similar to Eidolons, although with a few glaring differences. To start with, it works by hooking into other Shards, so long as its user knowns the 'address', which basically amounts to the name of the current holder, either real or assumed. That basically means that Cruz has full access to every single power from both Worm and Needless...with a few caveats.**

 **To start with, he can only hold one power set at a time, so no combining Alexandria with Legend, it takes about two minutes for the power to properly integrate, although basic applications are available before that time is up and he can only switch powers after half an hour, meaning that he has to be careful he doesnt pick a useless one. Each power also only lasts for five hours total and then has a cooldown time of however long he held it for before it can be used again. So, for example, if he tapped into Setsuna's speed and held it for two hours, he couldn't use that particular power for two hours. Oh, and he can't copy Trump powers, so no mimicking Zero or Eidolon. That said, he's also immune to other Trumps, so the Adams can't copy his power. Theres also a few seconds when picking a power where he becomes unresponsive while linking to a new power where a speedy combatant would have a massive opening.**

 **I hope all that makes sense since I'm trying to come up with a power thats got enough limitations to not be completely absurd while still being strong enough that it could actually be used against Arclight. I probably failed a little though…**

 **Anyway, I'm going to sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	106. Three Claws Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Three Claws

Getting reborn into a world with crazy people with powers is annoying. Getting reborn as a character considered a joke by everyone is worse. That said, I never in a million years imagined that I'd Trigger with a Healing factor and metal claws. Oh, and I'm also apparently a character whos considered to be a joke by most. Joy.

 **This is, once again, an idea thats been rattling around in my head for a while. Should be interesting if nothing else. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of paint cans falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about. I knew I hated art for a reason. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby.

Growing up was simultaneously easy and incredibly frustrating. What? I'd like to see any of you sit through pre-school again without tearing your hair out. Still, I've learnt from my mistakes, so I got through school with no problems and high grades. Or at least, that was the plan. See, the world I had been reborn into wasn't exactly normal, not when there were people flying around in silly costumes. Yeah, I'd been reborn into a world full of crazy people with superpowers. Unfortunately, it wasn't a world like Marvel or DC where the Heroes always win. On no, I wasn't that lucky. The world I'd been reborn into was that of Worm. To make matters worse, I was born into a family who lived in Brockton Bay. Fuck my life.

* * *

In all seriousness though, despite living in Brockton, life wasn't to bad. My Mum was a single parent and, despite occasionally struggling to make ends meet, had a decent enough job that we could live relatively comfortably in a decent part of town. I had no idea who my Dad was and Mum had no interest in telling me who he was. When I asked, she always scowled and told me that it didn't matter because 'there was no way in hell that bastard was getting anywhere near us'. I got the feeling he was really bad news.

Annoyingly, despite being a rather healthy and active person in my last life, for some reason, I was rather sickly as a child this time through. Not to the point that I was constantly hospitalized, but enough that I missed a lot of school. That meant that, despite my brains, I wasn't able to get into Arcadia when Highschool rolled around thanks to protracted absences. Even more annoyingly, after I turned 15, I suddenly stopped getting sick all together. Mum didn't seem surprised though, apparently it was an odd trate of our family, being prone to sickness as kids, gaining a bullet proof immune system in our teen years and then never getting sick again in our lives. Combine that with unusually long lifespans and tendency to be incredibly hard to put down in a fight and you have a particularly dangerous family who many have confused as Parahumans in the past, although those traits went as far back as the 19th century, so that was a tad unlikely.

* * *

Where was I? Oh yeah, high school. It was pretty much what you'd expect for Winslow, an absolute hellhole with blatant gang activity going on in every corridor, useless teachers and chronic bullying issues. Now, I'd like to say I did something about them, but the truth is, I have no idea what I could do. Nothing permanent thats for damn sure. Oh I tried, I really did, but it didn't take long for me to realize that I was wasting my time and, honestly? It wasn't really in my nature to waste my time helping people who couldn't be helped. Thats not to say I was a nutcase who'd let someone die or be seriously hurt if I could stop it and I did still occasionally step in if something went too far, but I certainly wasn't about to start going out of my way for others because of a bit of name calling.

That said, there was actually surprisingly little bullying that I had any interest in stopping. After all, the Gang kids could take care of themselves and if they didn't want to end up getting a kicking by the rivals after school, they shouldn't go out alone or, better yet, not be in a gang in the first place. Then there was Taylor. Urg, she was responsible for more headaches than my schoolwork and thats saying something!

My original intention had been to try and befriend her right of the bat, with the intent being to make sure that she had someone to back her up. Unfortunately, she was still reeling from Emma giving her the boot and politely told me to get lost. After that, I think she either thought I was in on the whole thing or a creepy stalker considering she wouldn't talk to me, despite my best efforts. Eventually, I gave up. I couldn't do much if she wouldn't let me after all.

That said, I wasn't about to let her go through what she did with the Locker and I already had a few plans that would let me deal with it. Unfortunately, all those plans went out the window and were mostly forgotten thanks to what happened during the christmas hols of my second year. Yeah, that close to Taylor's Trigger. What happened you ask? I got mugged.

* * *

Admittedly, thats not entirely uncommon around here considering the crime ridden nature of the city. The difference here was that the mugging in question was also a Merchant 'recrutement' operation. In other words, they planned to stick a needle full of shit in me to try and get me hooked on it. Unfortunately for them, my weird biology made it impossible for anyone in my family to become chemically addicted to drugs, although we still experienced the highs and lows. With that in mind and concidering I didn't fancy finding out what that stuff would actually do to me, I was NOT making it easy for them. It took three of the bastards to pin me down and even then, I wasn't about to stop fighting.

"Arg, stay still cocksucker!" snarled the apparent leader of the pack as I nearly punched him in the face with my flailing, "We're not gonna hurt you! We're just trying to make you feel better."

I glared at him.

"Fuck you!" I snarled, "I will not be another statistic! Now let me the fuck GO!"

I swung my arm again, my rage finally boiling over as I wished that I carried something that I could have used to stab these bastards. But no, I just had to be a decent member of society, ignoring the fact I lived in the less than pleasant side of town and attended a school where every other student carried some kind of weapon! Damn it all!

*Shnick*

I let out a yelp as a sharp stabbing pain shot up my arm accompanied by the sound of a knife being drawn. Then, the thug I'd swung at screamed as the 12 inch claws that had just extended from my knuckles carved deep cuts across his face. He stumbled back, dropping the syringe as everything else froze. The goons holding me looked between their boss and me and my claws as blood slowly dripped from their tips. Their reaction was rather predictable.

"SHIT, HES A CAPE!" yelled one of them and all three released me at the same time.

I scrambled to my feet as the four Merchants booked it, leaving nothing but a smashed syringe of whatever they planned to stick in me and a few drops of blood. I was momentarily tempted to chase them down and knock them out, but quickly discarded it in favour of examining my new claws. Three, twelve inch long blades of gleaming metallic white metal emerged from each knuckle. I gently pressed my thumb to the edge of one to test the edge and immediately pulled it away as it easily parted the skin. They were razor sharp. A tingling feeling in my thumb made me look at it, just in time to see the injury seal up in less than a second.

Now, I'd always been a fast healer, but never to that degree! I examined my thumb for a moment, before my attention slipped to my knuckles. Hmm, I wonder..?

I clenched my fist and, with an instinctive flex of a muscle I didn't know I had, another set of claws shot out of my knuckles with a low shnick sound and a short jab of pain.

"Huh, thats...interesting," I muttered, more confused than anything.

I'm pretty sure that little fight wasn't enough to cause a Trigger event. Maybe if I got jabbed I'd have believed it, but as it was, it was just too weak to even cause a Trigger in a Second Gen Cape. Plus, there was the fact I already had a rather unnatural biology thanks to whatever it was that made my family bizarrely resistant to injury and disease.

The sound of a motorbike stopping outside the alley drew me from my thoughts and I quickly sheathed my claws and turned around. I half expected it to be Armsmaster or Miss Militia, but instead it was a normal looking, if massive, man in a muscle shirt that looked like it was a size to small, a leather jacket, jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. He had black hair sticking out from under his hat and a rather impressive set of sideburns. He smelt of the wilderness and cigar smoke. I frowned. Wait, smelt? How the hell did I know that?

"Hey kid, you OK?" asked the man, his voice carrying a hint of a Canadian accent.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," I said, still trying to figure out where the whole smell thing came from.

The man raised an eyebrow. I squirmed under his glare.

"I just got into a fight with some idiots," I eventually blurted out, "I'm fine, honestly!"

The man snorted.

"Well, if your sure," he said, "Hey, could you tell me how to get to Arcadia from here? Its been a while since I've come here and I'm a bit lost."

"Um, sure," I said and quickly gave the man directions.

"Thanks kid," he said as he mounted his bike, "Be careful heading home."

"I will," I said, "But um, shouldn't you be wearing a helmet?"

The man just laughed and roared away.

"Well, that was odd," I muttered as I turned and started walking home.

Now if only I could figure out why he seemed so familiar…

* * *

That question bothered me for the rest of the holiday as I experimented with my new abilities. I quickly came to the conclusion that my ability to feel pain had taken a massive hit after I realized that I'd been testing my healing factor by cutting deeper and deeper gashes in my arm without batting an eye. I could still feel pain, but it was muted and only really existed to let me know that I'd been hurt. Considering I could apparently heal from nearly anything in seconds, that was perfectly fine with me! I'd also found that my claws were incredibly sharp and able to cut through anything I had access to, so long as I put enough force behind it.

I'd also discovered, during my experimentation with my healing factor, that the bones in my arm were composed of the same metal as my claws after I accidentally cut myself down to the bone. The wound still healed in seconds, but it was enough for me to catch the glimpse of silvery-white metal. From there, it didn't take much to conclude that the rest of my skeleton was likely composed of the same substance.

The final difference I'd discovered was the fact that my senses had skyrocketed. I could hear a pin drop on the other side of the house, identify and track things by scent and had near perfect vision, along with incredible night and distance vision. Combine that with my claws, healing factor and metal skeleton and I was seriously considering calling myself Wolverine.

* * *

By the time I'd finished my experiments, it was time to head back to school and I spent most of the first day back trying to figure out why it felt like I was forgetting something and adjust to having enhanced senses in a terrible high school with more than its fair share of Merchants and addicts. Seriously, I thought they stunk before, now it was like being locked in a classroom with a dead skunk.

It wasn't until I was walking to maths while wondering why I hadn't seen Taylor yet that morning that my brain decided to stop being slow and throw the memory of what I'd forgotten to the fore. Then again, the stench of rotting blood and human waist leaking from Taylor's locker might have also had something to do with it.

"Bollocks!" I yelled as I turned on my heel, unsheathed my claws and sliced through the lock with ease, leaving three gashes in the metal.

The door immediately fell open, allowing a flood of dirty brown sludge and one catatonic girl to spill out. I quickly crouched down next to Taylor and pressed two fingers to her pulse. Her heart rate was all over the place, her breathing was rapid and her skin was an unhealthy shade of blue and flickering. I frowned. Wait, what? I took a closer look and, sure enough, Taylor's body seemed to be rippling and shifting between her usual pale skin tone and dark blue. Then it went black, then purple and back to blue, followed by spikes emerging from her limbs and then apparently turning into metal. Well, thats not normal.

The sound of boots on the plastic floor made me realize that I'd just used my claws in a crowded hall, making me snap my head up, expecting to see everyone staring at me. Instead, I was met with the extremely eery sight of everyone in the hall standing stock still, as if they'd all been touched by Clockblocker. The only exception was a small group slowly making their way towards me, led by...a bald man in a wheelchair. Um, what? The rest of the small group consisted of a dark skinned woman with white hair, a man with ruby sunglasses and the same man who had asked me for directions during the holidays. I repeat, um, WHAT?!

The leader smiled slightly at my apparent confusion.

"Don't worry about your classmates Mr Kinney," he said, "I simply felt it was better that you and Miss Hebert's abilities do not become public knowledge."

I licked my lips, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

"How do you know our names?" I asked, "And who are you?"

The man smiled and lent forwards in his chair.

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier," he said, "And I think we have a lot to discuss."

 **Well, that was certainly interesting. And to think, my original intent was to just use Wolverine's powers as a base with no other characters appearing...eh, this should be fun!**

 **Yes, Mutants are a thing, but don't expect me to use any particular version of any character, especially when you consider the differences the existence of Parahumans will have made. The existence of Mutants is technically a secret at the moment, but only in so far as the general public are unaware of the existence of superpowered people who powers don't come from a Trigger Event. Why? Paranoia mostly, as well as the fact that most Mutants give about as much a rats ass about fighting crime as everyone else. Oh sure, there are probably a few Mutants on both sides of the law, but since their powers don't come with a compulsion towards conflict, most just want to live out their lives.**

 **Our hero, James Kinney, powers are essentially identical to Wolverine's, with the obvious exception of his metallic bones. Of course, unlike Wolverine, his aren't essentially indestructible, but they are much stronger than most and have similar properties to titanium. Plus, since their biological metal, if they are damaged, his healing factor can quickly fix them.**

 **And I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!**

 **EDIT changed James' surname. No real reason to do it, I just like the idea better.**


	107. Three Claws Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Three Claws

Getting reborn into a world with crazy people with powers is annoying. Getting reborn as a character considered a joke by everyone is worse. That said, I never in a million years imagined that I'd Trigger with a Healing factor and metal claws. Oh, and I'm also apparently a character whos considered to be a joke by most. Joy.

 **And we're back. Nothing much to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

This is...weird. When I was born into the world of Worm, I never once imagined that I'd end up sitting in the X mansion across from the Professor and with the likes of Storm, Cyclops, Jean Gray and Wolverine scattered around the room. Maybe I should back up a little.

* * *

After introducing himself, Xavier had directed his companions (who, by the way, looked a heck of a lot like their movie counterparts, although not close enough to be mistaken for the actors themselves) to retrieve Taylor and gather some photos to use as evidence later on, before hustling us out of the school and into a pair of vehicles, a nice car and a van set up as an ambulance. Rather than hospital, we'd ended up at the Xavier mansion which, considering Taylor was now dark blue, was probably a good idea.

Yeah, you know how when I found her she was cycling through skin colours? Well, it had finally stopped on a shade of dark blue with patches of scales that looked a heck of a lot like the depiction of Mystique in the movies. Something tells me that things are about to get extremely complicated.

* * *

When we reached the Mansion (which was located just out of town because of reasons I guess. Wonder what made Xaviers family settle here instead of New York?), Logan carried Taylor inside and headed downstairs with Jean.

"Don't worry, shes in good hands," said the Professor as he led me into his study, "Now, lets talk. I'm sure you have questions."

"I guess so," I said, "Starting with how in the hell you did that...thing back at school. Are you a Cape?"

Xavier smiled in that mysterious way kindly old manipulative mentors had.

"I have powers, but I'm not a Parahuman," he said, "Parahumans are a very recent thing, but I've had my powers since I was born. Jean and Scott both gained their powers in childhood, as did Ororo and Logan...well, we're not sure, although I can say without a doubt that he's had his power for even longer than I have."

"You talkin about me Chuck?" asked Logan as he entered the room, "Never mind. The kids secure and Hanks looking over her. She should be fine. I'll be in the garage if you need me."

He walked out.

"Alright, so if your not Parahumans, what are you?" I asked, deciding not to comment.

Charles tilted his head on one side.

"We're Mutants," he said, "But...you already knew that...somehow. Theres something in your mind, something even I can't get at…"

He shook his head.

"My apologies, I don't normally read people's minds without permission," he said, "However, that knowledge was almost...shouted and I couldn't help but pick it up."

"Your a Telepath," I said.

"I am."

"And thats how you found Taylor and I?"

Xavier just nodded. I frowned.

"Why?" I asked.

Xavier sighed and sat forwards, leaning his elbows on his desk.

"Mutants...are not like Parahumans," he said, "All Parahumans, regardless of who they are, have a drive for conflict. Its why they inevitably become either Hero or Villain and take part in the game of cops and robbers that they constantly play. Mutants on the other hand, don't have that. True, there are those who quite happily join either the Protectorate or walk a darker path, but there are still those that wish to live a normal life. I have made it my mission in life to find young Mutants and do what I can to help them."

He smiled sadly.

"Most Mutants have fairly minor powers, enough that they're barely perceptible, but those with larger ones end up being mistaken for Parahumans and, well, you can imagine. I help where I can, but alas, I have far fewer students than I'd like."

"Yeah, I can't imagine that many people would believe in something they've never heard of over the commonly known Parahumans," I said.

"Actually, you'd be surprised," said Xavier with a thin smile, "Its finding the young Mutants before something bad happens thats hard, especially those with more...obvious mutations."

He paused and tilted his head.

"Ah, it seems that they've arrived," he said.

"They?" I asked, before the door suddenly slammed open and in marched an incensed, skinny man who could only be Danny Hebert and Mum, who looked more amused than annoyed.

"Where is she Xavier?" snarled Danny in a voice that held a hint of menace and a hint of something inhuman.

A slight flickering made me look down and I was startled to see that the DWU chief of hiring apparently had scaled claws instead of hands. Guess that explains where Taylor's scales came from.

"Shes in the infirmary," said Xavier, apparently not phased in the least by Danny's anger, "Jeans with her, so she'll be fine."

"We'll talk later," growled Danny and stomped off.

"Well, that was bracing," said Mum, "So, I take it you have a reason for taking my son out of school?"

"Of course," said Xavier, "I intended to come and speak with you soon anyway, but there were more urgent things that required my attention and I knew that you could keep him safe."

Mum frowned, before she suddenly looked sharply at me.

"You've got claws," she said.

I nodded slowly, mentally putting things together. By this point, I'd basically concluded that my family had to be Mutants, likely descended from Logan in some way. Taking into account the inevitable differences between worlds due to the intervention of Scion and who knows what else and my family name and it didn't take long to come to the most logical conclusion that Mum was (somehow) this worlds version of X-23...maybe. Or it could just be a massive coincidence.

Mum sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I guess I can't argue with that," she grumbled, "And I take it you intend to organize a transfer if we agree?"

"Of course," said Xavier, "You know that the only reason James didn't get into Arcadia when he first started high school was because of his protracted absences making the Board wary."

Mum growled and muttered something about fucked up genes.

"Um, agree to what?" I asked.

Xavier smiled.

"Well my boy, let me tell you about the X-men..."

* * *

When Taylor woke up, the first thing she was aware of was the smell of disinfectant, followed by the sound of a heart monitor. For a moment, she lay still, trying to figure out why that was strange. Then, the memory of what had happened at school slammed into her and she sat bolt upright with a gasp of horror. She barely noticed the heart monitor going crazy beside her as she clutched at herself, desperately trying to get the disgusting mix of rotten blood, human waist, vomit and biting insects off her, completely oblivious to the fact she was clean and doing nothing but carving bloody furrows in her skin.

She screamed as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her, forcing her arms apart and down onto the bed. She kicked and thrashed, earning a stifled curse as her leg connected with something soft.

" _Taylor, calm down!"_ said a voice, cutting through her panic, _"Your safe, you don't need to be scared!"_

Despite her panic, the voice and the waves of calm and safety rolling off it allowed her to claw her way out of the rolling fear and horror and back to herself. Her thrashing slowed and stopped as she relaxed back onto the bed. Now that she wasn't blinded by fear, she could finally take in her surroundings. It looked like a perfectly normal hospital room, with the exception that the walls were made of some kind of metal blocks or panels and the doctor was a hulking, blue furred beast with sharp looking teeth looking extremely odd in a lab coat and glasses as he rubbed his stomach ruefully.

"Thats quite the kick you have there young lady," said the blue man.

Taylor could only stare as her mind absently noted that his voice was surprisingly cultured for such a beastly looking man. The man seemed to notice her confusion and sighed.

"Maybe I should have worn my projection watch," he muttered.

"Your blue," said Taylor weakly, her mind to busy spinning to realize how stupid the statement was.

The doctor paused and smiled at her.

"Actually, I'm quite happy," he said, "Now, lets get you checked out to make sure theres nothing wrong. Can you tell me your name?"

Taylor nodded slowly, her mind still spinning to the point she didn't even notice the joke.

"T-Taylor Hebert," she said.

"Its nice to meet you Taylor, I'm Dr Hank McCoy," he said, "Now, I'm going to take some blood, is that alright?"

Taylor nodded and watched as Dr McCoy gently took her arm and drew a small amount of blood, the red standing out harshly against her blue skin. Wait…

Taylor gasped as she yanked her hand back, turning her hands over as she felt more panic welling up in her chest as she absorbed the fact that she was now dark blue and apparently covered in patches of scales.

"W-what happened to me?" she whispered.

Dr McCoy sighed and rested a furry hand on her shoulder.

"I know its a shock," he said, "But rest assured, you're perfectly fine. We can help you."

Taylor looked up and met his yellow eyes.

"Help me how?" she asked, "And where am I? Are you a Cape?"

Dr McCoys smile widened slightly.

"Not exactly," he said, "Hmm, how to explain this? I'm not a Cape in the same way that someone like Armsmaster or Miss Militia is, although I do have powers, as do my colleagues."

He walked over to the edge of the room and put the sample of Taylor's blood in a machine she didn't recognize.

"I suppose the simplest explanation for it would be that we aren't Parahumans," he continued, "We don't go through Trigger Events anywhere near as bad as they do. Well, usually."

He shot her an apologetic look.

"We also don't have the Corona Pollentia or Gemma that grant Parahumans their abilities either," he said, "Instead, our powers come from our genetics. Something in our genome is different from regular Humans, granting us abilities ranging from superhuman strength, to psychic powers and so on."

"So what, we're genetic mutants?" asked Taylor, "The next step in evolution?"

Hank glanced over at her and smiled.

"Some might say so," he said, "I know some people who refer to Mutants and Homo Superior, although I don't believe it myself."

Taylor stared at the blue man, not quite sure what to make of all of it. It sounded completely insane after all, even in a world where people could casually break the laws of physics on a whim. Actually, maybe it was because of that that she didn't really believe him. After all, there had never been any evidence of anyone with powers appearing before Scion and there were plenty of Parahumans who had been changed by their powers. True, most of them were Cae 53s, but even so. She opened her mouth to call him out, but before she could, the door slid open and the very last person she expected to see walked in, looking rather annoyed and accompanied by a beautiful redhead with green eyes.

"Ah, hello Danny," said Dr McCoy, "Is been a while."

"Yeah, sorry about that Hank," said Danny, "But after Annette…"

"Of course," said Hank as Danny trailed off.

"D-dad?" said Taylor, looking between her Father and the blue furred Doctor in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Danny looked over at his Daughter and smiled a little weakly.

"Hey kiddo," he said, "Jean called and told me what happened."

"I...what?"

Now Taylor was really confused. Her Dad knew Dr McCoy? He certainly didn't seem surprised by the fuzzy man's appearance and he hasn't even reacted with the smallest bit of surprise to her own new skin tone. In fact, he looked almost nostalgic.

"Heh, and I thought you looked like your Mother before," he said, "You know, when Annette was pregnant, we'd often discuss who we thought you'd take after more?"

"Huh?"

"Um, Danny? Maybe you ought to start from the beginning?" said the redhead who had accompanied Danny.

"Huh? Oh, right," said Danny and did something with the watch he always wore.

There was a flicker and Taylor's eyes went wide as the apparently projected disguise vanished to reveal that Danny's skin and hair were both green, his ears were slightly pointed and his fingers were tipped in sharp looking claws.

"We'll leave you two alone," said Jean as she and Hank headed for the door.

"D-dad, whats going on?" stuttered Taylor, "Why are you green? And what did you mean when you said that I looked like Mom now?"

Danny sighed as he pulled up a seat beside the bed and sat down.

"I was honestly hoping that your Mother would be around to help me explain this to you," he said, "She was always better at it than I was, but I'll do my best. The fact is that Annette and I...well, we're not exactly like everyone else."

"You mean your Capes?" asked Taylor.

Danny smiled thinly.

"Not really," he said, "We're Mutants."

"Mutants?" asked Taylor.

Danny nodded.

"I was born like this," he said, indicating to his green skin, "Scared the hell out of my Parents, especially when I started turning into animals I saw on TV. Fortunately, the Professor found me before anything...unpleasant could happen. He taught me how to control my powers, gave me a place to call home and friends who didn't judge me for my appearance."

He snorted.  
"He even introduced me to Annette."

There was a moments silence, before Taylor spoke up again.

"You said I looked like Mom now," she said, "What did you mean by that?"

Instead of answering, Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph. It was of Taylors mother, looking slightly annoyed with a paint brush in her hand in what Taylor recognized as their living room. She had a blob of green paint on her nose, which stood out rather dramatically against her dark blue skin, the exact same shade as Taylors. She even had the same scale-like patterns, easily visible because she was completely naked. Taylor felt her cheeks warm when she realized that particular fact, making her Father laugh.

"Yeah, Annette always hated wearing clothes," he said to her unasked question, "She never told me why, but her powers meant that she didn't really need it."

"Whats that supposed to mean?" asked Taylor.

"Well, she was a Metamorph," said Danny, "She could change her entire body if she wanted, so making it appear that she was wearing clothes was easy for her. She was also highly resistant to temperature and weather, so she didn't even need it to keep warm and dry in foul weather."

"I...see," said Taylor, not really feeling any better about the realization that her Mother had probably been nude the entire time she knew her, "So...what do we do now? I can't exactly go back to school like this."

"Actually, you probably inherited your mothers powers, so you could easily make yourself look normal," said Danny, "But theres no way I'm letting you go back to that...school again."

He caught Taylors look.

"Jean filled me in on what happened," he said, "And I want to know everything later."

Taylor winced, but nodded. She knew better than to go against her Father when he used that tone of voice.

"Alright, then what do we do?" she asked, "I don't think Arcadia will let me transfer in in the middle of the year…"

She was cut off by Danny letting out a bark of laughter.

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," he said, "The Professor runs a school for Mutants, but they still need to attend a normal school. And since Ororo is the headmistress of Arcadia, its easy to get the young Mutants a place there."

Taylor blinked.

"Huh, thats...convenient," she said, "So, whats this about a school for Mutants?"

Danny smiled and lent forwards.

"Well, let me tell you about the X-men..."

 **And done. Well, that was interesting. Before I sign off, a few points.**

 **Point number one, my knowledge of any comic universe is limited, so most of what I have will come from a mix of general knowledge, the movies, cartoons and reading the Wiki, as well as modifications where needed that will be explained away as different timelines. Most notably, in this world, Weapon X isn't a thing. Mainly because the Cauldron took offence that there was another bunch of amoral nuts doing experiments on people with superpowers and shut them down. That basically means that there are no clones running around. There is however one experiment from Weapon X running around who will likely be putting in an appearance.**

 **James' mother is called Laura Kinney and has the same claws and powers as the original, but she isn't a clone and her claws are just bone with no Adamantium.**

 **Yes, I turned Danny into a Mutant, what of it? His powers are basically the same as Beast Boys and have resulted in Taylor's getting a bit of a boost when compared with Mystique.**

 **Speaking of Mystique, my original version had her as Annettes true identity, but then I decided to change her to Taylors grandma instead. Shes old enough, regardless of version.**

 **Next point, Mutants and Shards don't mix. At all. If a Mutant was to Trigger, it would result in their X-gene going completely out of control, booting out the invader and the host's mutation becoming much more obvious. The trauma and brain damage would also likely result in retrograde amnesia. Fortunately, Mutants are mostly invisible to Shards as potential hosts, so they can't naturally Trigger. Make of that what you will.**

 **Final point, I don't intend to add anything else from Marvel, despite the fact I've had some amusing ideas, like the Hulk fighting an Endbringer. However, that will likely just end up confusing me, so I scrapped it.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	108. Gotta Catch Em All Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Gotta Catch Em All!

Most people who get reborn into other world have a choice, join the hero, become a villain or attempt to live a normal life. I didn't have that luxury. Oh no, instead here I am, reborn bound to a broken girl as something other than Human. I just hope some moron doesn't decide to dissect me...

 **So an idea thats inspired by a few things that I won't list because I can't be arsed. Lets get started! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The first thing I noticed when I died was the smell. Something close to me reeked like a mixture of rot, shit and other disgusting things best left unseen. To make matters worse, for some reason, my sense of smell seemed so much sharper than it should have been, resulting in me getting uncomfortably familiar with the stench. I opened my eyes, intending to find the source of the smell since, as I mentioned, I was pretty sure I should be dead after having an industrial cooling unit crack my skull open, but I quickly forgot about that as opening my eyes revealed two important details. Point one, I was in a corridor of what looked like a school at night and, point two, I was less than a meter tall.

"What the fuck?" I muttered.

Or rather, I tried to. Instead, all that came out was:

"Pika?"

Understandably rather taken aback, I looked down and found myself looking at yellow fur covering a small, slightly chubby body. A glance over my shoulder revealed brown stripes across my back and a familiar zigzag tail sticking out of my behind. My reaction was...not subtle.

"PIKA PIKA CHUUU!"

FZZZAP!

A discharge of yellow lightning from my cheeks momentarily lit up the corridor and somehow caused the lights to flash on and off rapidly. A stray bolt also struck the lock of a nearby locker, causing the door to fall open and release a deluge of brown sludge and one catatonic girl. At the sight of it, I immediately froze, my lightning surge cutting out. No, that couldn't actually be…

The thought of who the girl totally was(n't) was quickly discarded as I suddenly realized I could feel some kind of connection linking me to the girl in the sludge.

"OH HELL NO!" I yelled, although it came out as basic poke-speak, "NOT ONLY DID I DIE, BUT NOW I'M A FUCKING PIKACHU, IN WORM AND TAYLOR'S POWER?! THIS IS BULLSHIT!"

Another spark of electricity jumped from my cheeks and I took a few deep breaths to calm down. I suppose it could be worse. I could be a Caterpie or something. I shook myself off and turned my attention back to the more important issues. Namely, what should I do. If Taylor died, I'd likely go pop, so I needed to do something. Unfortunately, Pikachu aren't exactly known for their high strength and I certainly wouldn't be able to carry her far. That meant I needed to get attention somehow. Fortunately, I knew exactly how to do that.

I quickly shifted Taylor into the recovery position, just in case, before taking off through the school, inwardly cursing my short legs. Then I stopped, smacked my forehead and used Quick Attack to get outside as fast as I could. I skidded to a stop outside and quickly started discharging energy from my cheek pouches. It was...an odd feeling. Once it reached the suitable level, as indicated by some new instinct in me, I released the energy in a massive bolt of yellow lightning...and accidentally shorted out the power grid in about a block radius.

"Oops," I muttered.

* * *

The evenings patrol was going fairly normally for Miss Militia. As usual, there had been a few slight issues of idiots breaking and entering, but nothing that required her to do more than tranquilize the perps for the cops to collect. There had been no Cape sightings, the Gangs were quite and things seemed, dare she say it, peaceful. So peaceful in fact that she decided to stop for a box of doughnuts from her favorite store. She was rather glad that she did as, when she was walking back to her bike, a bolt of lightning suddenly shot up from the city a few blocks away and somehow dropped straight back down to completely fry her bike. The Military Cape stood stock still for a moment, her eyes wide with a doughnut inches from her open mouth as she stared at the smouldering remains of her bike.

"For some reason, I feel like I should be extremely angry," she muttered, "Like I've just been the butt of a cosmic joke…"

Her communicator going off brought her out of her thoughts and she quickly activated it.

"All units, possibly Parahuman activity at Winslow," said the voice of a random PRT peon who was manning the console, "Any unit nearby respond."

"I'm only a few blocks away, I'll check," she said, hurrying off in the direction of the school, "Oh, and send someone to pick up my bike."

"Why, what happened?" asked Console.

"I think it was the victim of the Parahuman in question," she said.

"I see," said Console, "In that case, be careful. It could have been accidental, but be on guard for a hostile reception."

"Understood," said Miss Militia and shut of the radio.

* * *

It took less than five minutes to reach the school and she quickly realized that the lightning bolt had also shorted out the power in about a block and had, against all odds, not drawn a crowd. Then again, even the crazy people that inhabited this city wouldn't be willing to go out on a cold January night just to see what the source of a massive bolt of lightning was. To be fair, she didn't either, but she had a job to do.

Miss Militia summoned a large pistol and slowly made her way through the car park, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. It wasn't until she reached the door that she found something. The bottom half of the door was shattered, as if it had been hit by something rather small going very fast. She frowned and raised a hand to her ear to call it in, but before she could, she felt something tugging on her trousers. She looked down and saw...a short, chubby, rodent-like creature with yellow fur, red cheeks, long, pointed ears and a zigzag shaped tail looking up at her.

"Pika!" it said.

Miss Militia stared at the mouse for a moment, before rubbing her eyes and looking again. Nope, the Pikachu was still there. Was this some kind of Cape's idea of a joke? The little Electric type didn't seem to pleased with her stunned supprised and scurried up her leg.

"HEY!" she yelped, shaking the mouse off, "What are you…"

"PIKACHU!" yelled the Pikachu, jabbing a finger at the door, "Pika, Pika chuu! Pikapi, Pikachu!"

The squeaks were accompanied by more pointing and flailing.

"You want me to follow you?" asked Miss Militia, inwardly wondering exactly how she was able to interpret the apparently random movements and sounds.

The Pikachu nodded rapidly and jabbed at the school again, before darting back inside through the broken door. Now more bemused than worried, even if this was the result of some Capes power, Miss Militia followed the Pikachu inside, inwardly promising herself that she would make sure that Mouse Protector never, EVER found out about this.

It didn't take long to reach the Pokemons destination and any thought of levity vanished from Miss Militia's mind as she saw a girl laying in front of a locker in a puddle of disgusting sludge, clearly catatonic. The Cape quickly hurried over and knelt down next to the girl, ignoring the Pikachu as it clambered up onto her shoulder.

"Console, I need an Ambulance at Winslow," she said, "I've got a girl in dire need of help and a possible Trigger."

"Understood," said Console.

"Send an investigation team as well," said the Cape, "What I'm seeing here is well beyond any prank and into criminal assault. I want to know what happened and why."

"Yes ma'am," said Console.

"Pikapi," said the little creature on her shoulder, sounding rather worried and nudging her cheek.

"Don't worry," said Miss Militia, rubbing the little mouse between the ears, "She'll be fine."

The Pikachu let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

The next few hours were...odd, even for someone who had died, been turned into a Pokemon and apparently was now the embodiment of a teenaged girls power. It had not taken long for the Ambulance to arrive, accompanied by avan of PRT personal and Armsmaster, who appeared to be rather weary of me, despite the fact Miss Militia had taken quite the shine to me, even letting me ride on her shoulder as she followed the paramedics back out with Taylor.

"Are you sure that things safe?" asked the Tinker, eyeing me warally, "We don't know what kind of powers it has."

I scowled and pulled a face at him.

"I have a few ideas," said Miss Militia, "Although I'd rather keep them to myself for now."

Armsmaster looked curious, but didn't ask. It was at that point that the Paramedics reached the ambulance and hoisted Taylor inside, so I jumped from Miss Milita's shoulder and landed lightly next to Taylors head.

"Hey!" yelped one of the paramedics in protest.

"Wait, its fine," said Miss Militia, "I think hes part of her power, so its best if he goes with you."

"He?" asked Armsmaster.

"A square tail means a male," she said, before the doors shut, cutting off the conversation.

* * *

The trip to the hospital went without incident, although I did get some wary and confused looks from the paramedics and even more when we arrived. Unfortunately, Taylor didn't wake up for the rest of the night, although that wasn't completely surprising all things considered. Eventually, I fell asleep as well, curled up on her feet.

* * *

When Taylor woke up, the first thing she was aware of was the smell of disinfectant, followed by the sound of a heart monitor. For a moment, she lay still, trying to figure out why that was strange. Then, the memory of what had happened at school slammed into her and she sat bolt upright with a gasp of horror. She barely noticed the heart monitor going crazy beside her as she clutched at herself, desperately trying to get the disgusting mix of rotten blood, human waist, vomit and biting insects off her, completely oblivious to the fact she was clean and doing nothing but carving bloody furrows in her skin.

Then, something...odd happened. She felt something small and warm land on her lap, instantly cutting through her panic. Why she wasn't sure, but she somehow knew that she was completely safe. She slowly unclenched her fingers and opened her eyes. Naturally, she couldn't see much more than a yellow blur on her lap without her glasses, but a moment later, the blur handed said item to her and she put them on...only to freeze in complete and utter disbelief at the sight of the little Electric Mouse that was perched on her knees.

"Pika!" said the Pikachu.

"Err," said Taylor, trying to grasp the fact she had a Pokemon on her knees and could sense its presence in the back of her head.

She hesitantly prodded at the connection and got the feeling of worry, excitement and, oddly enough, suppressed anger back. The Pikachu cocked its head (no, _his_ head she mentally corrected herself) on one side and she got a vague sense of amusement. It was a rather odd feeling. She knew which emotions were Pikachu's and she could sense his location (not that hard), his general health, had a vague idea of what he was capable of and could give him directions without opening her mouth. It wasn't any kind of perfect control and Pikachu could easily disobey her if he thought the order was stupid, but he was generally quite happy to follow any order she gave in the short time they had between her waking up and the doctors arriving to respond to her screams.

* * *

Now that Taylor was awake, we were both put through a battery of tests that revealed that, while I was almost certainly a projection, I actually had an internal body makeup that made sense, although my Electric pouches cause some confusion on how in the fuck they were possible. I also had a dedicated network of pseudo nerves that ran through my entire body to help carry the charge and an extremely flexible and malleable body that would likely allow me to pull off a good number of the Pokemon mimicry and silly faces Ash's Pikachu did in the Anime. I have to admit, the biology of Pokemon wasn't really something I ever put much thought into, but being turned into one certainly made me very interested.

* * *

Once that was done (and I'd bitten an idiot who'd thought it was a good idea to pull my tail), I fell asleep in Taylors lap until what sounded like a herd of elephants charging down the hall woke me up. My eyes twitched as I lifted my head.

"Pika?"

Taylor looked up from….whatever she was doing and opened her mouth, probably to ask me what was wrong, but before she could, the door slammed open and a frantic looking man who could only be Danny came barging in.

"TAYLOR!" he yelled, dashing across the room to wrap said girl in a tight hug.

Unfortunately, that meant that I got trapped between them and, even with my oddly elastic body, it was pretty uncomfortable and I couldn't breath.

"P-pikachu!" I gasped as I struggled to get free.

Taylor seemed to pick up on my desperation because she tried to get lose to, but Danny seemed determined to never let go and just tightened his grip. It didn't take long to reach the end of my patients and my cheeks sparked.

"Pika-CHUUUUUUUU!"

 **Hehehe, that'll do. This was mostly written for shits and giggles, so I probably won't continue it or anything.**

 **Somehow, I don't think that discharging an electric attack in a hospital is the best idea, but since Taylor's power runs on Pokemon logic, not real life logic, it'll be fine. Hell, I'm tempted to give Taylor what amounts to an Anime characters body, allowing her to survive just about anything with only minor scuffs. If only for the hilarious look on Lungs face after he blasts her with fire, only for her to just get covered in soot and cough up a cloud of smoke.**

 **Its pretty much tradition for a female character to get their bike zapped in the first few episodes of Pokemon, so I decided I might as well do it here. Of course, Miss Militia won't be the only one to lose her bike. I plan for Taylor's future bestie to get zapped as well.**

 **Naturally, Taylor will get more Pokemon later down the line, although I'm not sure as to the hows yet.**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna sign off now, so don't forget to leave a review!**


	109. Grail of Heroes Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Grail of Heroes

Getting reborn into a world with crazy people with powers is annoying. Getting reborn as a character considered a joke by everyone is worse. That said, I never in a million years imagined that I'd Trigger with a power that basically makes me a walking cup. This is going to be a weird life.

 **This is, once again, an idea thats been rattling around in my head for a while. Should be interesting if nothing else. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Soooo, my death was lame. I mean, getting killed by a box full of paint cans falling on your head isn't exactly something to brag about. I knew I hated art for a reason. Still, at least I got a new life out of it. Oh yeah, I ended up getting reincarnated. I'm still not entirely sure why, but after I died, I woke up again as a baby.

Um, I think I pissed someone off upstairs. See, the world I had been reborn into wasn't exactly normal, not when there were people flying around in silly costumes. Yeah, I'd been reborn into a world full of crazy people with superpowers. Unfortunately, it wasn't a world like Marvel or DC where the Heroes always win. On no, I wasn't that lucky. The world I'd been reborn into was that of Worm. To make matters worse, I was born as GREG FUCKING VEDER!

Actually, that last point is kinda irrelevant. After all, its not like I'm replacing him later down the line, so the joke aspect of an annoying character isn't really an issue. On the other hand, I'm just as much of a geek as he was originally, so it kinda balances out. I did actually have a brain to mouth filter and an attention span of more than a few seconds to.

* * *

Growing up was...fine, I guess. My family wasn't exactly well off, but we had a steady income, mostly from Mum since her job as a secretary at Medhall was pretty solid since she was blond, blue eyed and white. I don't think she knew that the company was a front for the Empire since, if she did, she'd have already blown her top about it. Dads income was a little less guaranteed since he worked for the DWA, albeit in security rather than as a labourer, so he did actually have a job, rather than waiting around for something. Things were still a tad iffy on that point though.

Thanks to Dads job and the eclectic bunch of characters he worked with, he was able to teach me some pretty impressive self defence moves from all sorts of different styles that he'd learnt from his own training and from said colleagues when I asked him to. I don't think Mum particularly like it, but considering the city we lived in, I really don't think she was going to argue.

* * *

Ohh, now thats not fair! I'd just got the results of the tests to get into Arcadia and found that, despite doing well, I'd missed the boundary by one mark that I'd dropped thanks to a stupid mistake. Needless to say, I was pretty damn gutted.

Thanks to that fucking mark, I was destined for Winslow. It was pretty much what you'd expect, an absolute hellhole with blatant gang activity going on in every corridor, useless teachers and chronic bullying issues. Now, I'd like to say I did something about them, but the truth is, I have no idea what I could do. Nothing permanent thats for damn sure. Oh I tried, I really did, but it didn't take long for me to realize that I was wasting my time and, honestly? It wasn't really in my nature to waste my time helping people who couldn't be helped. Thats not to say I was a nutcase who'd let someone die or be seriously hurt if I could stop it and I did still occasionally step in if something went too far, but I certainly wasn't about to start going out of my way for others because of a bit of name calling.

That said, there was actually surprisingly little bullying that I had any interest in stopping. After all, the Gang kids could take care of themselves and if they didn't want to end up getting a kicking by the rivals after school, they shouldn't go out alone or, better yet, not be in a gang in the first place. Then there was Taylor. Urg, she was responsible for more headaches than my schoolwork and thats saying something!

* * *

My original intention had been to try and befriend her right of the bat, with the intent being to make sure that she had someone to back her up. Unfortunately, she was still reeling from Emma giving her the boot and politely told me to get lost. After that, I think she either thought I was in on the whole thing or a creepy stalker considering she wouldn't talk to me, despite my best efforts. Eventually, I gave up. I couldn't do much if she wouldn't let me after all.

To make matters worse, I missed the chance to make nice with her by helping her out of the Locker due to coming down with the flu. I kid you not, foiled in attempting to prevent a girl getting shoved into toxic waste by the fucking flu. I was not pleased. To make matters worse, I clearly heard multiple students talking about it _while teachers were within hearing distance_ and yet nothing was done. How? How can anyone possibly think this is in any way a good thing?! Needless to say (again), I was quickly losing what little respect I had left for the Winslow administration. Unfortunately, there was very little I could do as I was now.

* * *

After three months of trying desperately to think of SOMETHING I could do to sort out this mind fuck, I had come to a rather simple conclusion. If I wanted to do anything to clean up Winslow, I needed to bring the problems caused by Shadow Stalker to the PRT's attention. To do that, I needed to be able to unmask her, which meant that I needed a reasonable way I could find out her identity. I had little faith that attempting to provide the information as an anonymous tip would work without them using Tinker bullshit to sniff me out. I also needed to make myself someone who couldn't be ignored or brushed aside by a higher up, which meant I needed powers of my own that were strong enough to register as a genuine threat.

* * *

"ARGGG, THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" I screamed as I slammed my head into the desk, "I can't engineer an event to Trigger because it doesn't work that way and I just know that if I try, I wouldn't feel the needed threat to cause it and I'd rather work for fucking COIL than be in any kind of debt to the Cauldron!"

I slumped back in my seat, staring up at the ceiling.

"Fuck, if this keeps up, the worlds boned," I groaned, "Whats the point in having all this knowledge if I can't save one girl…"

* * *

 _Darkness._

 _Two lights, twining together, one green, the other red._

 _A feeling of being judged._

 _ACCEPTANCE_

 _ACKNOWLEDGED_

 _EMPOWER_

 _LINKED_

 _A brilliant blue light._

 _Awaken._

* * *

I jolted awake, gasping and dripping with sweat as if I'd just ran a marathon. Was that a dream? It didn't feel like it, although I couldn't remember exactly what I'd seen. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Trigger Event, but I could feel that something had changed. I felt...not stronger, but not in any logical way. It felt as if there was suddenly a lot of power bubbling below the surface, just waiting to be brought to the fore. I idly scratched the markings on the back of my hand as they tingled. Wait…

I frowned and looked down, only to nearly choke on my own spit when I saw what was inscribed on my hand. It looked like an Egyptian style scarab beetle, complete with wings, and, unless I was very much mistaken, was connecting me to something. I could feel something latching onto me and using me as a beacon to draw itself into the World.

"What the FUCK?!" I spluttered, "Whats going…"

That was as far as I got before a massive circle appeared on my bedroom floor and what looked like a black cloud erupted out of it, although I quickly realized that the 'cloud' was a massive swarm of insects of all kinds. I recoiled from the swarm, as anyone suddenly confronted with such a sight in an enclosed space would, resulting in me falling out of my chair with a crash. I sat up, just in time to see a pair of yellow orbs appear in the swarm as it started to slowly thin, vanishing into the hair and cloak of the figure kneeling in the middle of the room, the sight of which made my jaw hit the floor and my mind stall.

She was tall, I could tell that much, even if she was kneeling, and was wearing a light gray body suit that definitely wouldn't look out of place around here, armoured with dark gray panels that looked like citan, a mantel around her shoulders and hips, and a mask that resembled an insectoid head with yellow lenses as eyes and allowed her dark hair to fall free.

Em, what the hell?

The woman looked around the room and I twitched slightly as her eery yellow eyes landed on me. She tilted her head on one side slightly, before nodding just as minutely and stepping forwards. I would have done something to react to that, but my mind was still spinning. Then she did something that made my mind stall again. She knelt.

"I come in answer to your call," she said, "I come from the Throne of Heroes to grant your wish and have mine granted in return. I am Rider and by the Marks of the Contract, I am bound to thee until my purpose is complete."

Um, I repeat, WHAT THE HELL?

I took a deep breath and shifted so I was sat cross legged. Right, lets take things from the top. I had an odd dream I can't remember, feel oddly powerful, then find that I apparently have Command Seals carved into my hands. Then, a Magic Circle appears out of nowhere and apparently summons a Servant with no input from me, a Servant who I'm pretty sure is from the future. Well, at least this'll get the PRT to sit up and take notice! Probably in the worst way possible. Wait…

"Um, at the risk of sounding extremely dumb and possibly having you take my head off since I'm a bad Master, but you aren't bound to the Grail, are you?" I asked.

"I am not," said Rider, "I'm...not entirely sure how, but you are somehow maintaining me alone."

"Right, thats not a scary thought at all," I muttered, "How is that even possible?"

I shook my head quickly to dispel the thought. Then I had another, potentially worse, thought.

"Um, that wish you mentioned," I said hesitantly, "Its not anything to crazy, is it? Cus I don't think I can break reality, even if I am kinda already doing it maintaining you."

Rider shook her head.

"No, my wish doesn't need a Miracle," she said, "At least, not one that needs magic. In fact, I dare say we could complete both our wishes in the course of your plans."

I blinked.

"You know what I've been planning?"

"I am connected to you."

"Good point."

I took a deep breath. I'm pretty sure that theres no way it could be anyone else, but I had to be sure.

"Let me guess, your Taylor Hebert, aren't you?" I asked.

Rider just reached up and removed her mask. Sure enough, it was an older, tireded looking Taylor.

"I'd rather go by Rider though," she said as she tucked her mask way and shifted into a sitting position across from me.

"Thought so," I said, "So, your rider classification comes from Atlas?"

"Yep," said Rider.

I was about to ask what her stats were, but before I could, they popped into my head. They...weren't the best, but that was kinda to be expected. She was a relatively young Spirit after all. Her Strength and Endurance were both D, but her Agility was A, her Mana was D and her Luck was...E again. Yeah, that was kinda what I was expecting considering the saying 'Taylor is Suffering' was a thing. On the other hand, her Noble Phantasm was…

"Holy fuck, your Noble Phantasm is A+?!" I spluttered.

"Well, it did kill a god," said Rider.

"Good point," I said, "Still, I don't think we should use that except as a last resort."

Rider just gave a thumbs up. I sighed.

"Alright, so, now I'm calm again after chatting about geeky stuff, I don't suppose you have any idea how I summoned you?" I asked.

"Not a one," said Rider cheerfully.

I facepalmed.

"Very helpful," I drawled.

Rider just shrugged. I sighed and got to my feet.

"Right, well, its rather late and I need to be up early so I can do some errands while skipping school," I said, "You...do whatever."

Rider gave a sloppy salute and vanished. I stared at the area where she had been, trying to figure out why she was acting so out of character, before shrugging and getting into bed.

 **My original plan was to have him 'Trigger' dramatically in the middle of a fight and have Rider kick the snot out of everyone, but I eventually decided that was a bit to much. I can have him summon a Servant mid fight later.**

 **Riders Noble Phantasm is called Golden Morning and is a Reality Marble that basically allows her to summon specters of the swarm she used against Scion and use them to beat her opponent into the ground. I think thats worthy of an A+.**

 **Gregs basically a walking Grail and will get six other Servants, albeit lower level ones. I'll leave you to guess the origin of his powers since they obviously don't come from Scion. I have a few ideas for the other Servants he could gain, both canon ones from Fate and some from a little closer to home. With that in mind, would you rather I use already existing ones or turn a bunch of characters from Worm into Servants? Suggestions welcome of course, but heres my current list of possibilities:**

 **Rider: Taylor Hebert (obvs)**

 **Caster: Bonesaw or Dragon**

 **Lancer: Armsmaster or Dauntless**

 **Berserker: Lung, Panacea or Eidolon**

 **Archer: Legend or Miss Militia**

 **Assassin: Contessa, Coil, Tattletale or Shadow Stalker**

 **Sabre...I have no idea. I suppose Foil or Chivalir would work, but I'm not really feeling it with them. I'd probably use a canon one for this (or Taylor Varge in an Omake)**

 **As for the list of possible canon Servants, here it is:**

 **Caster: Tamamo or Medea. Lily or 'original'**

 **Lancer: Scáthach (albeit with a rather large power drop) or Elizabeth Bathory**

 **Berserker: Frankenstein or Florence Nightingale. If only so I can do the reactions of someone who saves lives popping up under the class that usually just squashes them.**

 **Archer: Chloe von Einzbern. What? I like her.**

 **Assassin: Jack the Ripper or Sasaki Kojiro**

 **Sabre: Saber Lily, Nero or Mordred.**

 **Like I said up top, this isn't even close to be set in stone and I might have better ideas down the line. If I continue it. Anyway, this is done, so I'm gonna sign out. I've got another idea to type up anyway. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	110. Storm at Sea Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Storm at Sea

When I was born into the world of Worm, I thought that maybe I'd end up with powers. To be fair, I wasn't wrong, but I never would have believed that I'd get them like this! Turns out, inherited powers are a thing, at least when your Dad is the God of the Seas!

 **OK, so this idea is admittedly utterly mad, but I did make it fair! I rolled a dice to determine who our heros Godly parent would be and it landed on Poseidon...and no ones gonna believe that for a moment. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Before we begin, I should probably warn you. This story will sound so utterly unbelievable that you probably won't believe a word of it. However, I swear that every word of it is the gods honest truth.

It all started when I died. Yeah, I know, off to a flying start. I won't go into how, but I certainly wasn't expecting to wake up again, especially not as a baby in the world of Worm. Yeah, not exactly the luckiest guy in the world, am I? Then again, I suppose I should consider myself at least a little lucky. Why? Well, my name is Percy Jackson, but I'm pretty sure that there aren't any Gods running around America in this world. Well, other than Scion, but I don't think he counts.

Urg, anyway, I spent my childhood and most of my teen years living with my Mum (who was called Sally incidentally) in a relatively nice area of New York, paid for by Mum's job as an author and teacher. I admit that I spent a good deal of my childhood expecting to be shipped off to Camp Half-Blood when I turned 12, but it didn't happen. Oh, I was shipped of to summer camp, but it was a perfectly normal one, with no Centaurs, Satyrs or Celestial Bronze. Once that happened, I breathed a sigh of relief. I really shouldn't have.

To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't see it coming considering I was diagnosed with both ADHD and Dyslexia, on top of being labeled as a troublemaker on a regular basis, despite not actually doing anything wrong. Well, I did tend to get into fights, but its not my fault I don't like bullies damn it! Still, at least I didn't get kicked out of school, so that was something I guess.

* * *

When I was 15 things got a little...odd. It started when Mum lost her job thanks to cutbacks at the school she worked at and, although she made a good chunk of money off her books, she still needed a job to keep things in balance. Fortunately, there was a well paid job available that she got easily. Unfortunately, it was a teaching position at Arcadia.

That meant we had to pack up and ship off to Brockton and, since apparently having a parent teaching there isn't enough to be bumped up the transfer list, I wasn't able to get into Arcadia this late into my second year of highschool. Looks like I'm destined for Winslow! Joy.

On the...odd side of things, we moved into a house just next door to someone rather unexpected. Like I said, while we weren't mega well off, we still had enough to get a place in a semi-decent neighbourhood, which around here basically meant that you could actually go out at night without getting mugged. I think that probably had something to do with the fact that an awful lot of the Dockworkers from the DWU lived in the area and really didn't like the gangs trying to hurt them at home as well as at work. Considering that, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that my new neighbour was Taylor.

To my suprise, Danny actually made a point to welcome us to the neighbourhood. No offence to him or anything, but I was half expecting him to still be wallowing in grief. Maybe something was different in this world? Taylor was a little less eager to meet and greet, but I did manage to get her to show me around the area, during which I managed to bring her out of her shell with a conversation on classic literature. Like, really classic. I'm talking stuff like the Odyssey and the Iliad, along with Greek myths and legends. She knew rather a lot about it and her eyes never failed to light up whenever she talked about it.

Strangely enough, her eyes were one of the things that I wasn't expecting about her. Normally, shes depicted with either brown or green eyes in the fics I'd read, but this Taylor had jet black eyes that, even under the weight of two years of bullying and a Trigger Event, still gleamed with a light that I found rather unnerving. And strangely familiar.

The rest of the weekend was spent unpacking and hanging out with Taylor, who quickly proved to be an absolute joy to talk to about all things Literature. Mum quickly reached the point where she adored the tall girl and broke out her baking gear to make sure we were never without freshly baked goodies during unpacking.

* * *

Eventually though, my first day at Winslow rolled around and things got...interesting. I'd convinced Taylor to give me a quick tour before I headed to the office to finish up getting sorted, which she reluctantly obliged to. As you might expect, it didn't take long for Sophia and Emma to start on Taylor. We were walking between lessons when a voice spoke up from behind us.

"Well hello there Taylor," said Emma in a faux friendly voice, "I haven't seen you all day!"

We stopped, Taylor getting a look of resignation on her face as we turned. Emma was just as gorgeous as I imagined, other than her saccharin smile and eager gleam in her eyes.

"Oh? And who's this?" asked Emma, looking me up and down, "A new friend?"

I plastered a smile on my face that probably looked as fake as hers.

"Thats right," I said, "I just moved into the City with my Mum for her job. Taylor lives nearby and she offered to show me around the school. Percy Jackson, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you Percy," said Emma, shaking my hand before putting a faux concerned look on her face and glancing at Taylor

She lent in close and stage whispered in the perfect tone that her words could clearly be heard by Taylor, who looked like she knew and was dreading what was to come.

"You know, you might want to be careful," said Emma, "Taylor has...a bit of a reputation around here."

I twitched slightly.

"Does she now?" I asked.

"Oh yes," said Emma, "I think shes involved with the Merchants. Be careful of anything she gives you, because…"

I held up a hand.

"And let me just stop you there," I said.

Emma blinked.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm allergic to bullshit," I deadpanned, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I can see right through blatant lies like that."

"Why I never…"

"I have plenty of experience dealing with bullies and people who enjoy spreading false rumors," I said, cutting her off, "People like you are easy to read if you know how and I most definitely do."

My ADHD made concentrating in class a bitch and a half, but for some reason it also gave me excellent observational skills and I'd refined those skills so I could easily read people when needed. Plus, the fact I knew exactly what she was like helped to.

"Now, I'm pretty sure I just craitered my social life around here, but I really don't care," I said, "If you'll excuse me, I've got a tour to finish. Lets go Taylor."

I turned to leave, only to walk straight into a fist to the gut. The blow knocked the wind out of me and I stumbled as a black girl who could only be Sophia, who had snuck up on me, grabbed me by the neck.

"Well, that wasn't very nice," she sneered as she dug in her fingers, "I think you need to be taught a lesson nea kid."

She started dragging me towards the loos, apparently completely ignoring my attempts to get her off me. She was incredibly strong, enough that I was certain that she'd gained different powers than in canon at the time. I noticed out the corner of my eye that Emma had grabbed Taylor by the arm and was dragging her after us, likely to force her to watch.

The toilets were pretty much exactly as you'd expect for a shit hole like Winslow and I quickly redoubled my struggling. I was NOT going in that thing! It looked like it hadn't been cleaned since I was born!

Unfortunately, they were to strong and I couldn't get lose. Then, I felt a sharp tug in my gut and the plumbing exploded. Water came shooting out of the john, arching over my head and hitting Sophia full in the face. Naturally, she dropped me and stumbled back, cursing loudly, but it wasn't over. The other toilets also erupted with the force of a fire hose, dowsing and shoving Sopha back into Emma, knocking both to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Then, the sinks also decided that they didn't like what was going on and erupted with the force of a firehose, hitting the bullies full force and sending all five of them skidding out of the room in a deluge of stinking water. As soon as they were gone, the tug vanished and the water shut off, leaving the room flooded and dripping.

Even Taylor had not been spared, although it looked like it was just water from the sinks rather than the bogs. I however was stood on a perfectly dry circle of floor without a single drop of water on me.

"H-how did you do that?!" spluttered Taylor.

"I...have absolutely no idea," I said.

Incidentally, I was lying through my teeth considering I had a pretty good idea how. Taylor and I left the bathroom to find Emma and Sophia untangling themselves, dripping and looking furious. Emma looked a little worried, but Sophia was glaring at me with a look of absolute hatred on her face.

"You…" she hissed, "You are so fucking dead! You hear me, DEAD!"

I probably should have kept my mouth shut, but I couldn't resist.

"You want to gargle toilet water again?" I asked, "Shut your gob Sophia."

Sophia snarled and looked like she was about to attack me, but a teacher emerging from a classroom to investigate the commotion made her think twice. Instead, she turned and stomped away with Emma on her heels like a loyal dog.

"Well, that was interesting," I said.

Taylor just gave me a flat look.

* * *

The rest of the day went by without incident, although Taylor kept shooting me strange looks and I occasionally felt Sophia trying to burn a hole in the back of my head, although she didn't try anything else. Eventually, school let out and Taylor and I caught the bus home. For the first part, we sat quietly, although I could tell that Taylor had something she wanted to ask me.

"Whats up?" I asked.

Taylor nearly jumped out of her skin.

"W-what are you talking about?" she asked.

I sighed.

"Taylor, I can tell somethings bothering you," I said, "Just ask. I promise I'll answer if I can."

Taylor hesitated for a moment, before she blurted out:

"Are you a Cape?"

I blinked.

"Where did that come from?" I asked.

"W-well, you did that thing with the water, so I thought…" said Taylor, trailing off at the end.

"No, I'm not a Cape," I said, "I'm pretty sure I've never been through a Trigger Event and I'm pretty sure I'd remember something like that."

"I suppose that true," said Taylor, "But then, how did you do it?"

I shrugged.

"Who knows?" I said, "Maybe I inherited it from my Dad or something."

"I thought you had no idea who he was?" said Taylor.

"Exactly."

Taylor finally cracked a smile at that.

* * *

That night, I dreamt.

I found myself stood in a meeting room that was basically pure white, other than the chairs and the people sat in them. And what an eclectic bunch of people it was. It took less than a second to recognize all of them and realize that my first Demigod dream (because what else could it be?) involved the Cauldron.

Dr Mother sat at the head of the table with Contessa at her left, while Alexandria held the seat directly across from her boss with Eidolon at her side. Legend sat half way down the table across from a perfectly normal looking man with blond hair and stormy gray eyes who had to be the Number Man.

"So, what do we know?" asked Alexandria.

"Very little," said Dr Mother, "All we know is that the Path changed abruptly around six hours ago, Bet time."

I frowned. Six hours ago would put the moment of change at around the same time I doused Sophia.

"Changed?" asked Legend, "Changed how?"

"I don't know," said Contessa, looking annoyed, "I can't see anything anymore. Instead, all I see is a blinding light and a lot of green smoke."

Alexandria scowled.

"Great, and how are we supposed to beat Zion without the Path?" she asked, "I mean, even with it, our chance of victory is miniscule as is. Without it…"

"Yes, I am aware," said Contessa, "But theres nothing...I...ca…"

She trailed off as an odd look crossed her face. The other members of the Cauldron frowned as the Hat wearing woman stared of into the middle distence.

"Um, are you…" started Legend, but was cut off as Contessa suddenly let out a gasp and hunched over in her chair.

"Contessa?" said Dr Mother, leaning down to check on her right hand woman.

The moment her fingers touched the other womans shoulder, Contessa jerked back upright, showing that her eyes had rolled back into her skull and were glowing faintly. Naturally, everyone in the room, including me, jolted back at the unexpected and eery sight, not helped in the least when her mouth opened and green smoke began to billow out. The smoke pooled around her feet as Contessa's body began to rise, moving like a marionette on strings with, to be fair, probably wasn't that far from the truth. Then, she turned to me.

 _I am the spirit of Delphi, Speaker of the Prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, Slayer of the Mighty Python. Approach Seeker and ask._

I gulped. Even compared with everything that came with living in the Wormverse, I suddenly felt like I'd rather take on the Nine armed only with a toothbrush than face the Oracle. And I wasn't even really there! The Cauldron members didn't look much better, although Number Man looked like he was about to shit himself.

"Whats going on?" demanded Dr Mother, "Contessa, control yourself!"

"Thats not Contessa," muttered Number Man.

"Whoever you are, let her go!" demanded Alexandria, stepping forwards with her fists clenched as the other two members of the Trivumate tensed and readed for a rumble.

Number Man quickly headed that off by stepping between them.

"Don't," he said, "Seriously. That THINGS too strong to fight and I don't think we could hurt it if we tried."

Through all this, the Oricle remained stock still, staring into my eyes with blazing green orbs. I swallowed again and cleared my throat.

"What is my destiny?" I asked.

I wasn't sure if it could actually hear me, but apparently it could because the Oricle responded. The mist began to billow, rising up to form an image of twin snakes twining together, before that to dissolved and reformed into what looked like an office with Armsmaster, Miss Militia and a large woman who could only be the Director sitting around the desk. Armsmaster looked up, his eyes blazing like green torches

 _The Cycle is paused, but not ended._

Miss Militia was next.

 _You who fight will fail alone._

Finally, Piggot looked up and spoke.

 _Only with the Blood of the Gods shall you succeed._

The scene dissolved and reformed into what could only be the sitting room of the Big House a world away, complete with cardigan wearing Centaur in a wheelchair, a near mirror image of me and a blond girl in a baseball cap. Chiron looked up from his book and spoke.

 _Ten Great Heroes shall answer the call._

Annabeth was next.

 _Children of the Council, lost to the Seas of Reality._

And finally, Percy.

 _Ten Heroes, to Preserve all worlds or see them burn._

The scene dissolved once again and the smoke began to regather into a serpentine form.

The tip of the cloudy serpent's tail vanished back into Contessa's mouth and she collapsed. A moment later, the vision dissolved and I fell into fitful sleep.

 **Hoo boy, that was certainly a wild ride! Before I sign of, a few important points.**

 **Point one, Bet obviously doesn't have any native supernatural creatures, although it is possible for Gods and Monsters to cross over using various methods. However, doing so is rather rare. Some hop across more than others, but generally theres not more than 100 Demigods on Bet at a time.**

 **No, Contessa is not an unknown host for the Oricle, she was just used as a mouthpiece for it thanks to some machinations from the Fates.**

 **I wonder if you can guess who I have in mind for being the Children of the Prophecy? Percy's obviously one, but the other eight might be a bit harder to figure out. Well, mostly. Two of them are a tad obvious from this chapter. You can probably even guess who their Parents are.**

 **That said, there will be a few more Demigods popping up who aren't connected to the Prophecy. In fact, we met one in this chapter.**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	111. Storm at Sea Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Storm at Sea

When I was born into the world of Worm, I thought that maybe I'd end up with powers. To be fair, I wasn't wrong, but I never would have believed that I'd get them like this! Turns out, inherited powers are a thing, at least when your Dad is the God of the Seas!

 **And we're back. Lets get started! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

I think it goes without saying, but it didn't take me long to find myself awake and unable to get back to sleep. I'd seen the fucking Oricle, a being that Chiron was genuinely worried would send Percy insane, possess the biggest boogyman in Earth Bet and deliver what could only be a Great Prophecy to me, despite the fact I was there as an astral projection that basically implied that, if anyone wanted to take down Scion, they needed Godly Blood. Fuck me, this is exactly why I didn't want to be a Demigod! I don't want to be a world saving hero! Hell, I had to find nine other Demigods and I didn't even know where to start! Eventually, I gave up trying to sleep and, on Friday, decided to go for a walk. Sure, it was bit (read, a lot) dangerous to be out after dark, but I could fight and I'd been working on my Hydrokinesis, so I wasn't completely helpless.

After changing into from my PJ's into my running gear, I grabbed my water bottle, snuck out of the house and jogged down the street. I really should have been more prepared than I was.

* * *

I'm not sure what it was, but I suddenly stopped when I was a block from home, just in time for a crossbow bolt to shoot past my nose and bounce of the wall. If I'd kept going, that would have buried itself in my shoulder, completely disabling my arm. I turned, just in time to see another arrow shooting towards me. I responded by throwing my bottle at it.

The arrow split the bottle with ease, but considering the liquid was currently harder than steel, it just bounced off that as well. A gesture made the water reform into the shape of a sword, specifically a Xiphos. Because what else would it be?

"And here I thought you were supposed to be using tranqu bolts," I called.

There was a scoff from the darkness as Shadow Stalker stepped into the light.

"Like I give a crap what those weaklings want," she growled, "Besides, this is personal."

I smirked. Looks like she was more angry over the toilet water thing than I thought if she was willing to risk killing me over it.

"Aww, did I make you mad?" I said, "Then again, I guess getting sprayed in the face by a commode is rather humiliating, right Sophia?"

Shadow Stalker jerked back as if struck, giving me the perfect opening to close the distance and jam the pommel of my sword into her gut. It might be made of water, but it was still as solid as steel, so it knocked the wind out of her and sent her flying back. Huh, guess I get a strength boost as a Demigod. Or it could just be the water.

Anyway, Sophia quickly recovered from the blow by turning shadow and backflipping, switching back to solid a moment later to fire a pair of bolts at me. A flex of will turned my sword into a shield, deflecting the bolts as I sprinted after her, deflecting another couple of bots as I did. I slid under the last one, turning my water shield into a Khopesh as I did. I hooked the hooked blade of the weapon around Sophia's legs and pulled, yanking her off her feet before she could react. She let out a yelp as she hit the ground, releasing her crossbows as she did and giving me the perfect opportunity to disarm her, kicking the weapons into the darkness.

Sophia snarled as she flipped back to her feet and pulled out a pair of bolts that she held like daggers and went on the attack. I shifted my water weapon back into a Xiphos (which was just more comfortable in my hand) and met her attack. I'm pretty sure that, from the outside, it probably just looked like a blur of motion as we attacked, countered, blocked and parried in a rapid dance that was accompanied by the sound of metal on metal (somehow) and the occasional grunt as one of us got past the others guard.

Eventually, one of us found the inevitable opening and in this case, it was Sophia. Not that surprising since, talent aside, she just had more experience than I did. She managed to knock my sword out of position and immediately capitalized on the opening by punching me in the stomach, sending me skidding back.

For a moment, we stood still, both breathing heavily as we glared at one another. At some point in the fight, Sophia had lost her mask and hood and she was bleeding from a few cuts on her face and favouring her left leg slightly where I'd managed to nick her hip. I wasn't much better, with a gash on my arm and a long cut just above my eye that was bleeding profusely.

We might have continued our bout, but the moment was shattered by a sound I don't think either of us expected. Clapping. We both turned to see a frankly massive man leaning against an equally massive harley davidson with flames on the tanks, loaded shotgun holsters bolted to the sides and a seat that looked like it was made from some kind of white leather that looked uncomfortably like human skin.

The man himself was somehow even more intimidating than the bike. He towered over me and his biceps looked like they were bigger around than my torso. He was wearing black jeans, combat boots, a black leather duster, and a red muscle shirt under a bulletproof vest and had a large hunting knife strapped to his thigh. His face was handsome, in a cruel and brutal way, with knife scarred cheeks and an oily black crew cut. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of blood red wrap around sunglasses, but I could still feel the heat of his gaze from here.

"Who the fuck are you?" snarled Sophia.

Ares let out a bark of laughter and pushed off his bike.

"I'd be offended at that, but I honestly can't blame you for not recognizing me," he said, "However, I think fish breath knows me."

I twitched slightly, but sucked it up. I did NOT want to annoy him. I'd rather fight Alexandria armed with a toothpick.

"Ares, God of War," I said, "What are you doing here?"

Ares snorted.

"I happen to like this world," he said, "Always so much conflict and plenty of glorious battle! But if your asking why I'm in the City specifically, well, your Daddy asked me to do him a favour. Normally I wouldn't play delivery boy, but since I was looking for my own kid, I figured I'd make an exception. Here."

He tossed something at me and I barely caught it before it smacked me in the face. At the same time, a green trident appeared above my head, lighting up the alleyway.

"Um, thank you?" I said, not sure how to take the fact that Ares was acting as delivery boy for Poseidon.

I was also busy trying to decide if I should be pissed that, yes, I was actually the Son of Poseidon and not some weird anomaly of a Parahuman. Meanwhile, Sophia apparently decided that she didn't fancy living and scoffed.

"God of War?" she sneered, "Don't make me laugh! I bet your just another Cape with a puffed up ego."

I stared at her like she'd gone nuts, before slowly backing away. Ares stared at Sophia for a moment, before he did something I wasn't expecting. Instead of turning her into a prairie dog or something, he burst out laughing.

"BWAHAHAHAHA, you got spunk kid!" he thundered, "Even Clarisse doesn't have the guts to talk to me like that! I think I'm gonna really like you."

I blinked. Why did he… OH HELL NO!

My head snapped around as I looked between the two battle nuts facing off and made more than a few connections. Sophia was strong, much stronger than she should be, she was naturally belligerent and had a head for battle that went even further than most Parahumans. Not only that, but now I looked closer, I could see a fair few similarities between Ares and Sophia. Like that grin Ares was wearing for example. It was the same one Sophia had worn when she had been about to dunk me.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" snarled Sopha.

Ares laughed again and took off his sunglasses, revealing the nuclear explosions he had instead of eyes. Sophia, predictably, took a step back in shock.

"It means that you'd better start believing I'm a God Sophia Hess," he said, his grin widening to terrifying levels, "Cus, while I like my kids to have some bite, that doesn't mean that they get free reign to insult me."

While he was talking, Ares started cranking out an aura that basically screamed 'THIS THING IS SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU, BOOK IT!' at the most primal and base part of me. And I was only affected because I was standing next to Sophia, the actual target. She reacted pretty much as you'd expect. Her eyes widened in absolute terror and I could see that she was shaking. However, she didn't back down and met her Fathers glare with one of her own. After a few moments, Ares let up on his aura and snorted.

"That attitude will be the death of you," he said, "Well, whatever. I've done what I came here for, so I'm leaving. Oh, but before I forget."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a can of pepper spray.

"Here, I got Forge brain to make this for you," he said, tossing the can to Sophia, who just looked confused as she caught it.

"What am I supposed to…" she started, but was cut off as she did something and the can turned into a full sized crossbow made of bronze, "...oh."

Ares laughed.

"Normally I'd prefer my kids use real weapons, but I certainly ain't gonna complain about you being the best with your own," he said, "That won't ever run out of ammo and will return to your pocket if you lose it."

"Um, how exactly did you get Hephaestus to make you that?" I asked, "I would have thought he'd have laughed in your face considering your screwing his wife."

Ares growled.

"Don't push it Percy Jackson," he growled, "Your good, but you don't hold a candle to your brother."

He swung himself onto his bike and roared away, leaving a trail of crimson fire in his wake. Sophia and I stared after him, before I glanced at her.

"So, we gonna keep fighting or do you just want to go home?" I asked.

Sophia glared at me, but stomped away, pausing only to retrieve her mask and normal crossbows as she did. I remained where I was until she was out of sight and had been for a good five minutes, before I relaxed and looked down at what Ares had given me. It was a bundle wrapped in fabric that shimmered like fish scales and contained a bronze wristwatch with a black leather strap and a pen with a trident shaped clip. My eyes lit up and I clicked the pen. Sure enough, it extended into a full length Xiphos made of faintly glowing bronze metal and a word engraved on the blade. I tilted the weapon so I could read it.

"Maelstrom," I muttered, "Awesome."

I turned my attention to the watch and quickly put it on. It took a moment, but I quickly discovered that, yes, it was a bronze, Greek style shield with a trident embossed on the metal. I grinned.

"Thanks Dad," I muttered.

A slight wind picked up and swirled around me, carrying the scent of the sea. My smile widened as I collapsed my shield and sword and slipped the pen into my pocket with the fabric it was wrapped in. I don't think it had any real properties, but it was good quality and large enough to work as a bandana or something similar. Plus, it was from Dad, so I really couldn't complain.

 **And that'll do. Well, that was fun! I planned right from the start to have him get into a fight with Sophia, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to take a full chapter. On a side note, Ares is oddly fun to write. I might have him show up later…**

 **So, who expected me to make Sophia Ares' kid? Shes actually the one character who I had planned as a Demigod from the start and I originally intended for her to already be aware of her parentage and be the one to confirm that Percy is actually one to.**

 **I somehow doubt that Ares would ever agree to play messenger, but he really likes Bet and takes any opportunity he can get to visit. In fact, most of the Demigods on Bet tend to be Ares kids.**

 **Incidentally, a Celestial Bronze weapon isn't as useless in this world as you might think. True, their useless against Mortals, but Parahumans don't quite qualify. They are actually vulnerable to Bronze, even those who would be invulnerable under normal circumstances. The same goes for the other types of Godly metal out there.**

 **Speaking of which, Shards interact oddly with Godly blood. Although Demigods can Trigger, once said Demigod is Claimed, their power and Shard do all sorts of odd things. I'll reveal the what later on.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	112. A Tale of Two Brothers Chapter 1

A Tale of Two Brothers

Hoo boy, this is not what I thought would happen when I did a CYOA for me and my brother. Now we're both stuck in the Worm-verse in body's seven years younger than we were, superpowers and no way home. This...is not going to be fun.

 **Because I feel guilty over treating so many Outsiders horribly, I've decided to do this. I also wanted to give a CYOA a try, so lets see what you think of the idea. I'll stick the choices at the bottom if your interested. For now, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

" _Theres something wrong with this picture,"_ I thought as I stared up at the starry sky above me.

I was still half asleep, so it took me a moment to register just was was off.

"Wait, what happened to my ceiling?" I muttered.

Then, I sat bolt upright, looking around wildly as what I'd just said sank in. I wasn't in my bedroom, instead I was in a rather grimy alleyway, sitting on a pile of stinking binbags.

"Um...O...K?" I said slowly, "Where am I and how the fuck did I get here?"

I lifted my hand to scratch my beard, only to find my fingers touching bare skin. I blinked and quickly rubbed my cheeks, only to find a small amount of patchy fuzz.

"What the hell?" I muttered, more than a little put out.

I liked my beard damn it! I looked down and my frown deepened as I realized that I seemed to be a little smaller than I remembered. I was never a big guy, but now I looked even thinner and smaller than I had been the day before. Whats more, my clothes (which I thankfully had on since I normally slept in my undies) were a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt I recognized as being from my wardrobe. From about seven years ago. Even if I hadn't grown that much, it still should have been been a little tight.

"What the actual fuck is going on?" I muttered as I scrambled out of the pile of rubbish and made my way to the edge of the alley.

As I did, I walked past a patch of graffiti. Now, that normally wouldn't be enough to make me stop, but for some reason, the defacement made me pause and take a second look. It was a green and red chinese style dragon coiled up and spitting a fireball that formed the letters ABB. I stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out why that was so important. Then, it clicked and I went white.

"Oh fuck!"

I ran for the entrance of the alley and looked out. Across the street from me, the warehouse that had been stood there had collapsed, giving me an excellent view of the city across the massive bay, the large tanker sunk in the entrance and the floating, glowing rig in the very middle of the water. I took a moment to gape, before I pulled my head back and slumped against the wall.

"Shiiiiiit," I breathed, "Thats not good."

The sound of something clattering in the alley made me jump and spin around, just in time to see a head of brown hair pop out of the pile of bags with a look of disgust and confusion on his face. Despite looking about seven years younger than the day before, I still recognized my little brother as he looked around in confusion. A moment later, something else clicked in my head and I let out a groan. The sound drew Lucas' attention to me and he frowned.

"Mark? Is that you?" he asked.

"Yeah, its me," I said, rubbing my eyes in an attempt to stem the headache that was pounding in behind my forehead.

"O...K," said Lucas, looking around again, "Where are we? How did we get here and why do you look so young?"

I sighed deeply.

"You remember a couple of weeks ago when I told you not to blame me if we randomly woke up in Worm?" I asked, "You gave me a funny look and went back to playing Terraria?"

"Yeasss," said Lucas, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, apparently a ROB decided to take that as a challenge," I said.

I got a flat look.

"Random Omnipotent Being," I said, "Basically, its what's used as an explanation for dumping OC's in a world for a fanfic. Incidentally, the B can also stand for bastard."

"What do your Fanfictions have to do with anything?" asked my Brother.

"Everything," I said, "Unless I'm very much mistaken, we've been dropped into one I was planning on writing."

Lucas stared at me for a moment, but I ignored him as I closed my eyes and focused. If I was right, the two of us probably had the powers of the characters I'd created for a CYOA. If that was the case, I should be able to...ah ha!

I couldn't stop the grin that crossed my face as the world seemed to light up with a fairly large number of different coloured flames, including one a short distance away that was probably Lucas. Most of them were gold and burning steady, although a few were blue and guttering, while the one that indicated Lucas was crimson and resembled a blazing pyre. I focused on my Brother and, sure enough, found that the flames split into a few different shades, each indicating a different power that I could easily figure out just by looking.

"OK, now thats cool," I muttered as I opened my eyes.

I glanced over at Lucas, only to find him staring at me with wide eyes. I eyed him for a moment, before I remembered another thing I'd picked and groaned.

"The Case 53 choices have kicked in, haven't they?" I asked.

Lucas nodded slowly. I looked down and was mildly surprised to see that I was still Humanoid, although I was now sporting green scales on my visible arms that extended up to my elbows and, if the itching on my legs was anything to go by, was probably the same on my legs. My shoes and socks had been torn to bits by my changing feet, taking on a more reptilian form with three taloned toes that I was stood on rather than my whole foot. My fingers also had sharp looking talons, although I kept the full dexterity of my fingers. That was helpful because one of my powers was a Tinker based one and trying to build without full use of my fingers sounded rather unpleasant. I rolled my shoulders, feeling the larger scales on my back catch my shirt as I glanced around. Finding what I was looking for (which turned out to be a wing mirror of all things), I picked it up and examined my face. It was still recognizably me, but framed with green scales, while my eyes had turned a golden yellow and lizard-like and my ears had changed to almost resemble fins. Even my hair had changed slightly, becoming spiky and more akin to a spiny crest than actual hair. I opened my mouth and found that I had fangs and a rather long, forked tongue. Finally, a powerful looking tail waved behind me. Yeah, no one was ever going to mistake me for a Human again. I really shouldn't have taken those two points in Case 53, but I wanted the points damn it!

I sighed and tossed the mirror over my shoulder. Nothing I could do about it now, although I would like to know who thought it was a good idea to turn me into a giant lizard. I really hope I'm not cold blooded or winter was going to be hell. Still, the claws could be useful.

I turned my attention back to my Brother, who looked like he had no idea what to think.

"Um, are you OK?" I asked.

Lucas gave a slightly manic laugh.

"This has gotta be a dream," he muttered, although I could still hear him.

Enhanced senses, neat.

"Well, if it is a dream, I'm dreaming it to," I said, "Unfortunately, I don't think it is."

Lucas ignored me as he kept muttering. Then he started pinching himself, letting out little yelps as the pinches got harder and harder. I quickly moved forwards and grabbed his hands. As far as I could remember, he didn't have any powers that would be likely to hurt him (and a quick double check revealed that I was right), but I didn't really like seeing my brother hurting himself like that. We didn't always get on and I found him trying, but he was still my little brother.

"Lucas, calm down," I said, keeping my voice as level as I could, "Listen to me little brother, I know its a lot to take in, but we HAVE to keep our heads! This is not a world where we can just go off half cocked and expect to win just because we have superpowers. We need to stick together or we'll both end up dead or worse!"

Actually, I'd probably be fine and he had a decent array of powers that would make beating him a real hassle, but if he didn't know how to use them or what he was up against, it wouldn't take long for someone to off him. Or pressgang him. His power set would make him a deadly assassin.

Lucas flinched at my touch and started shaking his head, muttering frantically. I resisted the urge to scowl. I think he was going into a panic attack and I had no idea what to do. Suddenly I wished I'd taken first aid, but I didn't exactly think I'd need it compared with some of the other skills I'd picked.

"Lucas, calm dow…" I started.

"NO!"

FAZAP!

I jumped with a yelp of pain as my brother abruptly vanished in a flash of blue light and the smell of ozone. Oh yeah, I'd given him the ability to blink, hadn't I. Well, that was annoying. Fortunately, he could only teleport to a point where he could see, so he was still in my range. I could follow him easily. I nabbed a copy of his Blink and took off after him.

Unfortunately, I'd underestimated just how out of it he was. He kept blinking rapidly and I think he was also randomly activating his Mist Form, which made tracking him that bit harder, even with my ability to sense his location. To make matters worse, he was getting closer and closer to a signal that I really didn't want to be anywhere near. To my sense it registered as a combination of Pyrokinesis and power increase in response to stimuli, but to everyone else it was Lung. Considering I'd taken Worst day ever for both of us, twice, I didn't want us anywhere near him.

Of course, at that moment, I sensed Lucas' signal appear in close vicinity to Lungs. As in, directly on top of him.

"Oh shite, thats not going to end well," I muttered and sped up even more.

A moment later, I was proven correct as a roar of rage and a blast of fire erupted from a nearby building.

"Oh, buggering hell," I grumbled as I sprinted towards it, using Blink to cross the distance more quickly.

The fire wouldn't hurt Lucas, but that didn't mean that Lung couldn't squash him like a bug! I quickly scanned the available powers nearby and snagged the first one that looked good, only to nearly collapse under the sudden weight of the massive rifle that appeared in my hands.

"Huh, guess Miss Militias nearby," I muttered.

Then again, my radius of affect was about a kilometer, so nearby might be relative. I shook that issue off in favour of turning the rifle into a rocket launcher and firing it at Lung. What? I might be able to access and use the powers I copied to their fullest, but that doesnt mean I had any idea as to how to shoot a gun. Then again, I could have just stolen Lucas' Proficiency power…

It was a tad too late to do anything more subtle though as the rocket hit Lung in the face as he loomed over my brother, sending the hulking Brute stumbling back. Regeneration or no, taking a rocket to the face had to hurt like hell. I discarded Miss Militia's power and Blinked down to stand between Lucas and the rapidly recovering Lung.

"Oo 'he uk' a' oo?!" snarled the Dragon as he loomed over me, his voice already distorted from his transformation.

I gulped as I resisted the urge to cower, although I couldn't stop my crest from flattening against my head and my tail from stiffening in fear.

"Hey now, I don't want to fight!" I said quickly, holding up my hands, "I just want to make sure my brother doesn't hurt himself."

Lungs eyes lit up with fire as more of the stuff started leaking off him. I gulped and nabbed Lucas' resistance so I didn't start cooking from the heat.

"'Es oor uther?" growled Lung.

"Yeah, he had a bad experience Triggering and kinda went a little crazy," I said with a slightly strained laugh, "I've been chasssing him all night. He didn't mean any disssressspect teleporting in like that…"

I trailed off as Lung started shrinking while the part of my brain that wasn't busy panicking noted that I apparently hissed when I got stressed. I was a little relieved that Lung was no longer planning to try and burn us to a crisp (and likely squash us when that didn't work), but I didn't really like the look he was giving me. He shifted his gaze to my still muttering brother.

"You a Cape to?" he asked, his voice now recognizably Human, although he was still sporting scales.

I shoved down the urge to look down incredulously or call the scary rage Dragonman an idiot.

"Yeassss," I said, not entirely sure where this was going, but I had a distinct impression I wouldn't like it.

I slowly started coiling my tail around Lucas' body as I got ready to Blink away at the first opportunity.

"Intended or not, disrespect cannot be simply forgiven," said Lung, "You shall serve me."

He said it as if that was it. The sky was blue, fish swam and Lucas and I would work for him. Yeah, not a chance. He might be scary as fuck, but I could easily match and even surpass his power by simple vertue of stealing and combining the powers of everyone within my radius. Which incidentally, included Purity, most of the Protectorate, Skidmark, Oni Lee and, of course, Lung himself. Still, seeing as I would have a bit of a hard time vanishing, I wasn't about to piss him off more by attacking him. Not until I got some actual infrastructure built at least. After all, Lung might be able to turn into a Kaiju sized dragon, but Kaiju are no match for giant robots!

Ahem, sorry, Tinker powers talking.

"Ahem, at the risk of getting flattened by an overly aggressive rage dragon, I'm gonna have to say no," I said, "See, I already have plans and they don't involve working for another lizard."

I'm pretty sure Lungs nostrils flared under his mask, but I was already picking out the perfect spot to vanish to.

"You dar…"

Lung was cut off as I Blinked away, pausing only to smack Oni Lee over the head with my tail as he appeared behind me, and took off as fast as I could with rapid Blinks, blasting Oni Lee to bits with solid blows that managed to powderize stone and concrete. I think my new body was naturally stronger than Humans because, even if I had taken the Peak Condition power, I should not be that strong!

After what felt like forever, I finally managed to lose the teleporting suicide bomber by Blinking from one side of the Docks to the other and back again, smacking him to dust whenever he put in an appearance and doing my best to stay well away from Lung, who was looking for us as well. I think Oni Lee left because the Protectorate responded to the Dragon stomping around and he was needed to run interference.

Whatever the case, I was pooped and desperately wanted to rest, so I found the first warehouse that didn't look like it was about to fall down, found a relatively warm corner with some dirty tarps and curled up to get some sleep. I'd check on Lucas in the morning, but he had long succumb to his panic and passed out. I really should have thought to check that no one else was using the warehouse.

 **Well...that was certainly interesting. This is probably going to end up being both the closest and furthest from an SI at the same time for reasons that will become obvious later. Why? Well, most if it will likely be down to Lucas.**

 **I honestly don't think he'd react like that to getting zapped into another dimension with me. Actually, he'd probably give me a funny look and wander off...only to walk straight into trouble because he knows precisely zip about Worm. Then again, he was de-aged to an 11 year old, so I guess he can be forgiven for not taking it well.**

 **I...actually have a few ideas for this that I'm honestly not sure if I should use or not. Most of it boils down to playing fast and lose with the idea of alternate worlds and the alternate versions of people who live there. I need to do more thinking about that…**

 **Here are the choices I made for both Mark and Lucas:**

 **VICTIM THE FIRST!**

 **Mark Redding, AKA, Lizard (general Cape name), Navi (for when operating on the net)**

 **0 Cape 1 Shard**

 **Gestation: 15 15**

 **Villain All drawbacks give one additional point**

 **Male, 15 (with memories of a 21 year old due to being de-aged to the age he would be in 2011)**

 **Drop in (+3 +3)**

 **No Identaty (+2)**

 **None. As a Case 53, a costume would be a waste of time and he generally pilots one of his mechs or operates within the internet anyway.**

 **Stealth (natural)**

 **Martial Arts (-4)**

 **Parkour (-2)**

 **Tactics (-4)**

 **Mechanics (-2)**

 **Abaddon Trigger (-3 -3)**

 **Follower (by brother) (-3 Cape)**

 **Worst Day Ever x2 (+6 Cape +4 Shard) Manifests as getting deaged and having to save his Brother from getting eaten by a rage dragon.**

 **Slaughterhouse 9 (+5 Cape +3 Shard)**

 **Second Trigger x2 (-8 Cape -6 Shard)**

 **Plot Convenience (-1)**

 **Case 53 x2 (+4 Shard)**

 **Power slot x2 (-2 Shard)**

 **Interludes**

 **Powers:**

 **Robotics (-7) (second trigger**

 **Machine Spirit (-7)**

 **Power Hub (-3) (Second Trigger)**

 **Pocket Room (-1)**

 **Peak Condition (-1)**

 **Undersiders**

 **Money (-3)**

 **Connections (-4)**

 **Case 53 form: Lizard**

 **VICTIM THE SECOND!**

 **Lucas Redding, AKA, Pain**

 **Vigilante (working with Mark)**

 **Cape 1 Shard 5**

 **Male, 11 (with memories of an 18 year old due being de-aged)**

 **Drop in (+3 +3)**

 **armour (Power armour/mech suit provided by Camalot) -5**

 **Stealth (-3)**

 **Martial Arts (-4)**

 **Parkour (-2)**

 **Stealth (-3)**

 **Tactics (-4)**

 **Abaddon Trigger (-3 -3)**

 **Worst Day Ever x2 (+4 Cape +2 Shard) De-aged and getting attacked by Lung**

 **Slaughterhouse 9 (+3 Cape +1 Shard)**

 **Rough Start (+2 Cape) Connected to getting de-aged since not many people take an 11 year old seriously.**

 **Noctis Cape (-1 Shard)**

 **Case 53 (+1 Shard)**

 **Second Trigger -4 -3)**

 **Plot Relevance**

 **Powers:**

 **Proficiency (-2)**

 **Peak Condition (-1)**

 **Blink (-7)**

 **Immunity (-1)**

 **Animorph (-5) Second Trigger**

 **Power sight (-1)**

 **Anti-Villain (other than the Undersiders) (+3 +1)**

 **Tool Belt (-1)**

 **Blade (-1)**

 **Probably over powered, but I cant bring myself to care.**

 **Why did I make Mark a lizardman? Because I rolled a dice and thats what it landed on. Plus, it means I can insert a bunch of Taylor Varga jokes.**

 **Right, now thats done, all that remains is for me to say leave a review and goodnight!**


	113. Stand Proud Chapter 1

Stand Proud

Its strange waking up with memories that aren't your own. Its terrifying to realize that those memories come with future knowledge of just what would have happened to your family. Fortunately, they also came with powers. There is no way I'm letting the world go down the toilet, even if it means I have to die.

 **...this started out as a normal CYOA story with only a few references to Jojo. What the heck happened? Oh right, my Muse decided to down an entire crate of red bull and went apeshit on me. Oh well, nothing I can do now. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"Hurrph..spitoo."

I stood up from where I had been throwing up in the toilet as I wiped a hand across my mouth. I turned to the sink to wash out my mouth out, before leaning against the sink and staring at my reflection. Looking back at me was a face that was both familiar and not at the same time. The face was handsome, if pale and pinched from lack of sleep and having just thrown up, and belonged to a tall and slim young man with black hair currently in a bad state of bed head and dark blue eyes. It was the face I'd had for 16 years, but the dream I'd just woken from and the deluge of memories that had come with it had come with also came with the memory of a very different face. One that belonged to someone who knew how this worlds future was due to go.

I gritted my teeth as the nausea surged again. I'd read plenty of stories where a character found him or herself in another world, either at random or reborn, but this was different. Most of the time, they already knew what was coming and had plenty of time to absorb it. I'd had it all dumped on me in one night after living in blissful ignorance. To make matters worse, one of the things that had caught my attention had been the fate that awaited my…

"Jojo?"

I twitched and turned to see my 11 year old sister stood in the door, rubbing her eyes with one hand while the other held the ragged looking ear of a very old rabbit doll. I swallowed and, more than a little hesitant, activated one of the powers I now had lurking in my head. My grip on the sink increased as my sister lit up with a golden flame and my power helpfully provided the details. Percentage based precognition in response to stimuli. Shit.

"Are you OK?" asked Dinah, her nose twitching slightly at the smell of vomit that still lingered in the air, "Were you sick?"

I sighed.

"I'm fine," I said, "Probably just something I ate."

"Oh...OK," she said, yawned widely, and went back to her room.

I waited until I heard her bedroom door close and turned back to the mirror, my eyes hardening. No. No, I would not be letting Coil take my sister. And if he did, I'd make damn sure that he couldn't hurt her. I could do it to. It was just a shame that I had to be able to see the target to use it. However, it was better if I stopped him full stop and that meant that my other power would get a work out. The power that could actually do some damage.

I felt a shiver go up my spine at that thought as the air behind me shimmered slightly and a humanoid form appeared. He had a similar build to me and was wearing a simple black waistcoat with a white shirt underneath and a long, black coat over the top, short, brown gloves, brown steel-toed shoes, a pair of black trousers held up by two brown belts and a black fedora over green hair and a featureless, white face with a large, slit-like grin and narrow, yellow eyes with snake-like pupils. I couldn't help but grin at the sight of the Stand. Thriller was far from the most powerful, but that didn't mean he was harmless. Yes, I called my Stand Thriller. Wanna fight me over it?

Anyway, I dismissed the spectral warrior and headed back to bed. It was four in the morning and I had school in the morning.

* * *

School was...odd to say the least. It was extremely bizarre to suddenly realize that I regularly sat with the Wards during class and lunch. Yeah, I was friends with Dennis and Chris and had been since middle school, so I ended up making friends with the other members of the Wards after the two Triggered and joined up. Apparently. God, that was weird.

It was so weird in fact that I ended up walking home deep in thought. I was undergoing something similar to a minor existential crisis. I'd realized at school that I had no idea who I actually was, whether I was Jonathan Alcott with extra memories or...huh, I couldn't remember my old name...whatever, if I was my old self in Jonathan Alcott's body. There wasn't really that much of a difference between us from what I could tell and no one at school had called me out on acting strangely. The only thing that was really different about the two of us was that he was a massive introvert and had a range of geeky interests that guaranteed that he'd have been at the bottom of the social ladder. Then again, I wasn't really that different, but a combination of martial arts and the fact I was the mayor's nephew made me a rather unappealing target for would-be bullies.

* * *

I was distracted from my existential crisis by the sound of impacts and shouting coming from the alleyway I was walking past. I paused. Normally, I'd just walk right on by and not get involved (Oh, don't look at me like that, this is Brockton Bay bitch!), but that was before I had powers. Now I could actually do something to help. Well, Thriller could. Same difference.

Mind made up, I stepped into the alley and quickly found the source of the noise. Four young men, Merchants by the looks of them, were giving a fifth man a good kicking. I scowled and summoned Thriller. The Stand appeared on the other side of the thugs. Yay for long ranged Stands I guess.

"HEY!" I shouted, getting the Merchants attention, "Leave him alone!"

The Merchants looked at one another and started swaggering towards me. It was blatantly obvious that they didn't think I was a threat.

"Ohh, lookie here mates," said the apparent leader, "Rich boy thinks himself a hero!"

The junkies giggled inaninly.

"So, what ya gonna do about it?" asked the leader, "Take us down?"

He scoffed and pulled out a rusty looking gun.

"Nah, I think ya gonna give us all ya cash. An that nice jacket."

I resisted the urge to be sick, both at the horrible smell coming off the three and their horrible grammar in favour of smirking and pointing over the Merchants shoulders.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said, "Theres a Cape behind you."

The three Merchants immediately spun around, apparently ready for a rumble. However, instead of reacting like I'd expect to a floating, dapper man in a scary mask, the thugs looked around for a moment, before turning back to me and sticking the gun in my face again.

"Choo on about fool?" growled the leader, "There ain't no Cape here!"

I raised an eyebrow. They couldn't see Thriller? Then again, Stands were invisible to non-Stand users in Jojo, so maybe normal people wouldn't be able to see him? That had the potential to make him quite dangerous.

I'd have to look into that later though, for now, I had some goons to take down. I turned my attention back to Thriller and my Stand tilted his head in a way that made me thing he was smiling. Then, he drew back his hand and punched. Now, Thriller wasn't exactly the strongest when it came to Stands (although I had no idea if I should actually be comparing him to the Stands from Jojo), in fact, he wasn't any stronger than a normal Human. He couldn't punch through a person or pulverize concrete with a simple punch. No, instead his most dangerous ability was to be in multiple places at the same time. That meant that when he punched someone, they weren't being hit by one fist. They were being punched multiple times at the same instance, either in one place or from multiple angles. Even when compared with his ability to fly and create unbreakable chains, it was that ability that made him truly dangerous.

He was also pretty damn sadistic.

All four goons abruptly bent over at the same time, their breath blasting out of them as if they'd been punched in the stomach. Then, Thriller exploded into action and the gangsters started being pinged around the alley like some kind of demented pinball machine as the masked Stands demented laughter filled the air. I was so taken aback by the sudden explosion of violence that it took a moment for me to yank back on the mental tether before my Stand accidentally killed the idiots.

Or maybe it wouldn't be so accidental if the air of disappointment that hung around Thriller as he backed off was anything to go by. I made a mental note to keep the Stand on a short leash.

I ignored the idiots falling back down to earth (I didn't want my Stand to kill them, but I didn't care enough to stop them from getting banged up a little. They weren't that high up anyway) and turned to the man they had been attacking as he sat up. Well, man might be a bit generous. He was older than me, but not by much, with an athletic build, brown and blond hair that reached his shoulders. He had a large scar on his left cheek from his nose to the corner of his mouth and was wearing cheap, but well made clothes that were currently stained by dirt and blood from his split lip.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"I think so," said the man and I was rather taken aback by his thick cockney accent, "Thanks for the help. Them blighters'd have cracked me skull if that beating had gone on much longer."

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

"No...problem?" I said, still trying to adapt to the utterly unexpected accent, "So...what was that all about?"

"We had a...disagreement over the ethics of selling drugs to underaged children," said the older teen, "They took exception to me telling them to bugger off."

"That doesn't surprise me," I said, "Your new in town, aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes."

I sighed.

"Well, I guess if your fine, theres nothing more I can do," I said, "Just be more careful. The gangs around here don't tend to take threats well and if you annoy the wrong one…"

The teen winced. Yeah, everyone knew about how dangerous the likes of Lung and Kaisers goons were and that was before you took into account the Capes.

"I'll be more careful," said the blonde, "But I owe you one. If you ever need help, I'll be happy to provide it."

I blinked.

"I appreciate the thought, but I really didn't do anything."

The man gave me a shrewd look.

"Look mate, I've been on the streets for a long time," he said, "And in that time, I've learnt to tell the good from the bad with naught but a look. You are one of the best I've ever met. You helped me, despite not having to and in a town where no one would blame you for looking the other way. I owe you a debit."

He puffed up his chest and jabbed his thumb into it.

"And Robert Speedwagon always pays his debts!"

I was so glad I wasn't drinking anything at that moment or I'd probably have spat it all over him. As it was, i could barely keep myself from gaping. I'd thought he looked vaguely familiar, but I would never have connected him with a character from Jojo...which didn't exist in this world. These new memories seem to be messing with my perception.

Still, it did bring up an interesting thought. The cause of this whole thing was one of those CYOA things that I occasionally read (in both lives), but they generally didn't delve into crossovers. Even my Stand could have been passed of as a wierd Master power and I was only really treating it as a Stand out of amusement of it all than anything. However, if Speedwagon was here, that meant that either I was being messed with, it was a crazy coincidence or Thriller was actually a Stand. I'm not sure which I'd rather be true.

Suddenly, my thoughts were banished as I abruptly fell straight down. Through solid concrete. I yelped as I suddenly appeared near the top of the building above the alley and started falling, only vaguely noticing that I'd apparently fallen through a blue ringed hole in space-time that connected to an identical, orange ringed hole since most of my brain was screaming in utter shock. Fortunately, Thriller was more on the ball than I was and appeared to grab my collar and stop my fall.

"MROWWWW!"

"GAHHH!"

I yelped in pain as a black ball of fur and claws suddenly flung itself through another portal and landed on Thrillers face, proving in the process that, yes, I was connected to him enough that any damage would be passed on to me. Fortunately, Thriller managed to grab the furball and held it at arms length, revealing that it was a small, black and white cat...with what looked like a Portal turret with a Portal gun sticking out the front floating behind it. I blinked.

"Is that a Stand?" I asked dumbly.

"Backstreet, thats enough!" shouted Speedwagon from the ground, "Hes not an enemy!"

The cat stopped trying to scratch Thrillers eyes out and looked down at the blond.

"Meow?" it mewed in a questioning tone.

How does a cat even sound questioning?! Then again, all of the Stand using animals in Jojo were far more intelligent than they had any right to be, so maybe having one made them smarter? Wouldn't surprise me.

"You know this thing?" I asked as I rubbed my face, trying to get it to stop throbbing.

"MROWWW!" said the cat.

"His names Backstreet," said Speedwagon, "He's my...partner? Yes, partner. I found him bleeding out from an arrow wound and patched him up. We've been together ever since."

Huh, I guess that must have been the Arrow that gave him his Stand...oh fuck me, this is gonna make things so much more problematic!

I directed Thriller to set us down where Backstreet bit Thrillers arm to get him to release him and jumped into Speedwagons arms. I grumbled under my breath as I rubbed my now throbbing hand.

"So, does that Stand of yours have a name?" I asked.

Backstreet looked up at me, surprise clear on his face. Yeah, hes a lot smarter than any cat had any right to be. Well, so long as a Biotinker has not got their hands on it. After a moment, he nodded and his Stand appeared again. There was a rapid fire flash of light and blue and orange portals in the shape of letters appeared across the wall. Still Alive. Well, that was...odd. A Stand thats basically a reference to Portal being named after its credit song? Sounds perfect to me. Although I would like to know how a cat knows about that.

I sighed. Well, if this world is some terrifying combination of Worm and Jojo, I'd need all the help I could get.

"Well, if your insistent on paying me back, I guess I won't argue," I said, "I'm always happy to make new friends anyway."

I grinned and held out my hand.

"My full name is Jonathan Joseph Alcott," I said, "But my friends call me Jojo."

 **Right, that'll do. So yeah, this will be a full on crossover with Jojo and, for once, I have a ready made excuse for why he didn't notice the fact that the Speedwagon foundation is a thing. He literally only gained meta-knowledge that morning and had other things on his mind than realizing that Jojo is part of the world.**

 **I have plans for one other team member to appear before I start him making friends and recruiting Worm characters. You might be able to guess who it'll be a reference to.**

 **Speedwagon is not related to the original Jojo's friend and has no claim to the Speedwagon foundation. That said, hes basically identical to him and has no powers of his own. Well, other than a supersmart cat with a Stand.**

 **I still have no idea where Backstreet came from, but he is really a cat and not the result of a shapeshifter getting stuck or a Biotinker. I'm going with the idea that Stands make their users better, including increasing the intelligence of animals. As for Still Alive, well, its abilities are pretty much exactly what you'd think. It can open portals of various shapes and sizes on any flat surface.**

 **Jojo is genuinely a Parahuman, but his Stand is an actual Stand. I'll include the list below. That said, I will put Thrillers stats here:**

 **Destructive Power: A. Not due to out and out strength, but instead due to the fact he can land multiple blows in an instant. He isnt actually any stronger than a Human.**

 **Speed: A. Can be in multiple places at once and fly at a max speed of 350kph.**

 **Range: B. Can operate within 30 meters of Jojo.**

 **Durability: B. Again, despite only being as strong as a Human, he can still withstand a lot of damage by replicating to undamaged versions of himself. It would take a wide area attack within his area of operation to take him out with any guarantee.**

 **Precision: B. Can create clones wherever he can see and is very accurate with his chain attacks. However, he wouldn't be able to perform many of the feats that Star Platinum is capable of.**

 **Development: A. Due to its relative fragility, Thriller lacks the capability to fight directly and instead must fight smart. As such, Jojo is constantly improving on his use of his Stand. Its adaptable abilities are very helpful in that regard.**

 **Yes, I know its stats are very high, but remember that it would be no match for most other Combat ready Stands in a direct fight. Most of Thrillers strength comes from its adaptability and speed. It wouldn't stand a chance against the likes of Star Platinum or the World.**

 **Here are the choices I made:**

 **Jonathan Joseph Alcott (Dinahs brother), Jojo (nickname)**

 **Gestation**

 **Hero 2 free followers**

 **Insert (Dinah's older brother)**

 **Teen (16) Highschooler**

 **Budget. Because you don't need a costume with a Stand**

 **Stealth (natural)**

 **Martial Arts (-4)**

 **Parkour (-2)**

 **Banter (-1)**

 **Abaddon Trigger (-3 -3)**

 **Second Trigger (-4 Cape -3 Shard)**

 **Identity Reveal (+3 Cape)**

 **Blind Spot (-3 -4)**

 **Psychic Nosebleed (tied to Power Sight) (+3 Shard)**

 **Slaughterhouse 9 (+4 +2)**

 **Worst Day Ever (+2 +1)**

 **Plot Relevance**

 **Powers: Stand (Second Trigger) (Stand Powers: Schrodinger, Flight and get over here) Called Thriller. Cannot be seen by normal Humans, although its just as effective at kicking their arse. Is a genuine Stand.**

 **Power Sight (-1)**

 **Lawgiver(-3)**

 **Other (-3 Cape)**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	114. A Tale of Two Brothers Chapter 2

A Tale of Two Brothers

Hoo boy, this is not what I thought would happen when I did a CYOA for me and my brother. Now we're both stuck in the Worm-verse in body's seven years younger than we were, superpowers and no way home. This...is not going to be fun.

 **And we're back. This is gonna be fun. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The moment I fell asleep, I found myself in what can only be called a black space with a large spotlight illuminating a computer and chair.

"Um, what?" I muttered as I looked around, "Where am I?"

Since it was the only thing around, I wandered over to the computer and looked at the screen. It took a moment, but I quickly realized what was going on. I'd picked the interludes gift, so it apparently manifested as this odd dream. I glanced at the chair for a moment, before pushing it aside in favour of sitting down on my tail. I could see not being able to use standard chairs becoming a pain in the future. Then again, it was rather comfortable. Guess fanfictions do occasionally get things right.

I reached for the mouse and lent an elbow on the desk as I started to read.

Interlude dream: Tattletale.

If Lisa wasn't convinced that Coil was trying to get her and her team killed before, now she was. Seriously, who in their right mind thought that attempting to rob LUNG was a good idea!? There was a reason why even the most evangelical E88 members rarely tried to do one of their occasional 'cleansing' attempts in ABB territory after all. To make matters worse, she only had three days to make a suitable plan. THREE DAYS! Even she had limits, especially when it came to making plans that wouldn't result in them getting squashed by a rage dragon!

Lisa scowled as she rested her elbows on her desk and rubbed her temples. Brian wasn't going to like this, even with the massive paycheck the boss had offered. That meant that, on top of planning around Lung and Lee, she also had to figure out a way to get her leader to take the job. Alec and Rachel would be easy since the former was only interested in money and the latter didn't care. That said, convincing Brian was likely going to be like pulling teeth. With a claw hammer.

* * *

She was completely right. As usual. When she brought up the bosses plan the next day, Rachel just grunted around her bacon, Alec asked how much they were getting before agreeing once he saw the number of zeros and Brian pointed out how utterly stupid annoying Lung like that would be.

"I am aware of that," she said, "But the boss believes that we can pull it off AND hes willing to pay us a hell of a lot just for attempting it. On top of whatever we manage to take, we'll be sitting pretty for a while."

Brian scowled.

"I don't like it Lisa," he said, "This is getting dangerously close to the big leagues. Right now we're just an annoyance, but if we start poking the bear…"

"I know Brian," said Lisa, "But the boss thinks it'll be fine and I'll make sure we don't end up BBQed. We'll be in and out before anyone notices and then you can treat your sister."

Lisas power helpfully picked up on the slight tensing of Brians body when she brought up Aisha. They both knew she had him and it rankled Brian.

"That was uncalled for," muttered the leader of the Undersiders, "Fine, we'll do it. But you'd better make good on that promise!"

Lisa gave her patented vulpine grin.

"Oh Brian, when have I ever let you down?" she asked.

Brian just snorted and headed to the living area where Alec was booting up one of his many consoles. Lisa let out a sigh of relief and slumped back in her chair. That had been far more exhausting than it had any right to be and it wasn't even 10am yet. She needed some fresh air.

She stood and headed back to her room to grab her jacket, shoes and bag, before heading to the door, just as Rachel was about to leave with her dogs. The Dog user glanced at her, but didn't say anything as they left the loft.

The two girls descended the stairs into the abandoned lower floors of the factory. It was rather dark, with the only light coming in from the holes in the ceiling and grimy windows, but it was enough to land on an oddly coloured mound of something that looked like green leather that hadn't been there the night before. Lisa paused and narrowed her eyes.

"Rachel, wait a sec," she said.

"What?" growled the larger girl.

"I think...I think someones here," she said, turning on her power.

 _Not leather, scales, reptilian. Alive Humanoid. Not a natural creature. Case 53. Sleeping. Not alone. Somehow knows we're present._

Lisa's eyes widened.

"Rachel, intruders!" she shouted.

Rachels eyes narrowed and her three dogs began to growl as they started to grow.

"Attack," said the red-head.

END INTERLUDE

My eyes snapped open, just in time to see three massive mutts barraling towards me. I took a moment to note that that was a FUCKING weird feeling to read about my own sleeping self getting discovered, before I jumped to my feet and smacked the lead dog around the mush with my tail. The heavy length of muscle hit with the force of a small car and sent the dog flying into a stack of rusted metal. The other two didn't slow down, so I snagged my brothers Animorph power and turned into a T-rex. The dogs skidded to a stop as they were suddenly confronted with a prehistoric alpha predator and promptly turned tail to cower behind Bitch when I roared at them. The sight of two massively mutated dogs trying to cower behind a comparatively smaller girl was rather amusing, as was the look of utter shock on Lisa's face.

To be honest, I probably wasn't that much of a threat to them at the moment since I couldn't actually move without making the Protectorate panic over a dinosaur rampaging through the Docks. Still, I'd made my point and switched back to Human(ish) form as Brain and Alec came tumbling out of their loft, fighting with their masks and scepter.

"Well, that wasn't the most pleasant way to wake up," I grumbled as I stretched out my back, wincing at the cacophony of cracks.

Note to self, being a lizard does not make sleeping on a hard floor any more comfortable.

"Who the fuck are you?!" snarled Bitch.

"And what are you doing here?" asked Grue as darkness started seeping out of his hands and mask.

I grinned, taking a small amount of pleasure at the way they recoiled slightly at the sight of my fangs. Hey, I might be intending to join them, but that didn't mean I liked being woken up by being a dogs potential breakfast.

"You may call me Lizard," I said, "And the pain in the neck whos still out cold is my younger brother."

"Inventive name," said Alec.

"Oh, like your one to talk," I drawled, "Anyway, as for why we're here, that would be because my Brother had a major panic attack and I spent most of the night either chasing him around the Docks or running from Oni Lee after hitting Lung in the face with a rocket launcher and telling him to go fuck himself."

The Undersiders stared at me in utter shock. I admit, I was a bit surprised as well. I'd never really been that confident in the past, but I guess knowing that, if they did attack, I could counter their powers perfectly made me a lot less passive than normal. Or Abaddon's Shard was having more of an affect than I thought…

"What are you?"

"Huh?"

I turned my attention to Tattletale, who was staring at me like she had no idea what to think of me.

"What do you mean Tats?" asked Grue.

"He...knows us," she said, "I don't know how, but he knows exactly who we are and...more things than anyone should."

My grin widened slightly.

"Oh, I really should have guessed you'd pick up on that Sarah," I said.

Lisa recoiled as if punched. The other Undersiders looked between the two of us in obvious confusion.

"Whos Sarah?" asked Alec.

"Well, you're not the only one to use a pseudonym after running away from home Jean-Paul," I said, "Oh, and if you make me twitch, I'll jam that scepter down your throat."

"How?!" demanded Tattletale, "How do you know this stuff?!"

"Now that...is going to have to stay a secret for now," I said, "You won't believe me and if you do there's a risk of driving you completely round the twist. However, before you start panicking, I have no intention of doing anything against you. In fact, I intend to help you."

"Help us how?" asked Grue.

"Lets just say that the snake has two heads," I said.

"Whats that supposed to mean?!" demanded Regent, who was holding his scepter in a white knuckle grip.

Lisa on the other hand went through a number of different expressions, but a massive grin slowly worked its way across his face.

"So thats how he did it," she breathed.

She turned on her heel and sprinted up the stairs into the loft.

"What the fuck was that all about?" asked Alec.

"I just gave her the piece she needed to finish a puzzle," I said as I dropped down to sit cross legged on the floor.

I was still knackered.

"You said you could help us," said Brian, "How?"

I sighed.

"Well, I have a few ways," I said, "But I won't do it for free. At least, not entirely. Due to...reasons, my brother and I have nothing but the clothes on our backs and our powers. We're both strong enough that the gangs will do just about anything to get us and I really don't fancy working for Lung, Nazis, drug dealers or the corrupt mess that is the PRT."

"Are you asking to join us?" asked Brain.

"Just me," I said, "I have a feeling Lucas will do his own thing. That said, I know that you guys are alright and don't deserve half the shit that'll get thrown at you. I can help you survive and even thrive."

I smirked.

"Besides, your boss'd love to have me and will likely be one of the ones chomping at the bit to get us. Might as well save him the trouble."

"Why are you willing to work for our boss and not the others?" asked Alec.

"Oh, I'm not," I said, "I'm willing to work with you. Your boss is easily the worst of everyone in the city, but Tats can come up with a method of offing him, especially with my powers."

"What are your powers?" asked Brian, "Other than being a big lizard?"

My smirk widened even further.

"I'm a Tinker," I said.

"Your hired," shouted Tattletale from the apartment.

"Um, shouldn't we vote on that?" asked Alec.

"Oh please, like we don't need a good Tinker!" said Lisa, "Besides, hes got big wads of cash and enough contacts to make the boss jealous."

"How the fuck do you know that?" I asked, more than a little taken aback that she knew that.

"I don't know!" she cheered.

The other Undersiders watched nonplussed as their know-it-all teammate danced skipped back inside, humming happily to herself.

"Well, shes in a good mood all of a sudden," said Alec.

Rachel just grunted and headed for the doors with her dogs on her heels. Grue sighed and looked like he wanted to rub his eyes.

"Alright, I guess your in then," he said.

"Thanks," I said, "Now I don't suppose you could provide some breakfast? I haven't eaten since yesterday."

My stomach agreed with a loud grumble. Grue sighed again.

"Fine," he grumbled, "Come up when your ready. I'm going to talk to Tattletale about what security means."

"K, I just need to wake my brother up and get him moving," I said.

Grue nodded and stomped back up the stairs with Regent on his heels. I turned my attention to my still unconscious brother.

"Hmm, how to do this?" I muttered, "Oh, I know!"

I reached down and prodded him in the side with a claw.

"Murrr, fiv' mo' minets," he mumbled.

"Yep, hes fine," I said and kicked him in the side, making sure to keep my claws from cutting him.

"OW!"

He jolted awake, sitting up at high speed and nearly nutting me in the process. He looked around in confusion.

"What the...where am I?" he asked.

"The same place as yesterday," I said, leaning back on my tail.

Lucas turned to me and stared for a moment.

"Um, Mark, why are you a big lizard?" he asked.

I sighed.

"I needed the points, so I took two in Case 53," I said, "This was the result."

"Um...OK?" he said, "What happened?"

"Do you actually remember ANYTHING from last night?" I asked.

Lucas paused, his expression going through various expressions, before settling on confusion.

"Oh god, thats embarrassing," he muttered.

"Not really, I told you that landing somewhere with no idea how would fuck you up," I said.

"Then why didn't you freak out?" asked Lucas.

"Well, reading all those fics made it so I pretty much know exactly what to expect," I said with a slight smirk, "Anyway, I highly suggest we sort you out something to hide your face before you go out again. Otherwise Lung'll rip your face off if he sees you again."

I clapped my hands before Lucas could respond.

"But first, we need to eat and I need to make sure that you don't accidentally pick a fight with someone who could use your bones to pick their teeth."

I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him towards the stairs in search of food.

 **My brother is under the impression that, if he found himself in an alleyway with no idea how he got there or where he was, while being inexplicably de-aged, his reaction would be '...huh, thats cool.' I call bullshit. Hell, the only reason Mark didn't freak out was because he had at least some idea of what was going on and knew that a panic attack in Brockton Bay would result in all sorts of bad things happening. My Brother doesn't read fanfiction or Worm, so he didn't even have that.**

 **Anyway, rant over, onto my witty comments!**

 **Yay for Varga references. I told you they were coming fast.**

 **I had that interlude planned out pretty much from the start, along with the whole 'I'm a Tinker/your hired!' line.**

 **Incidentally, Marks personality is going to be all over the map and I blame the Shards for it. True, Abaddon's Shards aren't interested in conflict like Zion, but they will have an affect on the brothers by making them more eager to fight. Not to start them or go looking for them like Zion Capes, but just give them more confidence and courage so they can fight. Their powers help to. It doesn't help that I'm a boring person by nature, although that might be because I don't have the confidence to be half as batty as Mark will be acting half the time.**

 **Anyway, this is done. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	115. Have Quirk, Will Travel Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Have Quirk, Will Travel

People often wonder whether there is a heaven or hell. I don't really know the answer, but I do know that being reborn can be a lot of fun. I should know. Born into a world of heroes during a golden age of powers, I thought I was in for a life not so different from my last one. Then I attended a gaming event in Madison and things got...strange.

 **...I regret nothing. This idea is basically going to be pure insanity from the first moment and will basically throw the entire Worm plot out the window. Why? You'll see. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I bet few people think about what happens after death. I certainly didn't. Not until I died at least. After that, well, I sort of knew. See, I was reborn, and not into a boring, normal world either. No, my new world is one where fantasy is reality, where exceptional is the norm. It is a world where 80% of the population has some kind of supernatural ability, where the streets look like something out of a comic book. It is a world where, on the other side of the world, an apparently useless kid with no power of his own would one day become the world's greatest hero and carry a torch to the future.

However, this isn't the story of Izuku Midoriya, its mine. My name is Oliver Queen (Yes, I've heard all the jokes) and I never intended on becoming a hero. Oh, I had plenty of people suggesting it considering how showy and potentially useful my Quirk is, as well as the fact that my family were a rather famous hero team, but the idea of being a hero never really appealed to me. At least, not as my main career. Like many members of my family, I wanted to have another skill that didn't involve kicking people in the face. Unfortunately, that option was taken away from me in what had to be the strangest twist I'd ever heard of.

* * *

I was 15 at the time and a member of a professional team of gamers that had been formed by an old friend of mine from Middle school. I admit, I never thought I'd end up in a situation like that, but I couldn't pass up the chance when offered, if only because she teamed up with another friend and blasted me with double team puppy-dog eyes.

Still, it was a ton of fun and I got some new friends out of the bargain! True, Francis was a bit of a dick, but I usually just ignored him and Noelle, the team captain and founder, usually kept him under control.

Incidentally, you might be able to guess what happened by this point. No? Then let me fill you in on the Team as a whole.

The leader was Noelle Meinhardt, a cute, brown haired girl with incredible tactical skills and an equally horrible taste in men considering she was dating Francis. Her Quirk was Panacea, a form of Biokinesis that was, quite frankly, terrifying. She could do just about anything with biology, although it did require her to actually have some idea what she was doing. Generally, she just used it for healing obvious issues like cuts, broken bones and had once completely regrown a mans arm during a power testing event. She also had a Mutation Quirk in the form of turning her into what was essentially a Lamia. Basically, she had scales and was a snake from the waist down.

Next up was Francis Krouse, a teleporter who could switch the locations of two items of similar mass. Like I said, he was a dick and rather annoying, although to be fair to him, it wasn't intentional. He was just an annoying person by nature. He called his Quirk Trick Room.

Next up was Marissa Newland, more commonly known as Mars, who had the Quirk Sundancer, a Mutant type Quirk that essentially turned her body into living plasma she could control at will. The temperature could range from normal Human temperature to hotter than the sun and she usually wore a specially designed suit to help keep her form consistent and the temperature fluxuations that accompanied her mood in check. Despite the incredible strength of her Quirk, she hated the idea of being a Hero and generally avoided conflict wherever possible. Ironically enough, her favorite game was COD.

Jessica Manton is up next, a wheelchair bound red-head with the Quirk Genesis, the ability to create all kinds of twisted abominations out of her imagination. She could even possess her creations, putting her real body to sleep in the process. I'm still not entirely sure why she never asked Noelle to fix her legs, although I had a feeling it had something to do with the latters lack of actual knowledge of how to actually do it.

The backbone of the team was Luke Brito, a kid with the Quirk Gunshot, the power to imbue anything he touched with kinetic energy and send it flying at speeds faster than sound. Out of all of us, he was the only one out to become a Hero and was even gunning for UA.

Then there's Cody Oxton and I'll just say it, I can't stand the guy. I have no idea why Noelle thought it was a good idea to recruit him considering hes prideful, short tempered and arrogant, in addition to being a massive coward when it came to actual confrontation. His Quirk was called Snapback and allowed him to revert just about anything to the state and location it had been in three seconds ago. He liked using it to get a leg up in fights, but by this point, most people were expecting it and generally knew how to counter it.

Finally, there's me, Oliver and my Quirk, Illumination. It allowed me to manipulate photons, creating laser blasts, hard light shields and other constructs. I could also surround myself in an aura of light and fly at high speeds. I could even change the colours of my light, which was pretty neat, even if it did lead to nicknames like Disco Ball and Flashlight.

So yeah, in case you haven't figured out what happened to us during the last meeting of the year on the 21 of December, 2009, I don't think I can help you.

* * *

The first indication that things were going wrong was when the power went out. We barely had time to react to that before everything went white and started shaking. Once we could see again, it took a moment to register the fact that we were apparently plummeting out of the sky, despite the fact we were in a two story building.

"OLIVER, SHIELD!" screamed Noelle.

I didn't bother arguing, instead generating a bubble shaped barrier around us.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" shreaked Mars, clinging to the desk that was attached to the floor as the computer gear started lifting off.

I quickly surrounded it all with additional barriers and tossed them out before they could hurt anyone. As I did, I managed to glance out the window and saw what looked like a 15 foot tall angel flinging rocks at the crowd of barely visible people attacking her. I blinked.

"Wha…"

Then, we hit the ground.

* * *

I groaned as consciousness slowly returned to me. I opened my eyes and found myself looking up at Noelles concerned face.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," I said as I wiped away the trickle of blood from my nose, "But my shields aren't really meant to take an impact that big."

Noelle wince slightly.

"Sorry," she said.

"No need to apologize," I said, "Unless your responsible for somehow teleporting us into the skybox?"

The snake girl smacked me over the head and, well, she didn't stand up since her body didn't have the capability, but you know what I mean. I sat up and looked around, taking in the ruins and the loud explosions and sounds of fighting coming from a good distance away.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, mostly," said Francis, "Just a bit banged up."

"What in the world happened?" asked Mars, looking around nervously.

The fact a living star could become nervous was something I'd long become used to, although when I actually thought about it, it still seemed odd. I grunted as I got to my feet and lit up, my body radiating a rainbow of light as I lifted myself up far enough to see the fight that was going on. Sure enough, I found myself looking at the Simurgh busy kicking the snot out of the forces arrayed against her.

"See anything?" called Noelle.

"Yeah, a whole lot of stuff that tells me we're a long way from home!" I called back.

I floated back down and looked around.

"Hey, where are the others?" I asked.

Francis, Luke and Cody were conspicuously absent.

"They went to have a look around," said Jess.

"Fair enough," I said.

"Hey guys, look what we found!" called Luke as the other blokes came jogging back up.

Frances was holding a rather heavy duty looking case that, upon opening it, revealed that it was full of glass vials and paperwork. I took one look at it and groaned. Still, at least it wasn't needed. Our Quirks made powers unneeded and no one was hurt.

"What are they?" asked Jess, leaning over for a closer look.

"Apparently they can give powers," said Luke, who was reading the paperwork, "How does something like that even work? You can't transfer Quirks."

"I don't think these have anything to do with Quirks," I said, rubbing my eyes.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" asked Cody.

"Because we're not home anymore," I said.

Everyone stared at me.

"This is Madison," I said, "But unless I missed a report of a new Hero who can out muscle Almight and fly, I don't think its ours."

Cody snorted.

"So what, we've jumped dimensions?" he sneered, "Thats so unbelievably…"

He was cut off as a portion of wall suddenly shot up, revealing the pitched battle going on in the distance as Ziz used said chunk of wall to smack Eidolon away with incredible force.

"...oh," finished Cody weakly.

"Yes, oh," I said, "Now, lets get going."

"Wait, where are we going?" asked Luke.

"Anywhere but here," I said, "We need to find somewhere safe to figure out exactly where we are and if we can get home. Plus, I don't fancy getting caught up in that."

I jabbed a finger at the ongoing brawl.

"Fair enough."

Noelle cleared her throat and took charge.

"Olivers right," she said, "Jess, can you make something big enough to carry you and the others?"

"Leave it to me!" said the redhead with a salute and closed her eyes.

"What do we do with these?" asked Francis, indicating to the Vials.

"Well, anything that sounds too good to be true, probably is," I said, charging up a bolt in my hand, "Plus, we really don't need them."

I blasted the case to bits, sending bits of metal, glass and liquified Entity splattering into the barrier I formed around it.

"Little more warning next time," growled Cody as he uncovered his face.

I ignored him.

"Done!" said Jess.

Her latest creation looked a lot like what might happen if the Catbus somehow had a baby with a giant dragonfly and the resulting monstrosity was covered in tank armour. It would easily be able to carry all of us away and, hopefully, not get shot down.

"You don't do things by half, do you?" said Luke, sounding amused.

Cody scoffed and muttered something about weebs, but followed the others onboard, Francis carrying Jess as her body went limp and her construct started up.

"Not coming with us Oliver?" asked Noelle, pausing in the 'door'.

"Nah, I'll fly," I said, lighting up again and lifting off, "Come on, we should go before the fighting stops."

Noelle nodded and slithered onto the construct as Jess started flapping her wings until she lifted off and started following me as I banked away from the fight, making sure to keep out of sight as best we could with a glowing teen and a giant flying monster. Apparently, Ziz kept most of the attention on her because no one seemed to notice us as we left.

* * *

As we flew away from Madison, I started thinking. It was blatantly obvious that Canon had taken a running jump considering that Echidna would never be a thing, but I had to wonder just why Ziz had chosen to grab us, rather than the Canon Travelers. What was she planning? Or had something nudged her slightly so she grabbed us by accident? I don't think that'd be possible for her, but it was worth considering.

What was also worth considering was if Ziz had done anything to us. I didn't feel any different, but I'm pretty sure that was the point when it came to creating time bombs. We wouldn't know until it was to late. I'd just have to hope that the differences caused by us being dragged through would mean that her plans would fail.

I shook my head and focused on flying. I couldn't do anything about it for now, so I should focus on finding somewhere to set up shop for a while. I refocused on flying, speeding up now we were away from Madison, but making sure I didn't go so fast that Jess couldn't keep up. I could plan once we had a base.

 **Eesh, I do not like that ending, but it works well enough.**

 **Well, this is certainly going to have some...odd results. Between Echidna not being a thing and three of the Travelers having completely different powers, things are going to be interesting later down the line.**

 **I replaced Oliver because I couldn't be bothered to come up with an alternate power for him that would work as a Quirk. Plus, hes pretty useless as anything but a distraction from what I can tell. Now his powers work as a combination of Photon Mom's and Puritys.**

 **Other than that, the other Travelers powers are functionally the same, other than Noelle who is now Panacea without the ability to scan those she touches.. And I suppose you could say the same for Sundancer because shes now a literal walking sun.**

 **I gave those two Mutation Quirks because why the hell not?**

 **Incidentally, the fact they arent technically Parahumans will play a role in the future and not just because its already completely changed everything.**

 **Anyway, now thats done, I'm gonna sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**

 **EDIT: Due to some ideas I've had, I've made some slight modifications to this chapter. Nothing major, but it will have a rather impressive baring in the future.**


	116. Open Fire Chapter 1

Open Fire

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world where alien invasions are treated as a mild inconvenience. Still, it could be worse. At least my power is completely broken! On the other hand, I don't think the Bat will approve...

 **Right, this idea is admittedly a little odd, but I honestly can't bring myself to care much. Its somewhat inspired by a couple of stories I've read in the past with a similar theme, although they were both YJ rather than the 2004 Batman. The power our MC has this time? A slightly modified version of Miss Militia's. Its just for a bit of fun, so enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Time for a quick lesson in Caveman 101. Fire hot, ow! And now for another obvious statement. Dying sucks. Trust me, I know both of them first hand since I was burnt to death, flash fried in a fireball that quite literally came from nowhere. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the fire to kill me since, for the few seconds I was burning alive, it REALLY FUCKING HURT!

What I wasn't expecting was to wake up. When I next opened my eyes, it was to find myself standing in a perfectly circular chamber with a large number of mirrors and screens of various shapes and sizes covering the walls, each showing a different scene. In the center of the chamber was a swivel chair surrounded by keyboards and control panels, each of which was connected to an arm that allowed it to be moved.

Lounging in the chair, fast asleep with a string of drool leaking from his mouth was a man with short, brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks, a five day beard, pale skin and a pair of square, black framed glasses that had fallen crooked. He was wearing tired looking jeans and a tatty shirt that had once been white, but had long since turned grey from to many washings.

I hesitated for a moment, before deciding that there was no point in standing around all day, so I walked over to the sleeping man and gently shook his shoulder. He snorted and tried to roll over, only to fall of his chair with a crash, before shooting to his feet with his glasses on upside down.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, "I wasn't sleeping on the job, honest!"

His accent placed his nationality as british and his awakening showed his eyes to be green.

"Wait, you're not the boss," said the man as he spotted me, "How did you get here?"

"Thats a very good question," I said, "Last thing I remember is burning to death."

The young man raised an eyebrow and turned in his chair to face his many control panels, bringing up a file on screen with my face on it.

"Hmm, lets see, Thomas Calvert, age 17, species human, scheduled to come up here never. Huh, interesting."

He turned to me.

"This is you isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Why is species on there?"

"There are more things between heaven and hell than appear in dreams of men," said the young man, "I watch over a lot of worlds and many different species so its kinda necessary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Who are you anyway?"

The man looked up.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "I should have introduced myself. I'm Dis Lexic, an Overseer of the Multiverse. Its my job to keep this segment of Creation working and making sure that any issues are dealt with before they get big enough for the man upstairs to get involved."

"So what, your an Angel or something?" I asked.

"Not exactly," said Dis, "I'm more like a technician. The Angels are the Almighties strong right arm, his police force if you will."

"Right," I said, not quite sure what to make of the explanation, "So why am I here exactly?"

"Because you died before your allotted time," said Dis, "It happens occasionally and always makes a total mess of things."

"Why?"

"Because the Souls can only go to heaven or hell after their allotted time has past," said Dis, "You were supposed to live for another 20 years and die when your homeworld was attacked by an interdimensional space whale."

I blinked a couple of times and raised a finger.

"Ahh…"

"Yes, I do mean Scion."

I put my finger down. Well, that was one way to go I guess.

"So what now?" I asked, "Are you going to send me back?"

"Your body in your old dimension was nearly completely destroyed," said Dis, "Besides, time passes differently here and you've already been buried. You can't move on and you can't go back to your old dimension, the only thing I can do is shift you sideways."

"Sideways?"

"Into a different dimension," explained Dis, "It'll be one you recognize and I expect you won't end up being entirely normal."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When people get shifted sideways, they tend to change," said Dis, "I still have no idea why. Just be thankful you won't be an Outsider. They always get screwed over by Fate."

I gulped.

"Soo, where am I going?"

"Pick a door," said Dis, indicating to a pair of identical doors that hadn't been there before.

"Where do they lead?" I asked.

"Your new home," said the Overseer, "Not even I know where they lead. Don't worry, though, I've already taken steps to make sure you don't get consumed by whatever power you gain. You'll start again with a clean slate, new memories and a new life."

I paused, my hand inches from one of the door handles.

"I won't remember my past?"

Dis shook his head.

"You will," he said, But those memories will be overtaken by new ones and suppressed. They'll be there, but they won't be important. Its how we prevent those we have to shift from getting homesick."

I swallowed and turned back to the door.

"Alright, you can do this," I muttered and opened the door.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I had tripped over a crate and landed in a muddy puddle with a splash. I sat up spluttering and looked around. I was in a back alley somewhere, behind a bar or something if the empty barrels were anything to go by.

"Greaaat, where the hell am I?" I muttered.

I glanced around, before picking a direction and walking down the alley in the direction I could see street lamps coming from. I had not gone far when a shadow suddenly lunged out an alley that linked into mine and punched me across the jaw. The force sent me spinning into the grimy wall as an equally grimy looking, emaciated man who stank of something unpleasant stepped out of the alley, waving a rusty looking knife.

"Give me your wallet and phone!" he yelled.

"Whoa hey, easy mate!" I said, holding up my hands, "I haven't got…"

"SHUT UP AND GIVE ME YA STUFF!" yelled the mugger, cutting me off and lunging at me.

I let out a yelp and, without thinking, grabbed his wrist, turned on my heel and jammed the taser that was suddenly in my hand into his side. There was a crackle of electricity and the thug collapsed with a yelp and a splash of muddy water. I blinked in surprise.

"Um. what?" I said, looking between the now unconscious thug and the stun gun.

The weapon didn't look any different than any other, with a black and dark blue camo pattern.

"Where did this come from?" I muttered.

Then, the weapon dissolved into black and dark blue energy that reformed into a swiss army knife with the same camo pattern.

"...oh."

A slight flex of my imagination turned the knife into a machete, then a revolver, then an assault rifle, all of which felt entirely natural in my hands and had the same camo pattern.

"Hmm, well, Dis did say that I'd have powers," I muttered as I turned my weapon into a switchblade and stuck it in my pocket, "Why not Miss Militias?"

I glanced down at the thug, before shrugging and continuing down the alley.

* * *

Eventually, I managed to find a way out of the maze of alleys, only to freeze in shock at the sight before me.

"Er, OK, that was not what I was expecting," I said as I stared out over the road at the building that was clearly labelled as 'Gotham Police Station'.

I quickly shook off my shock and glanced around. I was drawing some attention, likely because of my soaked and muddy shirt, but most people were ignoring me. Deciding that just standing there wasn't doing anything, I started down the street in a random direction.

"OK, so I am apparently in the Batman cartoon by the looks of it," I muttered as I stuck my hands in my pocket, "Now what should I do?"

I glanced around, feeling more than a little lost. I had nothing but the clothes on my back and my power, which was probably going to be the only thing that could keep me alive. Whatever the version, a lone teenager with nowhere to go would likely end up being ground into mincemeat by Gotham and its crazies. However, that didn't change the fact that I had no home, no money and no way of getting either since I technically didn't exist.

I sighed as I stopped in the middle of the pavement and looked up. The sky was a rather ominous shade of gray and I could see that the sun was starting to go down. I'd need to find somewhere to get shelter soon or I'd risk getting caught out in a rainstorm at night. In Gotham. I'd almost prefer Brockton.

I sighed again and started walking, turning into an alleyway as I pulled the hood of my jacket up. Gotham was rather famous for an excessively large amount of abandoned warehouses, so it probably wouldn't take long for me to find somewhere I could use as a temporary shelter. It was far from ideal, but beggars can't be choosers.

* * *

As I moved through the alleys, I became more and more aware of just how dark Gotham's underbelly was. I walked past drug deals, shakedowns, prostitutes and more than a few homeless people both of the general variety and the kind who were sprawled out in trash, clearly high as a kite. Most of the people I passed eyed me speculatively, but my stained jacket and slight frame meant that they mostly ignored me. Or maybe that was because of the large Bowie knife I had strapped to my thigh.

* * *

Eventually, I came to a stop in front of a warehouse that was clearly empty and long abandoned, just in time for the rain to start to fall. Not really wanting to get soaked, I slipped into the building after leaving the door open with a power provided crowbar. It was quickly proving to be a lot more useful than I had expected.

The warehouse was musty inside, but the roof was at least solid and the place seemed empty. The place was clearly abandoned, although there was a few crates laying around that were sealed. I shifted my power into a set of inferred goggles and looked around, quickly scoping out the place to make sure I was alone. Other than some small heat sources that were probably rodents, I was the only living thing in the building. With that done, I took a proper look around and found that the area that was probably offices and the like at one point was actually in pretty good shape, good enough that I could easily turn it into a somewhat livable place. It even had a kitchen, although it definitely needed some TLC.

"Huh, this might actually not be so bad," I muttered as I headed back down to the main floor, "Just need to figure out a way to get the utilities set up. I wonder if theres anything useful in the boxes?"

My crowbar made another appearance as I started opening crates. Most of them didn't really contain anything useful, just parts and rusted scrap, but then I opened the last one and was met by a neatly folded suit of military fatigues in the same dark blue and black as my power with what looked like a black paintball mask with orange goggles and a note with my name on the front. I blinked. That was unexpected.

 _Dear Tom,_

Said the note.

 _Due to reasons of cannot be arsed, I was unable to create you an identity in your new world, so you're basically starting from nothing. Fortunately, you have power, a reasonably comfortable living space and a new uniform, provided by yours truly. The utilities are paid for in the warehouse, although you'll have to get anything you need, so I suggest you figure out a way to get some money. Have fun!_

 _Dis._

My eye twitched as I crumpled up the letter.

"That bloody asshole," I growled.

I tossed the note and picked up the helmet. It wasn't anything special, just a normal paintballing helmet. I put it on and found that it fit perfectly. Despite myself, I couldn't help the grin that slowly crossed my face. Sure, it might not be ideal, but this was a heck of a lot better than being dead.

I removed the helmet and grabbed the rest of the outfit, changing into it and finding that it was a decent fit and pretty comfortable. I have no idea what it was made of, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a normal fabric. It also had a flak jacket that went over the top and came with a few handy holsters for a variety of different weapons.

"Heh, OK, this is pretty cool," I said, going through a few stretches to check I had full motion.

Then I paused. Without noticing, I had just gone through a quick kata of some martial art I didn't know.

"Huh...thats interesting," I muttered.

I manifested a pair of tonfa and went through a set of kata.

"Huh…"

I switched through a number of different weapons and found I could use them all perfectly, including a number of guns (silenced of course) and even gun kata, which was cool.

"Well, thats handy," I said with a grin, ""Built in skills. Wonder if Miss Militia had that?"

I stared down at my power, currently in the form of a rather bulky looking pistol, before turning to the door.

"Well then, lets get going," I said, spinning the gun around my finger and slipping it into the holster at my hip, "Time to see the nightlife in my new home."

 **And done. Well, that was certainly interesting. I wonder how Bats'll react to the new masked crimefighter? One that uses guns at that. Should be interesting.**

 **At its core, Tom's power is the same as Miss Militias, mixed with a touch of Ubers. He can use any weapon he creates instinctively and has a couple of CQC styles for good measure, although they are all ones that work best with weapons. That said, he won't stand a chance against someone who has trained and gained their skills through hard work, at least not without getting some experience.**

 **Anyway, I'm going to leave this here, so don't forget to leave a review!**


	117. Open Fire Chapter 2

Open Fire

Getting booted into another reality after burning to death is really not my idea of a good time. Neither is finding myself in a world where alien invasions are treated as a mild inconvenience. Still, it could be worse. At least my power is completely broken! On the other hand, I don't think the Bat will approve...

 **And we're back. Lets have some fun here. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Maybe going out was a bad idea. I'd forgotten that it was still raining and, although my costume was waterproof, it still didn't mean I appreciated getting wet. Fortunately, the rain didn't last long and my costume soon dried. Whatever, I soon found myself flitting across the rooftops, helped along by some power provided grappling hooks and the fact it seemed like the city was actually designed to be navigated vire the rooftops half the time.

Surprisingly, I didn't stumble across any crimes going on, although I guess even crime doesn't like getting wet. Odd really, you'd think a rainy day would be a good time to do it. However, the lack of fighting gave me time to think. While I at least had somewhere to rest my head, the warehouse wasn't exactly what I'd call comfortable. It had the potential to be, but I'd need furniture, stuff for the kitchen and, more importantly, food. For all of that, I needed money. Unfortunately, I don't think that many places would be willing to hire a teenager with nothing to indicate he even exists.

"Damn, this would be so much easier if I'd just been reincarnated," I grumbled, "Oh well, I chose this, I need to make the best of it."

I landed lightly on the roof of a building and looked down, spotting what looked like a drug deal going down. I eyed the exchange, wondering if it was really worth getting involved, before my gaze was drawn to the large wads of cash changing hands. I blinked, before I smacked myself in the forehead. The only thing I had to give was my power, so why not make some cash of making the city safer? A common theme in Worm was the ability for Capes to confiscate any money they found. True, that didn't exist here and I'm pretty sure it was fanon anyway, but the idea did hold merit. Bats didn't do it, but he was crazy rich. I had nothing, so I might as well help myself to the criminals ill gotten gains after kicking their teeth in. Who knows, I might even make more of a difference if the criminals knew that they stood to lose something.

I grinned and looked down at the deal. For a moment, I was tempted to start with them, but I quickly discarded it. I could deal with some of the drug problems later, but I didn't want to tip my hand to the big hitters just yet. Instead, I jumped away, heading back towards home. I had plans to make.

* * *

I was nearly at the Warehouse when a scream from below made me glance down. Almost immediately, I spotted the source, a girl with blonde hair being accosted by two big thugs who were threatening her with knives while a third tried to wrestle her jacket off. It didn't take much to guess what they had in mind. Immediately, my power formed into a rather large gun which I aimed and pulled the trigger. With a roar like an angry dragon, the bullet slammed into the thug holding the girl, sending him flying back with a cry of pain as his shoulder was completely destroyed.

"HOLY FUCK!" yelped one of the others, "Where did…?"

He didn't have time to finish the question as I jumped off the roof and landed on his shoulders with a loud crunch, driving him to the ground. The third barely had time to gape before my power formed baton snapped out, breaking his wrist with a loud crack. He fell to his knees, grasping his destroyed limb, before a second blow to the head send him to lala land. I held back just enough to keep from killing any of the fools, but they wouldn't be recovering for a VERY long time.

With the thugs dealt with and unlikely to get back up, I turned to the girl, who was staring at me with very wide eyes. She looked like she was my age, about seventeen, with a pretty face, long blonde hair, a splash of freckles across her nose and bottle green eyes. Her clothes were shabby and rather threadbare, her hair looked greasy and her face was streaked with dirt, indicating that she was probably homeless.

As I met her eyes, the girls face went through a series of expressions, before it settled on a foxy grin.

"Well, that was nicely done," she said, "Rather brutal though. I can't help but think that Bats'll be after you for that."

I blinked. That was...surprisingly lacking in hysteria for someone who'd just been saved from a rather nasty fate. I shook of my surprise. She was probably just hiding it and would have her breakdown later.

"They should be glad I didn't just kill them right out," I said, kicking the downed thug at my feet in the side, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," said the girl, getting to her feet and brushing herself off, "So, I suppose I should be honoured, right? Being the first person saved by the new hero on the block?"

My jaw dropped. How in the fuck did she know that?!

"Wha...how…?" I spluttered.

The girls grin widened.

"I'm psychic," she said.

My eyes narrowed. That...didn't sound right. However, the fact remains that she somehow knew that tonight was my first night out and about. The girls grin widened even further and she sauntered off.

"See ya around Militia," she said with a wave.

I watched her go, feeling rather nonplussed. I would have gone after her, but I got the distinct feeling that I'd need a crowbar to get any information she didn't want to give out of her. I shook my head and turned in the other direction. Suddenly, I didn't feel like going home just yet. I needed to blow off some steam.

* * *

Fortunately, it didn't take long to find more crooks to punch in the face and by the time the Wayne Clocktower chimed midnight, I was no longer feeling quite so confused over my unusual encounter, so I headed home to hit the sack.

I entered the warehouse, absently noticing that I needed to see about getting some locks before someone decided to squat in it, and headed into the room that was probably once a breakroom and still contained a moth eaten sofa, pulling off my mask as I did.

"Nice place you got here."

I spun around, my power forming into a large handgun as I did. Sat on an old computer chair with a slight smirk firmly in place was the same blonde I'd met earlier.

"What the...what are you doing here?!" I demanded.

"Well, when you live on the streets, a place like this is a rarity," said the girl, "Besides, you interest me. Bats is easy to read, but you...I can't get a proper read on you at all."

I frowned. What the hell was she talking about?

"Who are you?" I asked.

The girls grin widened.

"My names Lisa Wilbourn," she said, "But you can call me Tattletale."

My jaw dropped and I gaped in utter shock at the girl. How in the actual FUCK could Tattletale exist in this world?! The existence of a counterpart I could believe, but by the sound of things, she genuinely had her power. Either that or she was a natural Sherlock Holmes…

"I do indeed have powers of my own," said Lisa, cutting across my thoughts, "I'm psychic."

"Bullshit," I said, "Your power is to extrapolate information."

This time it was Lisa's turn for orbital eyebrows.

"Huh...thats interesting," she said, "You know how my power works...and have some idea of where they come from?"

I pulled a face.

"Ehhh, sort of," I said, "I somehow doubt that your powers come from there."

And if they did, I didn't really want to see what a fight between the Justice League and Scion would be like, so I really hope they didn't.

"Huh, you certainly are an interesting one," said Lisa, "So, I've spilled my guts, who are you?"

I sighed and dismissed my gun. There really wasn't any point in keeping my identity a secret at this point.

"Thomas Calvert," I said, "Call me Tommy."

"Well then Tommy, what do you say about teaming up?" asked Lisa, "We both have powers, we're both lacking in adult supervision and I really want to try and figure you out."

I shrugged.

"Eh, sure, why not?" I said, "Safety in numbers and all that."

"Ohhh, very interesting," said Lisa, "I think this'll be the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Of that I have no doubt," I muttered.

I had to wonder if anyone else was going to pop up unexpectedly? This was going to be...interesting.

* * *

Third Person POV

Batman narrowed his eyes as he examined the location of another fight. Over the course of the night, the Batwave had detected multiple reports of the police being called in to respond to a number of incidence of people being saved from muggers by someone in a mask who dropped in from nowhere, knocked the mugger out, then vanished. Needless to say, the internet was going a little crazy with theories of what had happened, with a good number mentioning that he could have been involved, despite his status as an urban legend.

It had taken a while, but Batman had managed to trace the incidence back, getting some idea of where the mysterious hero had been. The trail was winding and without any really indication of planning, but Batman was good at his job and had the advantage of Waynetech computer systems to help. That had led him to the place he was pretty sure was the earliest incident where he found a number of worrying things.

The other incidence had been rather brutal and had resulted in a few broken bones and unconscious muggers, but they were mostly done with the precision that indicated training and a desire to put the targets down quickly and with the smallest amount of damage possible, however this one was different. There wasn't a body, thankfully, but there was a lot of blood, enough to indicate that whoever it belonged to was in bad shape, and even a bullet hole that was rather large and, strangely enough, empty. There was no sign of the round that did the damage, other than a strange energy lingering around the hole that Batwave couldn't get a handle on.

Batmans frown deepened as he stepped back to take in the scene as a whole. Whatever was going on didn't bode well. There was another person in town heading out at night in a mask, apparently beating up muggers and they were apparently not squeamish about making it stick. If they kept up with this, it was only a matter of time before someone turned up dead. Batman scowled. He needed to get to the bottom of this before that happened.

He turned away from the crime scene and fired his grapple, vanishing into the night. He had a lot of work to do.

 **And done. I know its short, but I was honestly tempted to tend it when Lisa introduced herself. Oh well, no plan survives and all that.**

 **Let me be clear, anyone from Worm (and there will be more) who pops up in the future technically aren't Parahumans. Its a case of Dis being bored and inserting more people into the world for shits and giggles.**

 **Looks like Batmans already onto Militia. I can see this ending badly.**

 **Anyway, I know this is short and the ending wasn't exactly up to snuff, but I've got work tomorrow, so I should probably sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	118. Thats so Wrong Chapter 1 V2

Outsider Chronicles: Thats So Wrong

Getting reborn into the world of Harry Potter is...interesting. I'm sure that many reading would think that it'd be great, but what if you were Harry's sibling in a WBWL story? Yeah, thats me. Now I have to deal with annoying parents, gold diggers and annoying 'friends'. Still, its not all bad. At least Harry's new family and friends are the hero type.

 **Remember this? Its the only story I've ever abandoned due to getting such an epic backlash that it was almost physically painful rather than because my Muse decided to get high and move onto something else. Well, I've decided to play Frankenstein resurrect it and switch out some parts to make it less likely to have you lot eviscerate me. Hopefully you'll like this better. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, I often wonder if maybe I pissed someone off last time through. Then I look at my friends and realize that no, I most definitely didn't. Sorry, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself. Lets back up a bit and start from the beginning. It all started after I died from having a shelf full of Harry Potter merchandise fall on me. Not the most grandiose of deaths, although it does make me think that maybe Death has a sense of humor considering where I woke up. Anyway, after I ied from blunt force trauma, I woke up again in the body of a baby. Not what I was expecting. But lets roll with it. What I can't roll with is the fact that someone upstairs seems to be having a laugh at my expense. What makes me say that? Well, my Father can turn into a stag, my mother is known for a fiery temper and green eyes and my Godfather is literally a mutt. I am fucking screwed! Oh, and you know the worst part? I'm not Harry. Oh no, I've been reborn as his twin brother, Brandon Potter. Something tells me that is is gonna end badly…

* * *

I WAS FUCKING RIGHT! The attack happened pretty much exactly as I was expecting, with Voldie barging into Harry and my room, killed Mum in front of our crib, before shooting the Killing Curse at Harry. I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but whatever it was resulted in the Curse being reflected straight back at Voldemort with far more force, blowing the Dark Lord to bits and carving a pair of horizontal lines into my cheek with the backlash. You can probably guess what happened next.

Dumbledore showed up, declared me the BWL and then did something that resulted in Harry getting dumped somewhere, probably the Dursley's front doorstep. And all I could do was sit there and watch, completely unable to do anything to stop it! Aww well, knowing worlds like this, hes probably going to end up in a MUCH better place. Probably with a bunch of hot girls while hes at it.

I on the other hand grew up surrounded by praise, luxury and with the best education money can buy. And you know what? I loathed every minute of it. I hated the attention, I hated the blatantly biased bullshit I was spoonfed and, more than anything, I hated the sycophants who sucked up to me. The worst of the lot was Ron and Ginny, the former who had somehow gotten it into his head that I was his best mate and the latter couldn't be in the same room as me for more than a minute without embarrassing herself To make matters worse, Molly and my Father seemed to be trying to push us together, despite our young age. I once overheard something about waiting to make sure I had a proper Light side wife when I grew up and Ginny was the best choice because she had red hair or some other inane reason.

* * *

Father seemed to be shoving his head further and further up his arse with each passing day. It had got to the point where he considered everyone who wasn't firmly in the Light to be Dark and worthy of suspicion at best and outright hostility at worst. That meant he had managed to alienate over a third of the Wizengamot and the only reason the Light side ever won anything these days was thanks to Sirius much more effective politicking.

As a result of my Fathers actions, I had ended up being slapped with a similar label and basically everyone I met who wasn't glued firmly to my Father's ass treated me with a detached politeness at best and veiled hostility at worst. It was apparent that most everyone expected me to be an arrogant, self centered, Light side moron and never gave me chance to prove otherwise. Mostly because my Father was usually hovering in the background, glowering at them. Bastard.

Still, it wasn't all bad. Despite the fact that my Father seemed insistent on completely neglecting to teach me anything in the form of proper manners in the Wizarding World, I managed to learn what I need to from the library and the paintings of my ancestors, many of whom were not best pleased by how James was acting. Oh, don't get me wrong, I wasn't too keen on how stuffy most of the Pureblood traditions were, but knowing them would help me get a good many people off my back and keep me from making unnecessary enemies.

Still, it wasn't all bad. I might think that the younger Weasleys are annoying little brats, but the Twins were a ton of fun to hang around with, Neville was a nice guy and having proper friends meant that he wasn't quite as shy and Susan Bones was a good friend, although recently Father had been getting shirty about me hanging around with her as the Bones had finally had enough of his antics and switched to the Gray faction, lead by the Greengrass house.

* * *

Anyway, getting off the subject of me growing up surrounded by sycophants and the constant battle with migraines as a result of it and onto the first event that would cause me even more headaches...but still put me in a much, much better position than I was before. It was the big day, I'd got my Hogwarts letter a few days before (heralding a party that I felt was frankly overkill) and Father and Sirius took me to Diagon alley to get my things. In order to speed things up, we split up after Father gave me some spending money and my first stop was Madam Malkin's.

The second I entered, Malkin immediately swept me onto a stool, babbling about how much of an honour it was to serve me, which I ignored. As I stood there waiting for Madam Malkin to finish, the shop door opened again and two girls entered the shop. The first girl was slightly shorter than average and carried herself with the air of a proper Pureblood princess. She had cold, gray eyes and hip length ash blonde hair and fair skin. She was wearing high quality, black and gold robes that I'm pretty sure were made of Acromantula silk.

Her companion was taller, with long, flame red hair tied into pigtails, light brown eyes and lightly tanned skin. She was wearing a red and yellow sundress that made it look like she was on fire. Unlike her companion, she had a slight smile and her eyes showed more emotion. Well, they did until they saw me, then both girls icy masks snapped up faster than I could blink. I suppressed the urge to sigh and roll my eyes.

"Heir Potter," said the gray haired girl with a curt nod.

"Please drop the formalities," I said, "Seriously, we're gonna be classmates this year, I really don't want to have a stick rammed up my arse all year."

Both girls looked rather taken aback.

"With that in mind, lets start this conversation again," I said with a smirk at the looks on their faces, "Hi Daphne, Tracey, are you looking forwards to Hogwarts?"

Tracey blinked and smirked back.

"Well, your certainly not what we were expecting," she said, "After how you acted towards Malfoy at the Minister's Yule Ball last year…"

"That was because he was being a right little toerag," I said, "Unlike some people, I prefer to actually get to know people as, well, people instead of basing my opinion of them on which side of the Wizengamot they sit on or the colour of their tie."

Malkin nudged me off the stool and took the fitted robes off to create the robes in the sizes I need. It took about five minutes before I was paying her and heading out the door.

"I'll see you ladies at school!" I called back as I left.

* * *

After that, life continued as normal, right up until the Sorting. No, really, absolutely nothing of interest happened. The only difference is that Ron ended up in my Compartment from the start (Bastard), Neville decided to stick around and Malfoy knew better than to try and engaged in a battle of wits armed only with what amounted to a wet breadstick. Hermione dropped by at one point and managed to immediately get on my bad side upon finding out who I was and listing all of the books I was mentioned in.

Now, despite that, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt...right up until she blew any chance of me ever doing more than putting up with her out of the water, but thats for later.

* * *

The interesting event started at the Sorting. Naturally, I was already under a lot of scrutiny, despite still being in the middle of a massive crowd of other firsties. After all, unlike Harry, virtually everyone already knew what I looked like, no thanks to my Father pushing my fame at every opportunity, and my firey red hair was rather eye catching.

Anyway, after a bunch of students (Including Daphne and Tracey who ended up in Slytherin) were sorted, it was my turn and I stepped up to the plate, ignoring the whispers that erupted behind me as the had was placed on my head and dropped over my eyes. For a moment, all I could see was black. Then the Hat burst out laughing.

 _"Found something interesting?"_ I thought.

"Oh, yes indeed Mr Potter," said the Hat, "Very interesting indeed. You certainly do have a lot of interesting knowledge about this world...oh, whats this?"

There was a watery sensation and the Hat snorted again.

"Oh, thats just perfect!" he chuckled, "My my Mr Potter, you really are going to mess up the Status Quo."

" _Whats that supposed to mean?"_

"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you that," said the Hat, "However, I can give you some advice. Your strength will grow through conflict, so do try to play along on occasion."

" _Huh?"_

"Now, lets get you sorted," said the Hat, completely ignoring me, "Considering your attitude, Hufflepuff is right out. You're smart enough for Ravenclaw, although how much is actual intelligence and how much is from two runs through life is up for debate. You have the cunning and ambition for Slytherin, but I get the distinct impression that if I put you there you'll have killed Mr Malfoy before the weeks out. Plus, you're more likely to take any plans you have and use them as a battering ram to beat down whoever gets in your way...good god, its like Godric all over again! Theres no doubt about it, you'd be best suited for…"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I ignored the cheers from the red table as I took of the Hat and headed over to join my table. I absently returned Percy's handshake as I sat down across from Hermione and glanced up at the Head table. As I did, I met Dumbledores eyes and immediately felt a slight pressure on my Occlumency shields. I immediately shoved back, hard, making the old geezers head jerk back. That done, I turned back to the table and the mouth watering spread on display. I'd deal with the old man later, right now I was more interested in filling my belly.

As I ate, I scanned the room, noting that the Slytherin First Years already seemed to be creating their power bases. Malfoy was sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Zabini, while Daphne seemed to be holding court with Tracey, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, as well as Cedric Diggory and Susan Bones who were sitting close enough to comfortably talk at the Hufflepuff table. Not really surprising considering that everyone there was part of the Gray faction, with the Parkinson and Bulstrodes having been recent additions following the deaths of their Lords and leaving their seats to their wives.

I frowned. God I wish I could join them rather than inevitably be stuck with the hypocrites that made up the Light...

* * *

That thought continued to eat at me for weeks after the start of school, adding to the pulsing headache my fellow students were causing for me. Ron was easily one of the worst, constantly trying to pull me away from my homework to mess around and waste time with him. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for having fun, but Ron annoys me at the best of times and I really didn't want to fall behind in my schoolwork. Eventually, I got sick of his interruptions, took up his offer of playing chess and kicked his arse within six moves. I left him staring at his shattered King in disbelief as I went back to my Potions essay.

Speaking of Potions, Snape was...well, Snape. He made absolutely no attempt to hide the fact he hated my guts and was always looking for an excuse to take points or stick me in detention. My response was to act like a model student around him and smile whenever he started up, much to Ron's confusion and Snapes ire. Every time I did it, Snape went a very interesting shade of purple and I was expecting to give him an aneurysm by the end of the year.

* * *

Anyway, time marched on and before long Halloween rolled around and with it, the inevitable fight with the Troll. Naturally, its started like you'd expect, with Hermione trying to help Ron and then running off to the loo for a full day after he insulted her. Now, heres the thing, I could have stepped in to help, but Hermione was quickly proving to be a right pain in the neck. Between spewing information verbatim from the coursebooks to answer questions, a seemingly compulsive need to be top of the class and a horrible habit of nagging everyone in Gryffindor to study nearly 24/7, she was in dire need of a scare to set her straight.

Still, I wasn't about to let her get hurt, so when Quirrel showed up yelling about the Troll, I swiftly headed up to the Third Floor after giving Percy the slip. My intention was to get Hermione out of the bathroom before the troll arrived. Unfortunately, it seems that I was to late as a truly foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. I turned the corner, just in time to see the Troll stump past the end of the corridor and into the girls bathroom. It was a horrible sight which, like many other things I'd experienced, was on a completely different level to how it appeared in the film or books. Maybe it was because I could smell the damn thing as well?

* * *

Anyway, I ran down the hall and reached the bathroom, just in time to hear a terrified scream. I kicked the door down and ran inside, pulling out my wand as I went. Inside I found Hermione cowering against the wall opposite, looking scared out of her wits as the troll advanced on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.

"Tch, I think I should have brought some help…" I muttered, "Well, I'm here now, so…."

I took a deep breath and pointed my wand at the Trolls head.

"HEY UGLY!" I yelled, "CONFRINGO!"

The blasting curse slammed into the back of the Troll's noggin with the force of a Bludger...and did precisely no damage whatsoever. It did however get the Troll's attention and thats exactly what I was going for. The Troll grunted and turned to me, hefting its massive club above its head. I gulped and took a step back as the massive beast loomed above me. Hmm, maybe I should have thought this through…

I dove out of the way as the Troll swung at me, demolishing another toilet.

"HERMIONE, GET OUT OF HERE!" I yelled at the girl as I ducked under another swing.

Unfortunately, it looked like Hermione was frozen in terror in her little corner. I'm not even sure that she heard me.

"Tch…"

I pointed my wand at the floor under the Troll's feet and cast a Glasius. Instantly, the water that covered the floor from the broken toilets and sinks froze, dropping the Troll on his behind with a loud crash. I ran around it and grabbed Hermione by the back of the robes, hauling her to her feet and frog marching her towards the door, snapping her out of her daze in the process.

"Wha…"

"Come on now, time to go, quickly now before…"

I was cut off by a loud crash as the Troll finally regained its feet, let out a roar and swung its club at us. There was no time to dodge, so I shoved Hermione away, out of the path of the club. I'd died once already after all and, annoying or no, Hermione was still just a kid with her whole life ahead of her. I turned to face the Troll and, rather pointlessly, crossed my arms in front of my face as if to block the strike

"BRANDON!" screamed Hermione as the club slammed down onto me.

My vision momentarily blurred and, in a moment of complete madness, instead of just trying to block the blow, I swung my fist right bbefore the club hit me...and shattered into pieces as the Troll was sent flying back and through the bathroom wall as if it had been the one struck with a massive blow instead of my apparently weak blow.

"Wha…" I gasped as I stared at the brand new hole in the wall, wide eyed as the dust from the blast floated down around me.

Before I could even think about asking more however, the sound of running footsteps reached my ears and Snape, Mcgonagall and Quirrell burst into the room.

* * *

After the Troll incident, things mostly calmed down for the rest of the year. I'm pretty sure that Dumbledore kept trying to steer me towards either the room with the Mirror in or the Third Floor corridor due to the sheer number of times I somehow ended up in the vicinity of the latter due to the stairs moving and the fact I somehow ended up in the mirror room after a days studying at the library. Admittedly, I was a little curious as to what I'd see in the mirror anyway, so I decided to take a peek when I did arrive.

Looking back at me from the enchanted glass was an older version of me wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a pool cue in one hand and a pint in the other while on the other side of the projected pool table, an older looking Harry was lining up his shot. Both adults were clearly talking and laughing, although there was no sound. I snorted. Interesting image, but it got the idea across. My greatest desire was to be able to reconcile and actually build a relationship with Harry. I'm not entirely sure why the mirror depicted that as us playing pool at a bar though.

I shook my head and left the room, ignoring the slight shimmer that was near the door. Dumbledore could pull the strings however he wanted, but I'd already severed mine. I wouldn't dance to his tune unless it benefited me and going after the stone was one thing I wouldn't be doing. Ever.

* * *

Unfortunately, some people were making it rather hard to keep to that intent. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but Ron seemed insistent on trying to figure out what Fluffy was guarding. Apparently the idiot had ended up in the mutts room after nearly getting caught by Filch after stumbling into the Forbidden Corridor. It didn't help that he was also trying to convince me to help him get rid of Norbert the Dragon. Hermione wasn't helping matters as she was insistent on trying to figure out who Flamel was and kept asking for my help. Eventually, I just told her who he was, resulting in Ron and Hermione pooling their knowledge and coming to the conclusion that someone was trying to steal the Stone and that it was hidden on the Third Floor. Ron tried to convince me that we should go and stop whoever it was, but I decided to go talk to Flitwick instead.

I would have gone to Mcgonagall, but she was likely to brush us off and not listen. Flitwick at least heard us out and agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry, especially since we managed to figure it out based on the clues provided. With my good deed for the day done, I went to sleep with my curtains charmed to shock anyone who tried to open them before sun up. Considering Ron's hair was stood on end the next day and he kept glaring at me, I have a feeling that he might have tried to wake me up at some point.

In other news, apparently Flitwick had cranked up the defences without telling Dumbledore and, as a result, had caught the big fish, resulting in Voldies shade fleeing and leaving Quirril to die a horrible and painful death.

And with that, the first year came to an end with me acing most of the exams, with the exception of Potions and History, but that wasn't really that big a loss. I did have to wonder how much my refusal to dance to Dumbles tune had annoyed the old geezer though…

* * *

Third Person POV, Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore was annoyed. After all his hard work, all of his plans for this year had fallen apart. It had all started when Harry Potter, the true Boy Who Lived, had failed to show up and, upon investigating, turned out to have vanished years ago, followed shortly by the Dursleys being tortured to death by persons unknown. With his main pawn gone, Dumbledore had been forced to switch his focus to Brandon, his back up. The problem was that he'd left Harry with the Dursleys to make him a malleable little pawn through beating him down and making Dumbledore seem like a great and magnanimous savior. Brandon on the other hand, would need a different and much more difficult method of moulding him into a suitable mytre. And that was before you take into account the fact he was nothing like how Dumbledore had expected!

Brandon Potter was incredibly savvy, far more so than he should have been considering the lack of education James should have given him, and somehow managed to avoid moving like he was supposed to at every turn. The old man had planned to force a confrontation between Brandon and Tom in the forest by using a detention as an excuse, but the brat refused to do anything that would warrant such a punishment! Hell, he was practically a model student! This wasn't how the son of James Potter was supposed to act!

He was supposed to be just like his Father, irreverent, charismatic and always getting into trouble, not attentive and antisocial! Hell, he didn't even take the bait and go after the Stone like Dumbledore had expected, instead choosing to go to the one person on the staff who could have changed the traps without alerting him. Dumbledore wasn't very pleased about what Flitwick had done, but the half Goblin had completely ignored his disappointed Grandfather routine and instead had told him that if he wanted to keep a dangerous items in a school, hed better make damned sure that they were properly secured. To make matters worse, it appeared that Flitwick had written to Flamal and the old Alchemist had shown up in a towering rage that Dumbledore would take the Stone and stick it in a school of all places. Yeah, the old man never did get permission to move the Stone, but since when had that stopped Dumbledore? It was for the Greater Good after all.

So yeah, now Dumbledore was down a Philosopher's Stone, his plans for first year was in tatters and he still had to find a new DADA professor for next year. It was safe to say that he was not a happy bunny. Now he had to find a way to either control Brandon or find Harry, neither of which he had any idea of how to start with. And that was a feeling he wasn't used to and didn't care for in the least.

 **Right, thats the first chapter redone. Since I've basically got the first two years done, I'm going to post them as their own chapters. The other years won't be like that, although thats mainly because I'm skipping the third year due to having literally nothing to do in it and because the story really starts moving in Fourth Year.**

 **So, any ideas what Brandon's mysterious power is? Heres a clue, it has nothing to do with Magic and definitely isnt a Sacred Gear. And no, thats not be being sarcastic. That said, if I were to tell you that you might have already met the Harry of this universe if you read my Vaults, you might be able to guess where I plan to go with this.**

 **And that'll do for this one. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	119. Thats so Wrong Chapter 2 V2

Outsider Chronicles: Thats So Wrong

Getting reborn into the world of Harry Potter is...interesting. I'm sure that many reading would think that it'd be great, but what if you were Harry's sibling in a WBWL story? Yeah, thats me. Now I have to deal with annoying parents, gold diggers and annoying 'friends'. Still, its not all bad. At least Harry's new family and friends are the hero type.

 **And here we go with year two. I've made more than a few alterations to this, so have fun and enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Finally, the summer had arrived and with it, a chance to get well away from Ron and Hermione for a bit. Now, don't get me wrong, Hermione at least had enough brains in her skull to realize I absolutely hated my fame, but she was annoying for entirely different reasons, mainly her study habits and the fact she put far too much stock in books and authority figures for my liking. Plus, for some reason they were under the impression that we always needed to be together and tended to get upset whenever I disappeared to do my own thing, usually a run around the Great Lake to keep in shape. Plus, it meant that I could get back to my favorite hobbies, Parkour and martial arts.

Yep, I was a martial artist and a pretty good one too. At some point in the past, one of the Potter family heads had been a keen Fencer and had set up a room for it, complete with padded floors, mirrored walls and enchanted dummies to serve as opponents with settings that ran the gambit from beginner to what had to be Olympic level fencing, along with more combat ready settings to teach how to use a sword in real combat. True, it was meant for Fencing, but I'd been able to figure out how to modify the dummy's to serve as sparring partners in other martial arts.

I'd stumbled on the room when I was five during a boredom induced exploration of the extensive Potter mansion and had been using it ever since to blow off steam. It helped that my Father and Sirius had no idea it even existed. Yeah, the Potter mansion was that bloody large.

* * *

Anyway, I spent a lot of time in my little hide away that summer, both to avoid my Father, who seemed rather put out by something, and to ensure that my skills with a sword were up to scratch. I'd need them this year after all. Yes, I did indeed plan to deal with the Basilisk, even if Ginny did end up being the one snatched. Why? For the same reason I helped Hermione, despite finding her annoying. Shes a kid. Until I find concrete proof that I'm being potioned or something and she knows about it, I'm not going to leave her to die in a hole.

Of course, it would be nice if I could prevent it in the first place, but that was basically impossible. I had no real way of getting at the Diary at the moment since, even if I were to swallow my pride and visit the Weasleys, I'd have no reason to go snooping around Ginny's room. Hell, we even went to the Alley at different times, mostly due to the fact that my Father was busy with work on the day that Lockhart was there and the Weasleys would be going. Besides, even if I could get my hands on the Diary, what would I do with it? I wasn't powerful enough to cast Fiendfyre and even if I was, I wasn't dumb enough to try, and I was fresh out of Basilisk Venom. I suppose I could hand it over to the Unspeakables, but I really didn't want to go anywhere near those nutjobs. If they found out I was a reincarnated soul, they'd have me on a dissection slab before you can as Vivisection. With that in mind, I really didn't have a choice but to wait it out and go into the Chamber prepared and ready. Well, just as soon as I figured out how to enter it without being able to speak Parseltongue.

* * *

Moving on, the next interesting thing that happened was when I went shopping for my Second Year supplies and ran into Luna. It was...rather odd to say the least.

I was enjoying an icecream at Fortescue's after finishing my shopping and let go by Father to do my own thing, when someone plonked a large bowl of pudding flavored ice cream down across from me and plunked themselves down in the seat. I looked up with a raised eyebrow to see none other than Luna Lovegood sat across from me.

"Hello Brandon Potter," she said in a dreamy voice.

"Errrr, can I help you?" I asked, feeling rather confused about this state of affairs.

I'd never actually met Luna in person before, both because she was a year younger and because the Lovegoods had switched to the Gray block after Fortuna Lovegood nearly died in an accident, resulting in Father throwing a temper tantrum and cutting off all ties with them. It really didn't help that the Lovegood reputation of being completely and utterly around the twist was even worse with three of them.

"Oh, my boss wanted to know what I thought of you, so I thought I should get to know you," said Luna airily as she dug into her ice cream.

"Um, and your boss is who exactly?" I asked.

"Hmm, you'll see," she said.

My eye twitched. Oh, it was one of THOSE Luna's.

"So, what do you think of me?" I asked.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," said Luna, "I think I need to observe more. I'll see you at school."

She stood and skipped away with her ice cream, leaving me with a pounding head and a twitching eye. Something tells me shes going to be a pain this year…

* * *

After my encounter with Luna, nothing much happened for a while. Dobby never showed up and, as a result, no one got stuck outside the Barrier, so that was relatively boring. When we got to Hogwarts, classes started up, including Lockharts unfortunately. The man was nauseating to be around at best and I regularly found myself contemplating figuring out a way to feed him to the Basilisk.

Speaking of the oversized garden snake, Halloween rolled around before I knew it, bringing with it the petrification of Mrs Norris...which I was nowhere near, thank god. Frankly, I'd like to see anyone try to pin the Heir of Slytherin title on me considering I couldn't speak Parseltongue.

* * *

After that, the next big event was the Dueling club, which I only attended because A, Hermione wouldn't shut up about it (she'd been driving me barmy gushing over the ponce all year up until that point) and I really, really wanted to show off some. Sure, I may not like the fame of being the BWL (fake as it was), but one thing I was good at was dueling.

Its not really that surprising to say that learning Martial arts had resulted in my skills in Magical dueling going through the roof. I had more stamina than the average Wizard, was faster on my feet and, if I was disarmed, was fast and agile enough to avoid any follow up spells designed to take me out and take out my opponent without magic. Of course, that wouldn't fly in an official duel, but it'd keep me alive if nothing else.

"Oh, will you stop pouting Bran?" asked Hermione as she and Ron walked up to me where I was leaning against the wall waiting for the 'lesson' to begin, "This'll be really interesting!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Excuse me if I don't think that an idiot who doesn't even understand the basics of fighting knows a thing about Dueling," I muttered.

Hermione ignored me. She seemed to do that a lot whenever I said something vaguly intelligent. For some reason she thought I was an idiot.

"So, who do you think will be running it?" asked Ron.

"Preferably Flitwick since hes an actual professional Duelist, but I have a feeling its gonna be…" I said, before I was cut off by the squeals of girls as Lockhart flounced onto the strip, grinning widely, "Yep, him."

Lockhart waved an arm for silence.

"Gather round, gather round!" he called, "Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works."

He gave a blinding smile and I rolled my eyes in disgust. I could already see some people heading for the door.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile, "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in my ear.

I nodded absently in agreement, more interested in analyzing the stances of the two Duelists. I'd learnt Dueling from one of the Paintings of my ancestors, specifically the man who was responsible for creating the Dueling room, Lord Salvatori Potter. He was an...interesting fellow, a complete and utter idiot in just about everything short of Dueling. In his day, he had been the top Duelist in the world and he'd taught me a lot. Those lessons were coming in handy now as I examined the two teachers. Right off the bat I could tell that neither of them were actual Duelists and both would be creamed in moments on the Circuit. However, Snape was clearly an experienced fighter, as indicated from the tensing of his muscles and the way he was watching Lockharts every movement. Lockhart on the other hand...well, his stance was flashy, there was way too many wasted movements and he was practically shouting his first move to the rafters. In short, exactly like I was expecting.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart said and I immediately stifled a snort.

That stance would see him laughed out of the little league Dueling Circuit.

"On the count of three, we will cast our first spells," continued the ponce, "Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't bet on that," I muttered, watching Snape baring his teeth.

"One — two — three —"

Both of teachers (and I use the term very loosly) swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent.

An instant later, there was a flash of light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes, as were a number of other girls.

"Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.

I was too busy grumbling about the lack of proper Dueling wards to respond. Seriously, if you're going to teach us how to duel, at least do it properly!

"Well, there you have it!" said Lockhart, tottering back onto the platform, "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see . . ."

He trailed off when he caught Snapes murderous glare. Apparently he wasn't totally without survival instincts.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students how to block unfriendly spells," sneered Snape.

"A-ah yes, an excellent idea," said Lockhart, "Lets have a volunteer pair...Potter, Weasley, come on up."

"Forgive me Professor, but I feel that it would be best to chose someone who actually knows which end of the wand is which," said Snape, making Ron glare at him, "May I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy for instance?"

He turned away and indicated for Malfoy to clamber up onto the stage as I did the same. We stepped up to the middle of the strip, Malfoy with an arrogant smirk and swagger, while I just analyzed his stance and movements. I narrowed my eyes slightly as my vision momentarily blurred and flashed purple, before I received a frankly massive amount of information out of nowhere. It was so unexpected that I jumped slightly. Malfoy seemed to notice my surprise and his smirk widened.

"Scared Potter?" he sneered.

"Not really," I said, "After all, you still can't manage to turn a beetle into a button and only past first year because your Daddy leaned on the Board."

I blinked. How the fuck did I know that? It was apparently true though as Malfoy went red and swelled up in rage.

"Alright, thats enough you two," said Lockhart before the other idiot could explode, "Lets begin. Wands at the ready!"

Malfoy and I both saluted, although it looked like Malfoy wanted to ram is wand into my eye rather than salute me with it, and stepped apart until Lockhart told us to stop.

"When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to dis-

arm them — we don't want any accidents — one . . . two . . .three —"

My heightened intuition that had come out of nowhere alerted me to Malfoy's early cast before he'd even started moving and I flicked my wand, deflecting the spell Malfoy had sent my way on two and responded with my own with a second flick. A bolt of crimson light shot out with the speed of a bullet and caught Malfoy full in the face, sending him shooting back up the other end of the strip as his wand went in the other direction.

"Impressive, you cheated and still couldn't hit me," I drawled as I leant back on my heels.

Malfoy scowled and snatched his wand back from Snape as he scrambled to his feet.

"Serpensortia!"

The end of his wand exploded and I stilled as a large, gray snake erupted from the tip. The snake hissed angrily as it hit the floor with a thud and raised itself up. As it did, I caught sight of the inside of its mouth and paled.

"Are you mad!?" I spluttered, "Of all the snakes you could have conjured, you went with a Black Mamba?!"

Malfoy's face lit up at the slight tremor in my tone.

"Whats the matter Potter, scared?" he sneered.

"As a matter of fact, I am," I said, keeping very still as I kept both eyes on the angry snake.

I also noticed that a lot of Muggleborns and halfbloods looked equally wary.

"The Black Mamba is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world," I continued, "And I'm including Magical snakes in there as well. Its fast, aggressive and with a venom so potent that if it bit someone in this room, I highly doubt that they'd survive long enough to get treatment."

"I find that hard to believe Potter," sneered Snape, "I have plenty of antidotes available."

"You really want to risk it?" I asked.

There was a moment's silence, before Snape gave a jerky nod.

"Very well Potter, you've made your point," he said, almost spitting the words as if they tasted sour, "I'll get rid of it…"

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart.

He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang as it flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged and hissing furiously, it coiled itself up and launched itself at the nearest student.

Without thinking, I ran forwards, skidding to a stop before the snake, my fist already in motion. My fist hit the snake in the face...and the reptile exploded like it had been hit by an RPG round, sending blood and gore spraying all over Malfoy, Lockhart and Snape. The mangled body fell to the floor with a soft thump as everyone stared, wide eyed. I wasn't much better, but I pushed it off for now in favour of turning to the snakes would-be target to make sure they were alright. Much to my surprise, I found myself looking into the misty eyes of Luna Lovegood, who was eyeing me with some amusement.

"I think I've made my decision," said the odd girl, "I think you'll make an excellent addition to our group."

Before I could ask what in the hell she was talking about, the dotty girl turned and skipped towards the doors, humming quietly to herself as if she hadn't just nearly had a close encounter with an angry snake.

* * *

After the Dueling Club, I once again found myself the talk of the school, although this time the discussions were split into three. Some (mostly those who followed Dueling) were talking about how good I was on the Strip and how I should enter and take part in the upcoming Myrddin Cup next year. Those rumors I had no problem with whatsoever as the praise was well earned. Whether or not I deserved to get into the biggest dueling tournament in the world was another question entirely though.

The other conversations were a tad less savory. Some were talking about how I saved Luna and how I'd somehow managed to turn the snakes own attack momentum back on itself without apparently using Magic. Needless to say, some idiots were crying Dark Magic, although some were grumbling that I'd saved Luna from being bitten, mostly upper year Ravenclaws, including, much to my horror, one of the Prefects. What kind of twisted person wishes a painful death on a girl simply for being a little different?! Hell, she might cause me a headache in every conversation, but I found Luna to be a bright and charming girl I was happy to call friend. Ron was less happy that I was hanging out with 'Loony Lovegood', but I didn't care what he thought.

The final rumor also perterened to the Dueling Club and was apparently being spread by Malfoy and his goons that I cheated...somehow. Yeah, I wasn't to sure on the whys either. Fortunately, Flitwick cleared it up by giving a proper explanation of Dueling and the rules of the sport, although I could have done without being used as a human punching bag.

* * *

Anyway, time continued to roll along and before I knew it, Hermione and Ron had ambushed me and dragged me off to Myrtle's bathroom where they showed me their plan to try and get some information out of the Slytherin's.

"Polyjuice potion? Really?" I growled as I eyed the cauldron of what appeared to be slowly bubbling mud.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" asked Hermione.

I glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You are planning on attempting to infiltrate a nest of snakes," I said flatly, "And I mean that literally. Malfoy and his cronies might be idiots, but the upper years know exactly what to look for to locate imposters."

Hermione looked stunned at that.

"Who were you planning to use anyway?" I asked.

Hermione shook her head and pulled out a vial with a hair in it.

"I got this of Millicent Bulstrodes robes," she said.

I groaned and let my head fall into my hands.

"Hermione, did you do ANY research at all?" I moaned, "Or are you trying to get caught?"

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Bulstrode is Gray," I said.

That just got me two blank looks.

"You...have done absolutely no reading into how the Wizengamot works, have you?" I asked with a twitching eye.

"No, but what does it matter?" asked Hermione, "Their all Slytherins, right?"

"True, but in the Snake Pit, things tend to be a tad unstable," I said, "Outside the common room, they put out a united front, but inside there is a state of constant back and forth between the Dark and Gray factions. If you tried to approach Malfoy looking like Bulstrode, you'd be immediately called out for being an imposter."

I shot a look at Ron.

"I would have thought you at least would know some of this," I said.

Ron shrugged.

"Never paid any attention in those lessons," he said.

"And people wonder why the Weasleys are in the shitter," I muttered too quietly to be heard by either of my 'friends'.

I huffed and pushed myself to my feet.

"I'm not helping you with this," I said flatly, "As the Heir to a high ranking Light house, there's too much risk that something could go wrong. I strongly suggest that the two of you reconsider as well. Polyjuice potion is a risky move, even without the potential political problems."

The image of Hermione as a cat came to mind. I nodded to the two twelve year olds and left the bathroom.

* * *

After that, things continue as they were want to do, with lessons, homework and stopping by the hospital wing to scold Hermione and Ron for being so utterly reckless, despite my warnings. Yeah, they'd gone through with it and now Hermione was coughing up hairballs for a month.

On the other hand, considering she missed the horror that was valentine's day, I think she might have been the lucky one. I'd ended up with a gaggle of them following me around until I had enough and just climbed into the rafters to hide until they went away.

In other news, the Diary never showed up in Myrtle's bathroom. Not sure why, but I suspect the brown sticky stuff will hit the rapidly rotating blades slightly earlier than normal this time through.

On the other hand, some things happened as I expected. Hermione got Petrified on the day of a Quidditch Match, Hagrid got arrested, Dumbledore was sacked and security cranked up to eleven. As such, I was busy making preparations for the face off with the Basilisk and Riddle, mostly by practicing some really powerful spells that would help blind the Basilisk or at least stop it from killing me with a look.

* * *

Then, finally, the big day arrived. I was making my way towards the Room of Requirement for some last minute training before the next class when McGonagall's voice echoed through the halls.

"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers to the 1st floor corridor. Immediately, please."

I stopped and took a deep breath. This was it, my first real battle. Well, this'll be fun…

It didn't take me long to reach Myrtles bathroom where I ducked behind a suit of armour on a plinth to listen in on the teachers.

"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message," said Mcgonagall, "Our worst fear has been realized. A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself! The students must be sent home at once...I fear that this is the end of Hogwarts..."

At that moment, Lockhart sauntered up, blinding smile on his lips as usual.

"So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?" he said.

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.

"Just the man," he said, "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart blanched.

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I — well, I —" sputtered Lockhart.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.

"D-did I? I don't recall —"

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape, clearly enjoying himself, "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.

"I — I really never — you may have misunderstood —"

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all

by yourself. A free rein at last."

Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usual toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.

"V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting —getting ready."

And he left the room.

"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."

"Before we go, who was it that was taken?" asked Pomfrey, although she looked like she really didn't want to know.

Mcgonagall sighed.

"Ginny Weasley."

Well, that confirmed that at least. I waited a moment after the teachers dispersed, before darting across the corridor and into the room. I ignored Myrtle in favour of scanning the sinks for the snake mark and quickly found it. I pointed my wand into the basin.

"Serpensortia," I muttered and a small garden snake appeared with a pop, "Imperio."

I directed the controlled snake to hiss at the tap and the sink immediately opened.

"Huh, I can't believe that worked," I muttered as I vanished the snake, "Well, once more into the breach I guess…"

I took a deep breath and jumped into the pipe. I did my best to control my fall, although it was rather hard considering the twists and turns in the pipe, not to mention the slippery gunk that covered the walls. I really didn't want to know what that stuff was…

I eventually reached the bottom and shot out, rolling to my feet as I hit the floor and looking around, ready for an ambush. I didn't think it'd happen, but you can never be too careful. Once I was sure I was alone, I headed down the hall, keeping my eyes and ears open for any would be attack. I paused when I reached the skin and gulped. It was only when I saw the skin that I realized just how big my next opponent really was.

"Well, there's no way I can back out now," I muttered, "This is gonna suck…"

I continued through the tunnel until I reached a large door with snakes coiling over the surface. I took another deep breath and repeated my trick from the bathroom, allowing the doors to creak open.

I found myself standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber, lined with towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents that rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. I have to admit, the place must have been stunning in its heyday and even now, after centuries of neglect, it still had an air of grandeur to it.

I made my way through the chamber, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of movement, but there was nothing. Before long, I reached the end pillars and a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. Its face was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. Between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair.

However, I wasn't interested in Ginny right now, I was more interested in the figure stood off to the side. I hadn't used a light spell since I got down into the chamber, so my vision had adjusted to the gloom, allowing me to see him with little problem. Riddle smirked slightly when he saw I'd spotted him and stepped out of the shadows.

"Not bad Potter," he said, "I suppose Ginny's stories about you weren't totally inaccurate after all."

"Depends on what stories she told," I said, "If it was the one about me defeating the mummy horde or a flock of rampaging dragons, they're not true at all."

Riddle snorted.

"So I guessed," he drawled as he eyed me curiously.

"So, who exactly are you?" I asked, "You don't look like any student I've seen in school."

Riddle smiled thinly.

"Oh, I'm just a kind stranger little Ginny Weasley poured out all her problems to," said the Horcrux.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, mostly to keep in character.

I had no idea if the prime soul would gain anything from this bit when it was destroyed, so I wasn't about to give any hint of my future knowledge.

"The diary," said Riddle, "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes — how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how she didn't think famous, good, great Brandon Potter would ever like her. . . ."

All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left my face. There was an almost hungry look in them.

"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom. . . . I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in. . . . It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket. . . ."

Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that suited him perfectly. It still made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up though.

"If I say it myself, Brandon, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted. . . . I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her . . ."

"Possession," I breathed, "Ah, so thats it. You're not a memory, you're a Horcrux, aren't you?"

I ignored the way Riddles eyes widened in utter disbelief.

"So I suppose you had Ginny kill all the roosters so they couldn't accidentally stop your Monster?" I continued, "Then, when the Basilisk was safe, you had her release it and set it on Muggleborns and write messages on the wall. Rather clever all told."

Riddle sneered.

"Well, aren't you a clever one?" he said, "Yes, all correct. I must say, I am rather surprised. I was expecting you to be another dull Light side fool in Dumbledores pocket."

I snorted.

"I'm no ones puppet," I said, "Although there is one thing I'm curious about. If you're a Horcrux, who is your prime self? Only a truly depraved soul would create a Phylactery, but I can't remember any Dark Lords named Tom."

Riddle scowled.

"Of course not you fool," he sneered, "You really think I'd keep my filthy Muggle Fathers old name? No, I fashioned myself a new name after I left school, one that would strike fear into the hearts of the entire Wizarding World!"

He spun around and used Ginny's wand to write his name in fire, before flicking his wrist and making the letters rearrange themselves.

"Yes, a new name with which I would use to prove to the world that I am the greatest sorcerer to ever live!"

I glanced between the flaming words and Riddle, before I did something he probably wasn't expecting. I burst out laughing. Immediately, the manic grin was wiped of Riddles face and replaced with a scowl.

"What are you laughing at Potter?!" he snarled.

"Oh, I just find it funny that you used an anagram to create a name that means 'Flight from Death' in french," I said, "You are right though, that does tell the world what you really are. A coward, too afraid of death to live and make something of yourself and willing to start a war and slaughter countless innocent people over the fact that your daddy didn't love you."

Riddle was rapidly going purple and I think that, had he had a body, he would probably have had a heart attack by now.

"Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of allowing you to resurrect here," I said, all pretences of humor abandoned.

"You really think you can stop me?!" snarled Riddle, "You, the half blood spawn of a mudblood whore?! You have no idea of the powers I have at my disposal!"

"True, but I do know that you currently can't use any of them," I said, "However, even if you could, that wouldn't stop me from fighting. You won't be taking Ginny's life tonight."

Riddle stared at me for a moment.

"Tell me something Potter, why are you so insistent on protecting this girl?" he asked through gritted teeth, "I was under the impression you didn't like her."

I snorted.

"Yes, lovestruck preteen girls always know what their crush is thinking," I drawled, "While it is true I find her a tad annoying with that stupid crush on my title, thats no where near enough to make me leave her for dead. She's an innocent life, something worth protecting, no matter the cost!"

Riddle opened his mouth, but froze. Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on my scalp and made my heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that I felt it vibrating inside my ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its beautiful music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. A second later, the bird was flying straight at me and dropped

the ragged thing it was carrying at my feet, then landed heavily on my shoulder. As it folded its great wings, I looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.

The bird stopped singing and fixed Riddle with a piercing stare.

"That's a phoenix. . . ." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.

"Fawkes? But why would…?" I started.

"Because, Mr Potter, you have proven that you are worthy," said the bundle.

I blinked and opened it, revealing the Sorting Hat. Well, this was...unexpected.

"Worthy?" I asked, "Worthy of what?"

Before the Sorting Hat could respond, Riddle burst out laughing.

"So, these are the greatest weapons the Hero has at his disposal?" he sneered, "A songbird and an old hat. Pathetic."

He turned away and hissed at the statue. In response, the statue started to shake as the mouth slowly opened. Riddle turned back to me and sneered.

"Lets test the power of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin, against the famous Brandon Potter," he sneered.

I shut my eyes tight and readied myself, inwardly thanking whatever deity listening I'd thought to train in blind fighting. I was far from a master, but it'd do for now. Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber and I felt the impact through my shoes. Riddle hissed something and I heard something massive slithering towards me. I gritted my teeth and readied myself.

I sidestepped the Basilisks first lunge and went to run. I couldn't fight the giant snake here, so I needed to find somewhere where I had the advantage. Unfortunately, the snake seemed to anticipate my move and slammed its tail down in front of me.

"Aw shit," I muttered as Riddle's cold laughter filled my ears.

I tried to run the other way, but before I could, the Basilisk flicked its head and sent me flying into the wall. I slid down, tasting blood. I laid where I fell, dazed, as I heard the massive serpent slither towards me.

Then, there was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above me and then something heavy slammed into the ground close by. Without thinking, I opened my eyes to look. The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. I turned my head to see Fawkes swooping between the pillers, diving and pecking at the snakes face and eyes as the Basilisk snapped furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers. Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail

thrashed, narrowly missing me as it howled its rage and agony at the loss of its sight to the ceiling .

"NO!" screamed Riddle, "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!"

The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes. I shook of the last of my daze and scrambled to my feet, sprinting towards the Hat. My only hope was the Sword, otherwise I was dead. I dove under a tail swipe and rammed the Hat on my head.

" _HELP!"_ I yelled.

"Of course Mr Potter, you only had to ask," said the Hat.

The hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly and something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of my head, almost knocking me out. I grabbed the top of the hat and pulled it off, yanking the sword from the hat, spun around and took my stance. It was only then that I realized that the sword wasn't quite what I was expecting. Instead of being an ornate, silver sword festooned with rubies, it was an Italian broadsword with a ruby set into the center of the guard.

I didn't have time to contemplate it however as the Basilisk lunged at me again. I instinctively met the lunge with one of my own, but not with the sword. Oh no, instead I punched the giant snake in the nose.

BOOM!

The force of the blow made the Basilisks momentum completely reverse, sending it flying back into the statue of Slytherin and created a massive gust of wind that nearly knocked Fawkes out of the air and blasted a huge amount of dust into the air and then away in a secondary shockwave. I couldn't help it, my jaw dropped in utter disbelief as I looked between my fist and the clearly dead Basilisk if the dent in its head was anything to go by. Then, I remembered where I was and spun around.

Apparently, I didn't need to worry about Tom though because he looked just as taken aback as me.

"You...what are you?!" he spluttered, "Your not Human! You can't be!"

I took a deep breath and bent down, picking up the diary from where it had been blown at my feet...somehow.

"What am I you ask?" I said, "Well, that should be obvious. I'm the hero."

Then, I crushed the diary in my hand. Like with my punching of various dangerous creatures, I'm not sure why I did it, but against all logic, it worked. The diary spurted ink like a squeezed lemon and the Riddle shade went up in smoke. With the threat gone, all the tension fled from my body and I collapsed, gasping for breath.

"I'm the hero?" I muttered, "God, why the hell did I say that?"

"Your right, it was cheesy," said the Hat from where he lay, "But it doesnt mean its not true. You saved Miss Weasley after all."

"I guess thats true," I muttered as I glanced over at the stirring Ginny.

She sat up, blinking blearily as she looked around. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over me, then to the remains of the diary. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face and she flung herself into my arms.

"Brandon — oh, Brandon— I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy — it was me, Brandon," she sobbed, "But I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary —"

"It's all right," I said gently as I rubbed her back, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk.

C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —"

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as I helped her awkwardly to her feet, "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and — w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"

I opened my mouth to try and comfort her, but before I could, my vision blurred and swam and, for a brief moment, I got the sense of staring at something vastly more massive than anything I could comprehend before the feeling vanished. I shook my head to clear it, inwardly wondering what in the hell that was, but I quickly pushed the thought aside for now. It could wait, the distraught girl could not.

"Don't worry Ginny, you'll be fine," I said, "Take the diary, we can use it as evidence that you were controlled."

Ginny ignored me and just kept sobbing into my chest. I sighed and glanced over at Fawkes.

"Hospital wing please," I said, "NOT Dumbledore's office or anywhere else he might have told you to take us."

Fawkes gave an affirmative chirp, grabbed the hat and sword, and fluttered over to Ginny and I. He landed on my lap and we all vanished in a flash of fire that cleared to reveal the empty Hospital wing.

I hoisted the sleeping Ginny into my arms (she'd apparently cried herself out and succumb to the exhaustion of her ordeal) and placed her into one of the beds, just as the door to Pomfrey's office opened and the nurse emerged, wand in hand. At the sight of me, her jaw dropped.

"Mr Potter?" she asked, "What are…"

Then she spotted Ginny. She immediately shut her mouth and ran to the bed, waving her wand over the unconscious girl.

"She was possessed," I said, holding up the wrecked diary, "This was responsible. I destroyed it and I think the spirit is gone, but you should double check."

Pomfrey's lips thinned and her wand waving upped in intensity. It took another five minutes before she stopped.

"While shes Magically exhausted, she'll be fine," she said, "Although she could do with visiting a Mind Healer. Now Mr Potter, what happened and how did you end up saving her?"

I twitched. Something told me I was in for quite the lecture. Still, I trusted Pomfrey more than most of the idiots in this place since she was well known in the Magical Medical industry for being one of the best in the field, so I told her everything, only leaving out exactly how I killed the oversized grass snake. I wasn't quite sure how to explain the fact that I'd punched it hard enough to completely powderize its skull.

By the time I was finished, Pomfrey was staring at me with an unreadable expression on her face. After a moment, she sighed.

"That was a very brave and foolish thing to do," she said, "You could easily have been killed."

"Oh believe me, that thought was on my mind the entire time," I said with a rufil smile, "But...I couldn't just leave her. She might be annoying, but Ginny's just a kid. She doesn't deserve to die in a dark hole and be eaten by a giant snake."

Pomfrey sighed again.

"Your a good man Brandon," she said, "Better than your Father by far."

I scowled. That was an understatement and a half.

"Now, I'm going to give you a quick check up while we wait for the Headmaster and the Weasleys to arrive," said Pomfrey, "You don't look hurt, but you have just fought a Basilisk and I'd like to be sure. Hop up on the bed."

I did as I was told as Pomfrey sent off a Patronus before turning back to me.

* * *

By the time she was done, the doors of the Hospital wing came crashing open to reveal the Weasleys led by Mrs Weasley, who made an immediate beeline to the bed Ginny was in and started sobbing over her. Overdramatic cow. Actually, that might be a bit mean considering she thought her daughter was dead.

"Well, against all odds, your in perfect health," said Pomfrey, "Theres nothing wrong with you at all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and stop Molly from smothering my other patent. Do you mind waiting here for a while? I'm sure that Albus will like to speak with you and I have a feeling that you being here will help Miss Weasley remain calm. Plus, the school is still under lockdown, so its not a good idea to be wondering the halls."

I nodded as the matron walked over to the Weasleys and settled back on the bed to think. I had a lot to think about. Like the fact that I was somehow strong enough to kill something like a Basilisk by punching it, was completely unhurt, despite being smacked into a wall hard enough to break bones and I'd somehow destroyed a Horcrux by crushing it. How? How the hell had I done any of that? Then there was the odd feeling I'd felt during Ginny's breakdown.

I couldn't think of a single reason why it would be possible without some form of Empathic power, something that, if I did have it, would have popped up a long time before now. Then again, I suppose it could have been something Ginny had done. After all, even in adults, Accidental Magic wasn't unheard of when put in situations of intense stress and I had no doubt that the events of tonight had been the single worst experience of Ginnys life.

The sound of someone clearing their throat drew me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see a smiling Dumbledore stood at the side of my bed. I quickly schooled my face.

"Headmaster," I said cooly.

The headmasters expression faulted for a moment, but he manfully kept his smile in place.

"I understand we have you to thank for Miss Weasleys safe return," he said.

"Yes," I said.

"I see," said Dumbledore, "Could you tell me everything that happened? It will help us get to the bottom of it all."

I sighed softly. I didn't like or trust Dumbledore, but at the moment, he had no reason to turn on the Weasleys and every reason to keep them sweet. He was the best choice for keeping Ginny from getting blamed. With that in mind, I told him a modified story that was much closer to what happened in Canon than what actually happened. I didn't want him to know about my strength.

It took about ten minutes to fill the old man in on everything and hand him the Diary. By this point, the Weasleys were all listening in, with Mrs Weasley getting pailer and pailer and clinging to her Daughter as if she thought she'd vanish if she let go. When I finished, she burst into tears.

"Don't worry Molly," said Dumbledore reassuringly, "Ginny will be fine and I see no reason to punish her. People far older and wiser have been hoodwinked by Voldemort. Bedrest and a cup of hot coco is just the ticket for her to put this all behind her…"

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat, cutting off the Headmaster.

"If you don't mind Headmaster, I will be the judge of that," she snapped, before turning to Mr Weasley, "Arthur, Ginny is physically fine, albeit magically and physically exhausted from her ordeal. Both can be fixed with a good nights rest and a good meal, but her mental state is far more serious. The act of possession is...incredibly traumatic, on par with rape, and in this case its even worse as she was nearly killed to restore the spirit in question. She needs to talk to someone and come to terms with it. I'll recommend some Mind Healers who can help."

Mr Weasley's expression went through a number of expressions, before resting on a mix of rage and helplessness.

"But...we can't afford a Mind Healer!" protested the balding man.

"I'll pay for it," I said, making everyone look at me.

Arthur looked rather nonplussed at the offer.

"Thank you for the offer Brandon, but…"

"Don't even think about saying you don't want charity," I said, cutting him off, "Ginny needs this if shes going to recover and I will not allow someone to suffer due to stubborness and misplaced pride."

I grinned.

"Besides, I have a feeling I'm about to come into a rather large windfall of cash."

Everyone stared at me.

"What are you talking about mate?" asked Ron.

"Well, since I killed the Basilisk, I'm claiming it by right of conquest," I said.

Dumbledore twitched slightly.

"Ah, Brandon my boy, that might not be…"

"Might not be what Professor?" I asked, "Are you saying I can't claim the body of the class 5 beast I killed single handedly?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth, before closing it and clearing his throat.

"Yes, well, as long as everyone is safe," he said, "If you'll excuse me, I need to go and lift the lockdown."

He turned and swept out of the room. I let out a sigh of relief. I didn't like being around Dumbledore, if only because I didn't want him trying to read my mind.

Suddenly, some deep seated instinct warned me of an incoming attack and I shot up, somehow pulling off a perfect handstand on the bed frame, allowing the incoming spell I recognized as a stinging charm shoot past where I'd been sitting. I blinked and glanced in the direction it had come from to see that Mrs Weasley had her wand out and pointed in my direction.

"Hey, what was that for?!" I demanded, ignoring the looks of utter shock I was getting as I dropped back to the floor.

The look of shock faded from Mrs Weasley's face in favour of a disapproving frown.

"You shouldn't talk to the Headmaster like that!" she said, "He knows best after all. If he doesn't think that you should claim the carcass, you shouldn't. I must say, I agree, a child shouldn't have that much money."

I stared at the large woman, not entirely sure if I should laugh or kick her through a wall. It was bad enough when she tried to control Harry in the original story, but here she didn't even really know me! I think we'd had maybe three conversations in my entire life and most of them could be boiled down to me telling her to leave me the hell alone.

"Mrs Weasley, I'm not sure where you get off trying to tell me what to do, but what I do is none of your goddamn business," I said, "I am well within my rights to claim the Basilisk carcass and do whatever the hell I want to with it. The law is very clear, not even my Father can tell me what to do with the body."

Mrs Weasley went purple.

"Why I never!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet.

"MUM, STOP!" shouted Ginny, who was apparently awake.

Immediately, Mrs Weasley's body locked up, pitching her face first into the floor as she was in the middle of stepping forwards. Complete silence fell as everyone, including me, stared at Ginny in complete shock. That...was completely unexpected. Where in the world had that even come from? It was as out of place as my own strength and durability! Even Ginny seemed stunned, judging from the way she was staring at her hands.

"What...was that?" stuttered Percy.

No one had a good answer.

* * *

The last few weeks of school also went by without good answers, not helped by the fact the Weasleys took their kids home with Dumbledores blessing. I wasn't really going to argue with that decision, although I did NOT agree with him canceling the exams. Did he even have the authority to do that for the OWL and NEWT students?

Anyway, in that time, I'd gotten in touch with the Goblins by sending a few copies of the letter with different owls and one through Muggle post, just to be safe. The letter I got back applauded my caution, but informed me that it wouldn't be needed. All Gringotts mail, ingoing or outgoing, wa protected by a rather impressive bit of Goblin magic that made it so it couldn't be intercepted without explicit permission from the Bank itself. They also informed me that they'd be happy to perform the rendering service in exchange for a reasonable sum and a portion of the raw material, mostly the meat. Since Basilisk meat is useless to Humans, other than in a few potions that were either incredibly Dark or had such specific uses that they were hardly ever needed, I was perfectly happy to agree. The rendering would be done over the holidays and the proceeds added to my Vault.

I also asked if they could recommend a good Mind Healer, but they weren't able to help with that.

However, since school was out, I'd have plenty of time to find a good one. Hell, I was already at it as I waited for the train to pull out thanks to Madam Pomfrey giving me a sheaf of flyers when I asked.

"You know, I know a good one," said a familer voice, making me look up.

I smiled at the sight of Luna stood in the door.

"Hi Luna, do you want to join me?" I asked.

"I would, thank you," said Luna, stepping into the compartment and heaving her Trunk onto the rack, "Now, as I was saying, I know someone who could help Ginny."

I blinked.

"You do?" I asked.

"Yes, I do," said Luna, "Shes very talented and has a lot of experience dealing with people with Wrackspurts and Snorkacks. I don't think shes ever had to deal with a Heliopath, but shes very good at her job."

I blinked a couple of times. Even after knowing her and spending a great deal of time with her over the last year, I still had no idea if she was being serious with her animals and was legitimately crazy, was actually seeing them with some unknown power, was a Seer of some kind or was completely trolling me. Frankly, any of them was as likely as the last with Luna.

"Well...can you give me her contact details?" I asked, "I'd like to speak with her first."

"Of course," said Luna, handing me a card.

I looked at it and blinked.

"Luna, this is a Muggle phone number," I said.

"I know," said Luna, "But she knows about the Wizarding world and will be happy to help."

"Well...if your sure," I said, tucking the card away, "So, how was your year?"

"Oh, it was fine," said Luna, "Some of my classmates are a little mean, but I dealt with them. What about you? How are you managing with the Code: Unknown?"

I stared at her.

"What?"

"Your Heliopath," said Luna, "You know, the thing that gives you your strength?"

I stared at her, my opening and closing in shock.

"Oh, sorry, was I not supposed to know that?" asked Luna, "Its so hard to keep the Timelines straght sometimes. Hmm, I wonder if Ginny'd doing OK with Authority?"

I blinked a few more times as Luna started muttering something about Dragons and worms or something, before shrugging and deciding that I didn't need the headache. Instead, I directed the conversation back to the more sane side of things.

* * *

The rest of the trip passed by without incident, other than a short visit by Hermione, who quickly left looking confused after talking with Luna for a few minutes. Surprisingly Draco didn't stop by, but I'm not going to complain.

* * *

Eventually, we got back to London where I quickly spotted James and Sirius stood off to the side, giving a rather large number of people the stink eye.

"Oh, theres my Mum," said Luna, pointing into the crowd, "Come and meet her!"

"Huh...WHOA!"

Before I could protest, Luna grabbed my hand and dragged me over to where a tall, attractive woman with long, black hair was standing, watching with amusement in her blue eyes. Other than her hair colour, Luna looked a lot like her and, if the woman's figure was anything to go by, Luna would be a knockout in a few years. She was wearing the Magical Worlds version of a womans suit and a fedora tilted at a jaunty angle. I hadn't actually ever met Fortuna Lovegood, despite the fact I knew of her and I'm pretty sure she was actually Harry's Godmother. My Father didn't like her very much, probably because she'd called him out on his bullshit more than once.

As we approached, Luna let go of my hand and flung herself into her Mothers arms, who caught her without any trouble.

"Hey there little Moon," she said, rubbing Luna's hair with a wide smile, "Did you have a good year?"

"Yep, sure did," said Luna, a mile wide grin on her face, "Oh, Mamma, this is Brandon Potter. Bran, this is my Mum."

"Nice to meet you," I said politely.

"Hmm, quite unlike your Father," said Fortuna, eyeing me up and down, "Although I suppose that was to be expected."

She eyed me for a moment longer, before smiling a smile that made a shiver go up my spine.

"I look forwards to seeing what sort of path you and my Daughter walk down," she said.

I blinked. That was an...odd thing to say.

"Um, thanks?" I said.

"Hey Fortuna, are we going to be much longer?" asked another woman who was stood nearby looking uncomfortable, "Only, I've got a pile of paperwork trying to eat my desk that needs doing."

I hid a frown as I took in the womans appearance. She looked young, late twenties at the latest, but something about the way she held herself made me thing she was older. She had long, straight black hair, gray eyes and was visibly hispanic. She had a lot of faded scaring around one eye and said eye looked like it was glass. Oddly enough, something about her made me thing I knew her, despite the fact I'd never seen her before in my life.

"Yes, of course," said Fortuna, "We're coming Becky."

She turned back to me.

"It was nice to meet you Brandon," she said, "Until next time."

She smiled and nodded, before leading Luna and the other woman away, the two elder women discussing something in low voices as they headed for the barrier with Luna skipping behind them. I stared after them, not entirely sure what to make of the odd interaction, before a large and familiar hand landed on my shoulder.

"There you are Brandon!" boomed James, dragging me into a hug.

I grimoused at the smell of BO that hung around my Father and the fact that it looked like he'd gained weight again.

"Hello Father," I said.

"Oh, don't be like that!" said James, "Now come on, lets go home. I want to hear all about your year!"

I sighed and grimoused again, but allowed my Father to lead me away. Not long now and I could, hopefully, get away from the asshole. It couldn't come sooner in my opinion

 **And that'll do. Honestly, the next chapter will probably be really short since I don't have any plans for anything of interest to happen over the Third year and I really want to get to the Fourth. If I decide to continue this.**

 **Sooo, wanna guess what I have in mind for this? You probably can seeing as I haven't been particularly subtle with it. At all. I'll be more surprised if you can figure out exactly what Harry's been up to until now and who hes been living with. There is a clue in there if you look and have read my other stuff.**

 **I...have nothing more to say. This is going to take a while to edit as it is, so I'm going to sign out and get started. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	120. My Lucky Foot Chapter 1

My Lucky Foot

On one hand, getting dropped head first into a city worse than Gotham without any power sounds like a horrible prospect. On the other, the ROB who stuck me here seems to like my idea for a character, so I'm not likely to end up dead. To bad I'm now a giant rabbit. This...is going to get very weird.

 **Well, this is certainly going to be an odd one, if only because of just what I have in mind for half the insanity I have in mind for this and I don't just mean because our hero is an anthropomorphic rabbit. Its a CYOA idea, so I'll include the options I took down at the bottom. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

My day started off rather badly. Which is a polite way of saying it started with me falling from the sky from high enough that I could see aeroplane vapor trails below me. I blinked a few times as I tried to figure out what was wrong with the image in front of me, before it abruptly hit me and I did the logical thing. I started screaming. And swearing. A lot of swearing.

"What are you screaming about?"

Considering where I was, the sudden calm and feminine voice was enough to shock me out of my terror. I turned my head and was somehow unsurprised to see a girl who looked about 15 falling beside me. She was laying back in the air, her hands behind her head as if she was relaxing on a beach, not plummeting towards the ground at terminal velocity. She also wasn't exactly what you'd call...normal.

To start with, her hair was electric blue, her eyes were silver and she had a pair of rabbit ears sticking out the top of her head and a cotton tail sticking out of her rear. She was wearing a black bodysuit with glowing, green lines across it that had built in gloves and boots.

"Wha...who are you?" I asked dumbly, all thoughts of my imminent transformation into a street pizza vanishing from my head at the utterly bizarre sight of the bunny girl.

The girl giggled and flipped over to curtsy in mid air. Somehow.

"My name is AS7ABB1T, but you can call me Alice," she said, "I'm the embodiment of your Power, provided by your imagination and the processing power of my actual form, which is about 26 degrees that-a-way."

She made a gesture in a direction I'm pretty sure shouldn't be possible and gave me a headache. However, that was pretty much the last thing on my mind.

"My...power?" I asked weakly, "What are you talking about?"

Alice grinned and sat back, crossing her heels and holding up a finger.

"You have been chosen, Mark Redding, by my Progenitor to be her instrument on this particular world," she said, "To aid in that, I have been assigned to keep you alive and strong enough to deal with Goldenrod, Grassman and the Murderhobos, as well as helping make the world a little better. Mostly by causing enough utter insanity and chaos to put Nyaruko to shame."

I blinked twice, mentally paring the exposition dump and nicknames until I came to a rather worrying conclusion and blanched.

"Wait, are you saying I'm in Worm?!" I spluttered.

Alice snapped her fingers.

"Right you are!" she said.

"And if your my powers...your a Shard? How does that even work? I thought you were some kind of barely alive biological computer?"

"Your thinking of the Thinker and Warrior's Shards," said Alice, waving a hand idly, "I'm a completely different beast."

I frowned.

"So...your from Abaddon?" I asked slowly.

"Yep."

I nodded slowly as I turned the new information over in my mind.

"So lets see if I've got this right," I said, "I've been chosen by an Entity, who is apparently completely different to Zion and Eden, to be yanked from my world, given powers and dumped into Worm to make trouble and what? Deal with its competition?"

"That pretty much sums it up," said Alice, "Although calling those two morons competition isnt really correct. See, Abaddon doesn't need a Cycle, not when shes already figured out a better way to survive. However, Zion and Eden targeting any Earth is a big problem because theres a risk that they might end up targeting the one where Abaddon's setup shop. She doesnt want that since a fight between Entities would be...messy."

"Alright, I guess that makes sense," I said, "But why me? And why am I falling from the sky?"

Alice shrugged.

"Why not?"

My eyebrow twitched.

"How am I supposed to do anything if I go splat?" I asked as calmly as I could.

Alice gave me a funny look.

"Why would you go splat?" she asked.

"Because thats what usually happens when a Human hits...anything after falling from orbit!" I yelled.

"Oh, your worried about Fall damage!" she said, "Well don't. Something as simple as a fall won't hurt you. Or you could just use Paramount to gain Flight."

I blinked.

"Paramount? What are you…" I said, before the meaning clicked in my head and my eyes went wide, "Wait a sec, you used one of my CYOA for my powers?!"

Alice grinned.

"Yep, sure did," she said, "It was a pretty cool character after all."

I stared at her for a moment, before another detail of that character hit me and I paled. My hand jumped to my head and, sure enough, I felt a pair of long ears that matched Alice's sticking out the top of my skull.

"You didn't…"

The personification of my power just grinned and vanished.

"Oh you fucking…" I started, but was cut off by virtue of slamming into the top of a building hard enough to smash straight through it to land on a rather nice, highly polished and likely very expensive desk with a loud crash.

Thanks to my Jump power making me immune to falling damage, I wasn't hurt, but the desk had been smashed into kindling from the force of the impact and I'm pretty sure that if anyone had been sitting at it, they'd have had their legs broken at the very least.

"I...hate...that...fucking...rabbit," I growled as I stared up through the me-shaped hole in the ceiling, "How did that even happen anyway? I'm sure I was high enough to have been falling for longer…"

I ignored the giggling in the back of my head as I pushed the remains of the blotter that had been on the desk of my stomach and stood up, cracking my back as I did. While I might not be injured by the fall, slamming back first through a roof was still rather uncomfortable. As I did, I stumbled slightly as my changed body instinctively shifted my stance so I was stood on my toes. I sighed. In addition to the rabbit ears that were sticking out of my head, my legs and feet had also changed, becoming Digitigrade and rabbit-like in construction, complete with dark brown, almost black, fur that went up to my knees.

The sound of metal on metal made my ears prick up and I turned my head to see a sight that reminded me that I'd taken the Worst Day Ever flaw for some extra points. Sat on the other side of the room, looking at me with expressions that were rapidly changing from looks of utter shock to fury was a small group of blond haired, blue eyed individuals, ranging from a middle aged man in an expensive looking suit who had apparently dropped a glass of something alcoholic all over his shoes due to his surprise at my entrance, a pair of statuesque twins, a man in what looked like an SS uniform with a gas mask in his lap and a shirtless man in a metal wolf mask who was the source of the sound due to the blades and hooks that were starting to emerge from his skin.

"Well...shit," I muttered, "This'll end badly…"

I threw myself back, just in time to avoid the massive blade of metal that had just shot out of the ground under me, my claws shredding the expensive looking carpet, before I hit the wall behind what was left of the desk and activated my Jump ability. There was a brief pause as everything seemed to slow down for a moment, before I pushed off, blasting a crater in the wall as I rocketed past the Nazi's fast enough to create a suction effect. I crossed my arms over my face, summoning a triangular shield composed of faintly glowing, silver energy from my hands before I hit the window. The glass shattered, sending me plummeting towards the ground below. I twisted, barely evading another few spikes from Keiser as I fell, turning over enough to see the Nazi's staring after me with looks of rage on their face. I grinned and waved cheekily, before pressing me feet against the glass of the building and pushing off, sending me rocketing across the skyline with a loud crash of breaking glass and a yell of excitement.

I hit the roof of the building across the road, about ten stories below the Medhall building, rolled to absorb the impact, and took off across the roofs to put as much distance between me and any persuing Nazi's as possible.

* * *

I quickly discovered that my chances weren't limited to the surface and that, even without my Leap power, I was still capable of some seriously impressive jumps with my powerful back legs and my running gait was closer to bounds than actual running, granting me far greater speed than would have been possible for a Human. As a result, I made it all the way to the Docks in no time at all without having to touch the ground once.

Eventually, I slowed to a stop, breathing hard, but steadily in a way that I'd never really experienced before and a massive grin on my lips. Sure, getting on the E88's bad side right of the bat would probably result in some problems and the fact I was a anthropomorphic bunny would be a bit of a pain when I met the Wards, but the experience of running across the roofs like that made it all worth it. I couldn't wait to break out some of the powers I had available to be as a result of my Paramount power!

I took a deep breath as I sat down on the edge of the roof, only to have to shift as something in my pocket dug into my butt. I looked down, only to realize that the clothes I was wearing wasn't what I'd been wearing to bed the night before. That was probably a good thing considering I only slept in my underpants. Instead, I was wearing a black bodysuit that looked a lot like the one Alice had been wearing, minus the glowing lines and boots, instead ending at my ankles and leaving my feet bare. I didn't really need shoes any more thanks to my changed feet, so it wasn't that much of a problem.

"Huh, where did this come from?" I muttered.

A giggle from beside me made me turn to see Alice had appeared again, a look of amusement on her face.

"Like it?" she asked, "I do. Its completely bullet, knife, fire, dirt and waterproof and fully customizable."

I blinked.

"Wait, you mean it under my control?" I asked.

Alice gave a thumbs up.

"You got it," she said, "It can also link up with any Tinkertech you might create or obtain in the future."

I blinked again.

"Huh...thanks I guess," I said slowly.

"You are quite welcome Bunny," said Alice, making my eye twitch as she patted me on the head between my ears.

Considering I was probably about a foot taller than her if I was standing up, even without the advantage given by my changed feet, it was even more annoying than the nickname. My power apparently picked up on my annoyance because her grin only widened before she went pop, leaving me alone again. I sighed and reached into my pocket to see what had attracted my attention before. I pulled it out and found that it was a key on a chain with a bunny charm attached. I frowned. What was…

I stopped the thought a moment later when the knowledge of what the key was for snapped into my brain. I sighed. Oh right, I'd taken the hidden base option and apparently it had been sorted out by either my Power or Abaddon...somehow. I'm not sure I wanted to know how either of them managed it.

I got to my feet and turned in the direction my power told me my new home was in. I took a deep breath, crouched and jumped, shooting away at high speed.

* * *

Five minutes later, I was stood in front my new home, feeling rather underwhelmed. It wasn't even a building, instead the door looked like a maintenance access located in the side of the wall under a bridge, with the only difference between it and any other door like it being the small rabbit drawing on the bricks beside it. Still, I was pretty sure it'd be livable at least, so I stepped forwards and pressed a hand to the drawing. The bricks slid back and aside, revealing a small hand scanner and keyhole inside. Following the downloaded instructions, I put the key in the slot and pressed my palm against the scanner. There was a beep and the lights turned green and the door unlocked with a clunk. I claimed the key and pulled the door open as the hidden panel slid shut.

I stepped into the hidden base...and froze as I found myself stood in what looked like the entrance of a high end apartment. The entryway was a short hallway, with a cabinet for shoes, hooks for coats and a door that, when I took a quick glance inside, revealed was a small cupboard containing a hoover, a broom and other cleaning implements.

"I...how is this even possible?" I muttered as I continued into the impossible apartment.

At the end of the hallway, it opened into a large sitting room with a large sofa, a few armchairs, a couple of beanbags and a large TV with an entertainment center below it with a number of consoles below it. A kitchen off to one side on the other side of a counter, fully stocked with expensive looking appliances and a reasonably large table with a fe chairs around it.

A number of doors led off the room, opening into what looked like a workshop with a number of tools and equipment I didn't recognize but suspected a Tinker would love. The workshop was large enough that vehicles could be built and maintained in it and even had a set of large doors that probably led outside. Moving on, the other doors led into what looked like a command center, a study, a fully stocked medical bay and a games room with a few arcade cabinets and a pool and football table. There was also a couple of empty rooms that were probably intended to be adapted for specialized needs. Finally, a second corridor led off to one side with a number of doors that led into decent sized bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.

"For when you start recruiting teammates," said Alice in my head.

I frowned. While I did intend to try to recruit some people, if only to help them out of bad situations, I didn't know how likely it was that they would end up staying with me. Still, it was useful to have the extra space, just in case.

"Makes sense," I said, looking around the only room with more than the basics inside that was probably intended for me.

The fact a rabbit was painted on the door was also a pretty good indication.

I dropped onto the bed with a sigh, both of relief and due to how soft the mattress was. However, my stomach rumbling a moment later stopped me from really appreciate it. I groaned and rolled to my feet, heading back to the kitchen area where I found that the fridge was empty. I sighed again.

"Well, I guess I need to go get some food," I muttered.

I paused.

"Wait, do I even have any money?"

A quick check revealed that I did not in fact have any money. I sighed yet again.

"Alright, guess I don't have a choice," I muttered, "Time to go bother some criminals and steal all their cash."

I scowled.

"And something tells me that something really bads going to happen out there…."

The sound of Alice giggling in the back of my head really didn't settle that thought.

 **And done. Not really pleased with that ending, but what the hell.**

 **I'm pretty sure that the sentence Shard perk isn't meant to be used like that, but Abaddon is a tad different from its brethren in this world. As a general rule, only Mark can see Alice when she pops up, although some other Capes might be able to get some idea of her presence and those who can perceive Shards might also be able to see her. She'll mostly be limited to making jokes and annoying Mark.**

 **Yes, I made him part rabbit. What of it? I have a number of jokes in mind for it and my original idea was to use the Ultimate luck power, but I wasn't able to figure out how to do that from a story perspective.**

 **Here are my choices. I think I calculated the numbers right, but if I fucked up somewhere, let me know. It won't actually change anything since I'm only using it as the bases for the idea, but it'd be nice to know if I have messed up.**

 **Mark Redding (because why not), Black Rabbit**

 **Cape 0 Shard 3**

 **Gestation: 15 15**

 **Hero**

 **Male, 15 (with memories of a 22 year old due to being de-aged to the age he would be in 2011)**

 **Drop in (+3 +3)**

 **No Identity (+2)**

 **Custom (-4 Cape)**

 **Stealth (natural)**

 **Martial Arts (-4)**

 **Parkour (-2)**

 **Abbadon Shard (-3 -3)**

 **Secret Lair (-2 Cape)**

 **Voice in my Head (-1 Shard)**

 **Case 53 x2 (+2 Shard)**

 **Slaughterhouse 9 (+4 +2)**

 **Worst Day Ever (+2 +1)**

 **Second Trigger x2 (-8-6)**

 **Plot Convenience (-1 Cape)**

 **Power Slot (-1Shard)**

 **Interludes**

 **Powers**

 **Jump (-1)**

 **Peak Condition (-1) (second Trigger)**

 **Paramount (-10) (second Trigger**

 **Revenant Blade (-2)**

 **Other (-3 Cape)**

 **Companionship**

 **Yes, I'm de-aging him again, although he hasn't noticed it yet.**

 **I'm not done with this day yet, so there will be a few more issues caused by WDE, including one that I'm not sure I'll go through with or not quite yet. I think I'll flip a coin when I get there.**

 **Anyway, I'm done now, so I'm going to sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	121. Knight of Worm Chapter 1

Knight of Worm

When I filled out a CYOA out of boredom, I never expected a ROB to take that as an invitation and drop me in it. On the other hand, I did pick some skills that made it basically impossible for me to ...is going to be interesting.

 **Before we begin, can I just say that most of the CYOA's other than five are completely broken? I mean, I used v3 for this and ended up with a character with Lancelot's powers, Aura+RWBY tinkertech and the ability to reorder events in time. I don't even think its possible for him to die. Oh, whatever, this is more for fun than anything, so lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"Urrrrg, so bored," I moaned, leaning back in my chair.

It was one of those mind numbing days when nothing seems to keep you interested, not helped in the least that my days off from work had fallen in such a way I ended up with a full week off. The house was empty, I'd already read all of the recently updated stories on my list, there was nothing new that looked interesting and my muse had decided to take a vacation somewhere nice. Normally, I'd fire up my Playstation, but since it was currently updating, that was right out.

PING!

I sighed and sat up, bringing up my Gmail tab and found that it was a PM on Space Battles. Considering I was a recent addition and generally didn't comment that much, I hadn't received much in the way of PMs. I idly clicked on it and found it was from someone called 'Robert Oswald Bordeaux'. Interesting name.

 _Hey Dis, big fan of your work!_

Why thank you! A bit of ego stroking is never unwelcome.

 _I don't know how you feel about requests, but I'm kinda interested to see what you do with this:_

Under the message was a spoiler tag that opened to reveal a Worm CYOA. I'd done a couple in the past, mostly using the V5 since it was the most balanced, but this one was anything but that. It had the potential to churn out OP characters with incredible ease. Normally, I prefer not to give characters blatantly OP powers (unless they were for a damn good reason), but I was bored and writing a curbstomp story might be just the ticket. After a moments thought, I shrugged, lent forwards and got to work.

Lets see, take standard start since I didn't want to end up TO OP. Actually, lets toss that and pick Servant, specifically Fate/Zero's Berserker, minus the Mad Enhancement. It might technically be against the rules, but it didn't say I couldn't drop elements I didn't want. Need more points...lets take Without a Map and have the OC get dropped in the middle of an S9 attack cus why not? Plug those points into...ohh, RWBY Aura! Mine! And I think I'll take the RWBY weapon Tinker to since Knight of Owner plus whatever I could come up with from that crazy world will be...lets go with fun!

I frowned as I scanned the page, taking in my choices. Looks good so far, but I really didn't want to waste time having my character learn how to use Aura and RWBY weapons. I needed another point. Lets see...Pintsize is out, I couldn't think of a good way to use Geas, although I suppose I could tap into the Mad Enhancement for it. Hmm…

After a moment, I glanced back at my character page and remembered where I intended to drop him. I snapped my fingers and grinned, nabbing a 2 point level Wanted with E88. Because of...reasons I guess? I'd come up with something later. I payed another point to get the knowledge boost and scanned the page, smiling slightly. This was rather fun.

Lessee, still got a point, so...lets roll the dice! Wildcard. Bring up Superpower Wiki and hit random page and...HOLY SHIT! A wide grin crossed my face as I stared at the page that had come up. Future Order Manipulation or, to put it another way, Coils power on steroids. That'd come in handy! Another dice roll left me with a PRT rating of 8. Bit low if you ask me, but whatever.

I scanned my page again, eyeing the Wanted choice with a slight frown. That...didn't make much sense. I couldn't really think of any reason for the E88 to want to go after my SI. I mean, I was so white I practically glowed in the dark, not Jewish and the only other thing they might take exception to was the fact I was a Brit. I scanned my choices again, before my eyes landed on my choice of entry point and my grin came back. PERFECT! Switch, the E88 for a t-ed off S9 and crank it up to 3 since they'd want my SI dead for what he'd do and I had an extra point for the bargain!

I quickly plugged the point into Wildcard again and brought up my Superpower Wiki Tab, which I hadn't closed. Inwardly praying for something that didn't suck and could be used as a ranged attack, I hit random page...and promptly facedesked as it came up with Imaginary Creature Creation. Welp, that was just as OP as the other one.

After spending a good five minutes laughing my ass off, I rolled the dice again and got 7. Still giggling to myself, I scanned the page for anything else I wanted. Plot Armour sounded good, but when you had the powers of the Greatest of Arthur's Knights, it was kinda redundant. Resources looked...kinda nice, but...nah, I was OP enough as it was. Hmm, maybe I could take a For Want of a Nail? But then what would I change?

After looking through my choices and the CYOA a few more times, I came to the conclusion that there was nothing I really wanted to change. I mean, I could do a reroll for my Wildcards, but I could end up with something useless and I'm pretty sure that was against the rules. Either way, I was done, so I copied my list into Space Battles and typed up a reply to the message I got. Might as well let him know I'd be taking him up on the idea.

 _Hey mate, thanks for reading my stuff! Its always nice to hear from a fan. Anyway, since I'm bored, I've decided I might as well give your idea a shot. Please note, I might not continue it, but its worth a try. Heres the character I came up with. Let me know what you think!_

I hit the send button and brought up a word processor to get started. Before I could write more than the summary however, a reply popped up in my inbox. That was fast.

I opened the PM and scanned the message, a slight frown crossing my face as I did.

 _Ohh, looks good. I think I'll be having a lot of fun with this one! Best of luck to you. Your gonna need it._

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I muttered.

PING!

My frown deepened as another PM arrived.

 _Read my initials ;P._

I blinked.

"Wait, wha...OH SH…"

And that was as far as I got before my computer screen flared brightly and I found myself falling through darkness.

"FUCK SHIT BOLLOCKS BALLS TITS DAMN CRAPPPPPPPP!" I screamed, turning the non existent air blue from my swearing.

I wasn't normally one to swear like that, but considering my situation, can you blame me? As I fell, I could feel my body changing, first growing in size from my rather small and weedy frame into a tall, muscular one, followed my a surge of energy and a faint, purple glow. Then, my head was abruptly filled with knowledge of Aura, RWBY tech, fighting skills and a fuck ton more stuff that it'd take me way too long to explain, even if I could. Fortunately, I didn't get Lancelot's memories or I might have turned into Berserker full on. I did however get all of his skills. Then, the world opened up in my mind and I KNEW exactly what was to come. The threads of Fate were visible and I could easily shift and change them with a simple flick of my thoughts. Hell, I could even see that Coil was currently splitting the timeline and could easily shut him down if I wanted! God, that power was absurd…

CLANG!

I was cut off from my thoughts as my fall was suddenly aborted by virtue of hitting the floor hard enough to crack the pavement. I was unharmed, naturally, Endurance A will do that. I was probably tougher than most Endbringers and my armour only boosted that. Yep, I had Berserkers armour, complete with the black mist of For Someone's Glory. Thats cool. I think I'll need it.

I slowly pushed myself up, stretching out my limbs and back as I reveled in the feeling of my new strength. I felt better than I had in my entire life, the sheer strength from a mix of being a Heroic Spirit on par with Lancelot and my Aura boosting my body even more mixing together to create a feeling of elation and power. I had to wonder if this is what all Superhumans felt like when they first gained their powers. Probably not all things considered.

"Oh my, what have we here?"

I twitched slightly at the voice and glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, now I wasn't distracted by my new power, I became aware of the stench of blood, smoke and acid that filled the air, a stench that the part of me that was Berserker knew very well. The source of the stench came from the fact that the town I'd landed in had apparently been completely wiped out. I could see dead bodies scattered around the area, most of them in pieces and a few looked like they'd been eaten. Lovely.

The source of the voice was a man who looked rather like Johnny Depp, if he was a serial killer, in blood splattered clothes and with a neatly trimmed beard that, for a brief moment, made me feel a little jealous.

With the crazy bastard was a black and white nude woman splattered in blood, an attractive middle eastern woman clad in a costume made of glass, a blond girl in a blood covered apron with a number of surgical tools sticking out of the pockets, an eldritch abomination, a man who looked like Jason Voorhees if he used a hatchet, what looked like a cross between a puppet and a shop mannequin and a scarred woman with pale skin in a red dress. Greattttt, guess that fucking ROB decided to take my idea and run with it. This was going to be...not fun, but certainly interesting.

However, despite being confronted by the most infamous group of fictional mass murderers since the Death Eaters, I didn't feel threatened. Hell, the only ones I even registered as an actual threat were the Siberian and Crawler and that was only because I wasn't entirely sure I could kill them without flattening most of the town. Then again, considering everyone was dead, that wasn't really a problem. Even Hatchet Face was dismissed as a threat since, even if he could erase my powers, my fighting skills came from inherited knowledge, not a power themselves. Hell, chances were, he wouldn't be able to erase my Servant powers as it was. And that was before I glanced into the future and saw that in no possible future would I get more than a broken arm during this fight. Hell, if I wanted, I could wipe all eight of them out without being touched, but that future was...less than optimal.

Apparently, being able to see the future made one good at planning (shock horror) and I already had a rough idea hashed out. Well, actually, it was the rough idea for what I'd do in the story, but since I was now living it, I might as well go through with it. That plan could basically be boiled down to helping everyone who got shat on by life (which was most of the cast in one way or another) and I fully intended to leverage my powers to do just that. And since one of the people I wanted to save was Riley, lets not murder everyone.

"I thought we'd got everyone, but it seems we missed one," said Jack, eyeing me up and down, "Or did you come looking for us?"

I scoffed, noting that my armour made my voice sound rather inhuman.

"Why would I come looking for weaklings like you?" I said, "I assure you that my presence here has nothing to do with your attack and everything to do with random chance."

Well, that was a load of steaming bullcrap, but it'd get the response I was after. Jacks face darkened as the rest of the Nine shifted in barely suppressed anger. Crawler especially looked like he was ready to tear me apart at being dismissed out of hand.

"You are either very brave or very foolish," said Jack in a clipped tone.

"Why?" I asked, "Why should I be afraid of fools so wrapped up in their delusions of power and importance that they fail to see just how insignificant they are? Meer puppets of a madman attempting to carve a crest of blood upon the land, not realizing that, for all the death and devastation they cause, they will never be remembered as anything more than savage beasts…"

At that point, my taunting seemed to cause Crawler to hit critical mass, or he just got bored of waiting, because the mass of black limbs, horns and unmentionable body parts let out a roar and pounced, gaping more wide and dripping acid to either swallow me whole, crush me under his weight or melt me into goo. I smirked under my helmet as I shifted my stance slightly and braced myself.

The mutated Cape slammed into me with the force of a train...and stopped cold as I caught him by the mouth and pushed back. He was strong enough to push me back a few inches, but other than that, I was unmoved. I could see the utter shock in Crawlers eyes as he struggled to bite down, only to be kept where he was by my sheer brute strength. Strength A FTW! I gritted my teeth and pushed, shoving the massive Cape back, before planting my feet, twisting and throwing Crawler straight through the side of a nearby house.

I continued the turn as I felt my precognition power wink out and caught Hatchet Face's hatchet as he tried to bury the blade in my helmet. Apparently my Wild Card powers counted as Parahuman abilities, but my Servant body didn't.

"WHAT THE…" started the Brute Killer, before he was cut off by my armoured fist to the face.

I felt bone and teeth shatter under my armour as Hatchet Face went flying through another building, leaving me holding his hatchet that immediately turned black and red as I activated Knight of Owner, just in time to bring it around to chop off the Siberians arm.

Chop off…

The Siberians…

Arm…

I'm not sure who was more surprised by that, me or the projection. For a moment, the black and white projection stared at the place where her limb had been, before she slowly looked back at me. Shock turned to rage and hatred so intense I was mildly surprised she didn't vaporize me with her glare alone. Then, she howled.

The sound was more like a wild beast than anything that came from a Human mouth and I swear the the air ripped slightly from the force of it. Then, she pounced. It was only thanks to Berserkers fighting prowers that I wasn't immediately killed, but the force of the blow was still enough to knock the axe from my hand and send me tumbling down the street. I quickly regained my balance and skidded to a stop with the help of the sharpened tips of my gauntlets. I wasn't hurt, instead, I felt elated, elated that this fight wouldn't be a total curbstomp.

I stood, my arms snapping out to catch the Siberians remaining fist as she came at me. I twisted, removing the force from the attack and pulling the striped woman in close enough to roar in her face, answering her challenge with one of my own. Hmm, I think Berserker might be affecting me more than I thought…

If Siberian's howl had nearly made the air ripple, mine DID. It was just as inhuman as the Projections, not helped in the least by my armour distorting the sound, and had enough force behind it that it blew her hair back and shattered a number of windows that were (somehow) still intact.

Then I nutted her.

Siberian went flying, crashing through the window of a nearby shop and, judging from the sounds from inside, a few walls as well. I was about to go after her, but Mannequin decided that he was through sitting around. The twisted Tinker landed on my back, his claws squealing against my armour. I growled in annoyance and reached back to grab the pain in the ass, to quickly for him to dodge, grabbed his head and slammed him down onto the road with enough force to crack the concrete. You know, if it wasn't already powder. Mannequin responded by spraying something in my face. Unfortunately for him, my stupidly high Endurance, I was basically immune to all forms of contaminants. Plus, I'm pretty sure my armour was, somehow, completely sealed.

"Nice try," I said and squeezed.

There was a loud crack and his head imploded. Immediately, the crazed Tinker started flailing, trying to get away, but there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to let him go. Instead, I grabbed his arms, planted my foot on his chest, and pulled. Tinker made ceramics and metal groaned and splintered under my grip as his arms came off and his torso began to crack. With a solid stomp, there was a loud crack and his sealed torso broke, splattering what remained of his Human body all over the road. His legs kicked once more and went limp. One down.

CRASH!

I instinctively jumped, shooting above Siberian as she came rocketing out of the store she'd totaled and tried to grab me, both arms now intact. I scowled. I needed to put her down so I could finish up what I needed to do. For that, I needed a weapon since it looked like my Noble Phantasm was able to hurt the invulnerable Cape. Fortunately, I could see just the thing.

I flipped to avoid another attack from the enraged Siberian, using her as a springboard to get back to ground level as I did, hitting the ground hard enough to skid a short distance, and snatched up my target, feeling my power spread into it as it gained glowing red veins across it, turned on my heel and smacked Siberian in the face with the light pole.

The black and white Cape went flying once again, her cheek and nose visibly broken, although there was no blood. This time however, I didn't wait, instead jumping after her and slamming her back to the ground with my weapon. I spun the light pole and threw it as hard as I could, the jagged end slamming into and through the Capes stomach, pinning her to the ground. She screamed and went pop. A quick glance at my precog power (which I wasn't using to fight because I didn't need it and it required a tad too much concentration to do so) revealed that she wouldn't be back anytime soon. Manton was still alive and he'd be back to his normal cannibalistic self eventually, but he was currently unconscious and would have one hell of a headache when he came to. Either way, Siberian wouldn't be causing me any trouble for a while.

That was probably a good thing because now the rest of the Nine were getting into gear.

The first and only warning I got was a slight rattling, before the shattered glass that was laying everywhere suddenly surged up and at me, creating a swirling funnel of razor sharp shards that would have shredded any normal Human. So, naturally, it did jack shit to me, other than annoy me.

I took a deep breath and roared, the force of the yell somehow powderizing the glass and revealing Shatterbird floating over a nearby roof. She jerked back in surprise, but I was already in front of her.

"Beat it bitch," I growled and punched her.

She managed to get a shield of glass up in time that my blow didn't simply break her in half, but she still went flying, her arms and ribs broken and unconscious. She wouldn't be up again anytime soon. I would have gone after her, but a blast of fire distracted me.

"Tch, annoying," I grumbled as I turned to glare at Burnscar.

The Pyrokinetic just grinned menachally as she unleashed a wave of fire at me. I tutted again and swung my arms with all my strength. The resulting blast of air snuffed out the flames, giving me the opening I needed to jump at Burnscar and punch her. Unlike Shatterbird however, Mimi was one of the characters I was interested in helping, so this blow simply knocked her out. I caught her as she fell over and tossed her into a dumpster. She'd keep for now.

With that done, I jumped, shooting over the building to land on Hatchet Face's shoulders as he stumbled out of the building he'd smashed through with enough force that I broke the bones. He screamed, which was cut off as I grabbed his head and snapped his neck. Thats two. One more and I'd be done.

Speaking of which, Crawler chose that moment to erupt from the top of the building I'd knocked him into with a roar of fury. Not entirely sure what kept him, but whatever. I scowled. I couldn't afford to hold back with someone like Crawler. That meant it was time to stop sandbagging and pull out all the stops. The mist of For Someone's Glory ripped and spun as I reached into my soul and called out the blade that dwelt there. The fog surged down and around my hand as I shifted my stance. A moment later, it blasted away to reveal Arondight in all its glory.

"YOUR DEAD YOU BASTARD!" thundered Crawler as he charged, his footsteps shaking the ground.

I narrowed my eyes and took a deep breath as I held up my sword before me.

" **Arondight…"** I whispered as Crawler bore down upon me.

Crawler roared as he opened his jaws, clearly intending to just eat me and be done with it. However, just as he was about to bite down, my eyes snapped open and my sword shone with a brilliant light.

" **OVERLOAD!"**

I swung the sword with all my strength, easily cleaving through Crawlers body, despite his many defensive adaptations. The moment the slash finished, we were both engulfed in a brilliant flash of azure light. A moment later, the light faded to reveal a large puddle of black, foul smelling ooze and a naked, feeble looking, narrow shouldered man lying in the middle with a deep and obviously fatal slash nearly cutting his head in half. Apparently, destroying his core resulted in his power provided body dissolving. Lovely.

I breathed deeply. Using Arondight like that was...draining. Not physically, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to use my Noble Phantasms for a while. That didn't really matter though considering that the last two members of the Nine were much squishier than the others and I had no intention of killing one of them. Hell, Jack would probably survive here considering most of the good ways to help Riley I'd been able to see involved him still kicking. That didn't mean he'd be leaving in one piece though!

I twitched slightly as the sound of someone clapping broke me out of my thoughts. Speak of the devil. I tilted my head to glare at Jack, who had a scared looking Bonesaw next to him. Guess that even that little psycho was still a seven year old somewhere under all of that insanity and seeing me solo most of her teammates had scared her. I could use that.

"Well, that was rather impressive," said Jack, "I admit, I thought you were blowing smoke earlier, but now I see that you can easily back up. So, who are you?"

I turned to the crazed killer and planted my sword in the ground, leaning on the blade.

"Berserker," I said, "You may call me Berserker."

Jacks eyes gleamed with interest. I felt an odd tickling at the back of my mind, as if something was attempting to affect my mind, but nothing seemed to change. I narrowed my eyes. I think that was Jacks ability to influence Parahumans. Nice to know I was immune.

"Hmm, I don't believe I've ever heard of you," said Jack, "Are you new?"

"I'm...not from around here," I said.

My superhumanly sharp eyes easily caught the slight twitch in Jacks lips. Oh dear, he didn't honestly think that he could use that to try and make me one of his pawns, did he?

"I see," said Jack, "Well then Berserker, let me let you in on a little something. This world is rotten. You might think that we're the bad guys, but we're just trying to make the world a little better by cutting away the rot."

Oh dear god, he was actually trying to spin that! The sad thing was, if I didn't have meta knowledge or my pregog power, I might have bought it. He was that good. Still, I did have those things, so all I did was smirk under my helmet and tilt my head on one side.

"Heh, not bad," I said, "I'll give you an A for effort and an A* for delivery. Unfortunately for you, I'm not some Case 53, stumbling around with no memories. No, I'm...a spanner in the works you might say."

Jacks polite smile faded.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" he asked.

My smirk widened.

"This world is dying," I said, "People like you, the countless Villains, the Endbringers and...another problem on the horizon are putting both her and Humanity as a whole at risk. I...am the response that that."

Yeah, I was talking complete bullshit. I'm pretty sure I wasn't a Counter Guardian, but considering I was planning on making sure the Earth and Humanity survived, so I'd claim the title to bullshit people unless and until Gaia or Alaya told me I couldn't. Mainly because if they did, I'd probably be dead.

"I see," said Jack, looking like he was thinking hard, "Well then, might I make a suggestion? Humanity is…"

I abruptly appeared in front of him and grabbed his face.

"Finish that thought and I'll take your head of," I snarled, "I've humoured you because I know that you aren't a threat to me, but if you think your little magic trick will work in any way, you're sorely mistaken."

I saw Jacks eyes narrow between my fingers, before his hand shot up. There was a sound of metal on metal and a line of sparks shot up my armour over my eye as I felt what can only be described as a paperclip or a staple being dragged over my skin. Not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to leave a scratch. Only in this case, it passed over my eye.

I responded to Jacks attempt to blind me my grabbing his arm with my free hand and squeezing as hard as I could. The bone didn't break, it powderized. Jack screamed as I let go of him and punched him in the face. I pulled the punch just enough to keep from crushing his skull, but his nose and jaw still shattered and one of his eyes burst nauseatingly. The leader of the Nine arched gracefully and hit the ground a short distance away, unconscious and bleeding.

With that done, I turned my attention to the last member of the Nine. Bonesaw certainly didn't look like much at the moment, just a normal little girl confronted by a towering knight clad in black armour. You know, if it wasn't for her bloodstained hands and clothing. I narrowed my eyes and reached out with my power, selecting the timeline that would give me what I wanted.

"Are you scared Riley?" I said.

Bonesaw twitched slightly.

"You should be," I continued, "I do not harm those who have done no wrong and, despite all the atrocities you have already committed, they can be laid at the feet of Jack Slash."

I turned and started walking towards her, my sabatons clanking on the road. Bonesaw squeaked and stumbled back, tripping and falling on her behind as I approached. She looked up, eyes wide with fear as I stopped in front of her and knelt. She flinched and closed her eyes as I reached for her, only to open them again in shock as I simply rested my hand on her head.

"Whatever Jack may say or think, you have far more potententual to help than harm," I said, still allowing my power to guide me, "Its not too late Riley. You can still be a good girl."

The blondes eyes went wide, but before she could respond, I gently hit the back of her head and she collapsed. I'd said all I needed to, all I needed to do now is wait. But first, I needed to get the bodies of the dead S9 members and leave. If I left them, Bonesaw would be able to do all kinds of nasty things to them and that would be that. Any chance of Riley shaking off Bonesaw would be gone.

* * *

It didn't take me long to get the dead Nine members together, mainly because I only needed to take the organic bits of Mannequin, Crawler was a lightweight without his powers and Hatchet Face...actually, he was a bit of a pain. Oh, I could lift him without effort, but he was large enough that carrying him was pretty awkward. I was tempted to find and finish off Shatterbird, but there wasn't really much point. For whatever reason, I needed to let what was left survive in order to get the best possible outcome I wanted, although that future was...blurry. I have a feeling that something was deliberately hiding it from me. It was the same reason that I didn't hunt down Manton to stop Siberian from coming back.

I found a suitable truck for what I needed and loaded the bodies into the back, ignoring the tarp covered cargo for now. There was plenty of room. Once they were settled, I retrieved Burnscar and strapped her into the passenger seat, before getting into the drivers side. Despite not having really learnt to drive before coming here, I somehow knew exactly what to do to get the truck started and drive without problem. Guess I got Lancelot's Riding skill from his Saber form. That was nice.

As I drove away, I glanced at the still unconscious Pyrokinetic in the seat beside me. I wanted to help her, but I wasn't sure how. I mean, most of her problems came from her powers messing with her emotions and driving her into a murderous rage. I wasn't confident that I could simply remove her powers without killing her and if I did that, its not like she wasn't rather recognizable. I needed a way to help her that wouldn't result in her dieing later on, but I didn't even know how to start. I bit my lip as I focused my power on her and read the threads of Fate...and nearly crashed the truck when I saw one that was... _perfect_! A feral grin crossed my face. This...was going to be interesting.

 **...well, this is a lot longer than I was expecting. I honestly didn't intend for the fight to blow up quite like that, but I'm rather pleased with it.**

 **If your wondering why Berserker hasn't had a breakdown yet, a big reason is thanks to Lancelots experience propping him up, mixed with precog bullshit. Plus, he couldn't exactly afford to freak out knowing that the Nine were around. He'll have his freakout later.**

 **I am aware that not just wiping out the Nine or taking Riley with him like he did with Burnscar might seem a little odd, but I do have my reasons. She will have her turn around though.**

 **I have...plans for Burnscar, plans you might be able to guess knowing exactly whats in his skillset.**

 **Just to be clear, while his Wildcard based powers do technically count as Shard powers in most situations and are vulnerable to power suppressors, they aren't actually from a Shard. I don't really have a reason for it, but I wrote it and I can't be bothered to change it.**

 **If your wondering, his thought process up top was pretty much exactly what mine was while working on this character.**

 **Anyway, I don't have anything to say, so I'm gonna sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	122. Knight of Worm Chapter 2

Knight of Worm

When I filled out a CYOA out of boredom, I never expected a ROB to take that as an invitation and drop me in it. On the other hand, I did pick some skills that made it basically impossible for me to ...is going to be interesting.

 **And here we go, we're back. Nothing to say here, so enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Consciousness returned to Mimi like a punch to the gut. Literally. She felt like she'd gone five rounds with Hatchet Face. She groaned as she slowly forced her eyes open, blinking a few times to clear her vision of spots. Once she could see clearly, she looked around at her new surroundings. She wasn't in the town any longer, instead she was in a small clearing lit by a few small jars with what looked like fireflys fluttering around inside. A truck stood off to the side with a tarp covered object in the back, along with a couple of wrapped bundles. She frowned as she looked around. She couldn't see any sign of the rest of the Nine (although that was something of a relief now she was no longer under the affect of her power-induced madness) and had no idea how she got here. The last thing she remembered was…

"Oh good, you're awake."

The deep, almost inhuman voice stopped Mimi's thoughts cold. Her head snapped around, just in time to see a glowing, red slit appear in the darkness between the trees, followed by a dark, shadowy figure that was somehow even more intimidating than Hatchet Face and Siberian combined. She yelped and scrambled back as the shadow stepped into the light of the lanterns, revealing it to be a man clad in black armour that looked like something King Arthur would fight.

The figure paused at her apparent fear, the glowing light of his eye slit staring at her like a baleful eye.

"Hmm, maybe I should have left my armour off," he muttered, scratching the side of his helmet.

As he did, Mimi realized that he was holding a shopping bag in his hand. The odd sight of a medieval knight holding a grocery bag was to much for her still confused and scared mind and the darkness once again surged up to meet her.

* * *

The next time she woke, it was to the smell of cooking sausages. Her power tugged slightly at her mind, indicating that there was a fire nearby, but it wasn't large enough to make her lose control. Mimi slowly opened her eyes and looked around, ready to run or try and fight if the dark figure was still around. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of a man in shorts and a t-shirt sat across a small camping stove. The man was...well, there was no other word for it but beautiful. His face seemed to be perfectly sculpted to give the impression of nobility and strength, his shoulder length hair was so black it was purple and his eyes were a shade of blue that reminded her of a lake under the light of the moon. The white shirt he was wearing was just tight enough to give a hint of his chest, but even that was enough to let Mimi know that he had abs that you could grate cheese on.

The sound of a throat clearing drew Mimi out of her daze and she looked up to see the man looking at her with a raised eyebrow. The pyrokinetic blushed brightly and ducked her head. The man snorted and reached into the bag beside him, pulling out a paper plate he dropped a few sausages from the pan he was cooking in onto.

"Here, its not much, but its the best I can do," he said, handing Mimi the plate.

She stared at it for a moment, before taking it and the plastic knife and fork he handed her.

"Who...are you?" she asked.

The man paused and looked thoughtful.

"Hmm, good question," he muttered, "I...guess you can call me Lance for now."

Mimi frowned.

"Why Lance?" she asked.

The man shrugged.

"I don't quite trust you enough for my real name, although it wouldn't really help you if I did," he said, "I'm...not really from around here."

Lance quickly loaded up his own plate and bit into a sausage, apparently ignoring the fact it was likely still hot enough to burn his mouth. Mimi stared at him as he ate, not entirely sure what to make of the odd man who was almost certainly the armoured monster one who'd knocked her out back in the dead end town she couldn't remember the name of. However, that didn't explain why she was still alive. He'd been strong enough to fight Crawler, Hatchet Face and Siberian without dieing, hell, he'd even managed to hurt the latter. Considering that, he could have killed her easily and, considering she had a Kill Order on her head, had no reason not to do so. So why was she still alive and unbound?

"Why am I here?" she asked.

Lance didn't reply for a moment, before he swallowed his mouthful and took a drink from the bottle of water that was leaning against the camp chair he was sat on.

"Your wondering why I didn't kill you," he said.

It wasn't a question, but Mimi nodded nonetheless. Lance sighed.

"Well, your right, I could have killed you easily," he said, "However, I am here to help those that need and deserve it. Despite everything that you've done with the Nine, I believe that you are one of those people. Its not your fault that your power affects your mentality, just like its not Riley's fault Jack decided to corrupt her into his little puppet. Thats why I didn't kill you like I did Crawler, Mannequin and Hatchet Face."

Mimi scoffed despite herself.

"You want to help me?" she sneered, "How? If you know how my powers work, you KNOW I'll go off the wagon eventually, even if I try not to use them. And even if I could keep that from happening, its not like I'm hard to recognize."

Lance smiled thinly.

"Well, your partly right," he said, "But I think with a bit of dye and a change in outfit, you can fade into the background and pop up somewhere new as another pyrokinetic."

Mimi's head snapped up and she fixed Lance with a glare.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I can fix your power," he said.

Mimi stared at him, uncomprehendingly. She'd long given up any hope that her power would ever be more than a curse that kept her trapped in an endless spiral of death and destruction. For someone to come along and offer to fix it, it sounded too good to be true.

Lance put his plate on the floor and stood, holding out his hand to her.

"Do you have anything to lose?" he asked.

Mimi hesitated for a moment, before she slowly took the offered hand and let Lance pull her to her feet. He was right. She really had nothing to lose. Even if he was some kind of Master or Trump who planned to turn her into a puppet or something, anything was better than her current situation.

Lance placed a hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath. Then, a purple aura appeared around him and he opened his eyes, revealing that the orbs were glowing brightly, and met her own green eyes.

" **For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."**

As Lance spoke, Mimi felt the warmth from his hands flow into her body, soothing her muscles and making her feel...better for want of a better word. The feeling reached her stomach and a second spark of warmth appeared. This one however was...familiar. It was hers in some way she couldn't describe. It quickly spread through her body, washing away all of the aches and pains she never knew she had, including the slowly building pressure of her power she never even knew was there. She felt a faint tingling in her cheeks and reached up with her free hand, just in time to feel the burn scars vanish, leaving smooth skin in their wake. As she did, she realized that her body was giving out a faint aura of golden light that matched Lance's purple aura.

A few seconds later, both aura's faded and Lance released her, slumping slightly as he returned to his seat and let out a breath.

"Hoo boy, that was more draining than I thought," he said.

Mimi ignored him as she stared down at her hands. She felt...good. Better than she could remember feeling since the fire that had led to her Trigger Event. The endless urge to use her powers had faded, but she could still feel the heat of her flames under her skin. She hesitantly let out a small amount of it, conjuring a small flame in her hand. Normally, even that small amount of fire would be enough to start the process that would lead to her becoming a cackling lunatic until the fires went out, but now she felt...nothing. Now more confident, she increased the size of the flame until it was large enough that she needed two hands to cup it. However, no matter how large it grew, it had no affect on her mentally. In fact, it almost felt like she wasn't doing everything she could with it. If she did this and twisted that…

FWOOSH!

Mimi jumped as the flame abruptly vanished, leaving her holding a sword that looked a lot like one from a comic she'd read recently made of what looked like black glass in her hand.

"Wha…" gasped Mimi, staring at the weapon with wide eyes.

Lance looked just as surprised as Mimi as he leant forwards to take a closer look at the weapon.

"Huh...thats interesting," he said, "I wasn't expecting that."

"Where did this come from?" asked Mimi as she turned the sword in her hand, watching the light play across the blade.

"I'm...not sure," said Lance, "Activating ones Aura can grant a Semblance, but that usually requires practice to use. Then again, since you already have powers, maybe…"

He shook his head.

"Never mind," he said, "Semblance or not, an evolution of your power should be expected."

Mimi nodded faintly as the blade turned to dust. She took a deep breath, before she flung herself across the camp stove and hugged Lance tightly.

"THANK YOUUUUU!"

* * *

By the time the sun rose, I was putting the finishing touches to my first example of RWBY style tech. After Mimi's enthusiastic thanks, I'd decided that I might as well put the components I'd found when I'd got the food to good use and ended up building a couple of Scrolls out of a smartphone and random bits of tech that ended up doing things that I'm pretty sure were impossible. Tinker powers are complete bullshit. And this is coming from someone with the powers of someone with the powers of goddamn Lancelot!

I sighed and glanced over at Mimi, who was fast asleep in a sleeping bag I'd appropriated with a massive smile still on her face. Even though I'd been expecting it, I hadn't expected the pyrokinetic to pull out that glass ability for a while. I had to wonder how long it'd take for her to figure out the rest of the skills her Semblance would give her, most of which could be boiled down into her basically having Cinders powerset, minus the Maiden powers for obvious reasons.

I sighed as I sat back in the camp chair I was using and cast out my mind, the web of the futures appearing in my mind. From here, there were several things I could do, but most of them led to one place. Brockton Bay. Sure, there were a lot of horrible people doing horrific things all over the world (the Fallen, Nilbog and Three Blasphemies came to mind, although they were by no means the only ones), but if I wanted to do the most to change the future, I needed to go to the Bay and fix things there. Once that was done, most of the other issues would eventually sort themselves out. Well, other than Sleeper, who was...WAIT JUST A GODDAMN MINUTE!

I sat bolt upright as my power zeroed in on the Sleeper, only to immediately cut out. I couldn't see anything about him, other than...ah, right. I shivered and focused my attention elsewhere. I did NOT want to bring that...person's attention on me.

I idly shifted a few lines of fate around. My power wasn't strong enough to truly affect the Fate of others in any large way like the Simurgh could, at least, not from a distance. I could do a lot to change the future, but only like anyone else could, through word or action. However, I could make small changes, a man decides to wait a moment to leave work and ends up avoiding a car accident, a woman who visits the doctor for what she thought was a mild but persistent stomach ache and discovers shes pregnant before she accidentally miscarries and so on. Little changes that would have big impacts.

I ran my fingers over the twisted strings that were Ziz's contributions to the Tapestry of Fate, scowling slightly as I followed them to their conclusion. None of them were good, but I couldn't change them. The twisted mess was like seeing a beautiful tapestry that someone had picked apart and restitched with no regard for the original work. It was an ugly mass of black against the shifting, brightly coloured mass of threads.

Still, while I couldn't affect them directly, I could mitigate and even erase much of the threat and, since none of my powers techncially came from a Shard, Ziz wouldn't be able to modal me properly. I was an unknown, an anomaly and, so long as I didn't do anything to massive, the Simurgh wouldn't notice my changes for a while. I spent some time shifting some threads around that would result in some of the Simurgh's Rube Goldberg machine style futures unraveling, before turning my attention to the last thing I intended to do before heading to Brockton. Canary.

My power gave me a few options to get her out, but none of them I could pull off from a distance with my powers. I needed to act personally. Fortunately, there were some things I could do that only needed an internet connection and an email account, both of which I had access to through my Scroll. As an added bonus, my power allowed me to leverage far more than I would have thought possible to throw anyone who wanted to track me down and get the addresses I needed. Plus, for some odd reason, my Knight of Owner considered my Scroll to be a weapon, further empowering my ability to attack Tagg and the Judge who intended to railroad Canary. Actually, that might be why.

I had no idea what the actual content of the emails I sent was, all I knew was that it would result in the Justice system taking a very close look at Canary's case and the PRT's internal affairs taking an equally close look at Tagg. I also hacked into the records for Canary's 'victim' and released his impressive criminal record to the public. Illegal? Very, but then, so was what Tagg was trying to pull with Canary. And if everything I'd done here fell through (and there was a chance it would, however small), I'd just find the truck transporting her and smash it. One way or another, Canary wasn't going to be Caged.

With that done, I snapped my Scroll shut and looked over at Mimi again. Even without my Precog powers, I knew we'd have to go our separate ways. My plans would result in me being in the public eye, not really somewhere a former member of the Nine could afford to be. I had a few plans that would mean she wouldn't be looked for, but it would still be a good idea to vanish for a while and show up later as a new Trigger. For whatever reason, Cape with Pyrokinetic powers weren't that uncommon and her ability to generate the glass-like substance would further separate her from Burnscar, as would the Brute-like powers provided by her Aura. Plus, since her Shard would no longer drive her towards conflict thanks to her Aura leaking into it and changing it subtly (and no, I have no idea how that worked) it would be entirely possible for her to just disappear.

I sighed. I already knew that wouldn't be a fun conversation. Still, it was a necessary one and it would be better to do it over breakfast. With that in mind, I started just that, inwardly thankful that I apparently didn't need much sleep. I'd need to rest eventually, but sleep was more optional than a necessity.

* * *

It didn't take long for the smell of cooking food to coax Mimi awake. She sat up in her sleeping bag, looking around blearily, before her gaze fell on me and her face lit up in a smile

"So it was real," she whispered, probably to herself, "Thank god."

I pretended I didn't hear anything as the pyrokinetic came over and sat across from me. I wordlessly handed her a plate of bacon and more sausages, taking some for myself while wondering where in the hell my ability to eat sausages without complaint came from. Probably Lancelot's tastes from living in the Medieval times.

"So, what now?" asked Mimi after a few minutes of eating in silence.

I sighed.

"Well, I'm heading to Brockton," I said, "I have some things to do there. You however, need to disappear for a bit."

Mimi's head snapped up to stare at me.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"I'm going to claim the bounties on Crawler, Mannequin and Hatchet Face," I said, "If you tag along it'll cause a number of problems I'd rather not deal with. I just saved you, I don't want you to die or get Caged on my account. No, it'd be better for us to split up and you pop up in a few weeks as a new Trigger somewhere far from here."

Mimi frowned.

"I...see where your coming from," she said, "But…"

"I don't intend to just cut you lose if that's what you're worried about," I said, reaching down and picking up one of the Scroll's I'd built the night before, "Here, this'll help you keep in touch with me."

"Your a Tinker as well?" asked Mimi as she took the device and looked it over.

I smiled thinly.

"Among other things," I said, "Here, let me show you how it works."

I quickly gave Mimi a tutorial on the use of the Scroll, which could easily use any mobile network and had internet so long as it could find a wifi signal, no passwords or keys necessary. It could even connect to my Scroll if she was somewhere without signal through the magic of Tinker bullshitery and ran on her Aura, meaning that it never needed charging. As an added bonus, it had more processing power than anything non-Tinker computer on the planet and probably most Tinker computers as well.

"This is so bullshit," muttered Mimi, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Tinkertech usually is," I said with a grin.

Mimi returned the smile, although hers was a little shaky.

"I guess your right," she mumbled.

Her grip tightened on the phone.

"Is...there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"I know I can't come with you, at least, not for a while," she said, "But...you said that you were going to make the world a better place. I want to help. I've done a lot of horrible things, things I'll never be able to forget or make up for, but I'd like to do something to try."

I eyed her for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"I...guess so," I said, "I mean, what I have planned will bring the best outcome I can find, but having more help will...hmmm."

I quickly went through some options. If all went well, there wasn't much chance of Mouse Protector becoming Murder Rat, Canary's help was underway and the Dragonslayers could be dealt with pretty much at my leisure considering I already had some plans that would make them nonentities. That said, there were a few things that I Mimi could help with and they would make her reemergence with a more heroic role be more streamline.

"Alright, if you want to help, I suggest you head to Chicago and help Mouse Protector out with Ravager," I said.

While it was true that my medling had made it very unlikely that Murder Rat would be a thing, there were still a few futures where Riley remained Bonesaw and I wasn't willing to run that risk. Mimi gave me a strange look.

"Why that?" she asked.

I smiled thinly.

"I'm a precog," I said, "Yes, I know my powers are bullshit, but what can you do?"

"You know, most people don't just grab the bag and run with it," muttered Mimi, before she nodded, "Alright, I'll do it."

"You can take the bike," I said, jerking my thumb at the tarp covered thing on the back of the truck.

"Bike?"

"Whoaaaa," breathed Mimi as she stared at the motorbike that had been hidden under the tarp with wide eyes.

I can't really blame her. I knew very little about bikes (although my Riding skill meant I could ride them with ease), but even I could tell that this one was a real beauty. The bright red paint job certainly helped with that.

"So, I take it you like it?" I asked.

"Ohhh yes, I do indeed," said Mimi with a grin.

"Here," I said, tossing her the keys I'd found in the glovebox of the truck.

Mimi caught the keys and stared down at them.

"Hey, can I ask a favour?" she said.

"Hmm?"

"If your heading to Brockton, do you think you could try and help a friend of mine?" she asked, "Her names Elle and...her powers have done a number on her, like mine. Shes not dangerous, but she suffered a lot, so…"

I put a hand on her shoulder.

"If she lets me, I will," I said.

Mimi smiled weakly and nodded.

"Thank you," she said, "And could you tell her that I'm alright? That I'm not with...them anymore? I'll visit her myself at some point, but I need to take some time and solidify my new self, otherwise I might put her at risk."

I smiled and nodded.

"Of course, it will be my pleasure," I said.

Mimi smiled again and hugged me.

"Thank you," she said, "You've done far more for me than I could ever repay."

I hugged her back.

"Just live your life and try to make the world a little bit better," I said, "Even if all you do is offer someone a hand with moving in, thats enough."

Mimi held the hug for a moment longer, before breaking away and grabbing the helmet that had been in the bikes storage space. With one last wave, she started the engine and roared away, leaving me alone. I sighed.

"Well, that was interesting," I muttered as I turned to the truck, "Now, lets get these bounties filed so I can really get started."

I climbed into the driver's seat and took a deep breath as my armour formed around me. Then, I reached out with Knight of Owner into the truck. It was a bit of a stretch to consider it a weapon, but considering how much damage they could do if used as a battering ram, it was enough to work. I felt my power pour into the vehicle, turning the green paintwork jet black with crimson lines and distorting the body until it looked more like some kind of mechanical monster than a truck. My connection with it caught and the engine started up with a dragon-like roar. I smiled. Yes, this would definitely cut down on travel time.

* * *

Thomas Anderson liked his job. Sure, being a PRT trooper could be dangerous, but New York was a lot more stable than some places, even with the large numbers of Parahumans. At least he wasn't in Brockton Bay or something. Normally, all he had to do was stand guard and look intimidating for the folks visiting the PRT or Protectorate HQ to gawk at or, occasionally, help with arresting a villain, which usually amounted to spraying them down with Confoam after the Capes got done with beating the stuffing out of them. As an added bonus, he got to work closely with Legend!

Unfortunately, no matter how much he liked his job, some days just weren't worth it. This was one of them.

The first indication that the day was about to get odd was when a sound like an angry Lung with a frog in his throat echoed into the PRT building from outside. The Troopers standing guard all looked at each other warily and started prepping their Foam Sprayers, just in case. Their unease didn't falter as the sound of armoured footsteps floated into the now silent lobby. They were all familiar with the sound from working with Tinkers over the years, although these were different in some subtle way. The reason for that was revealed a moment later when the doors opened and an honest to god Knight in black armour that was leaking some kind of dark mist entered the lobby, dragging a rather large sack behind him. The room was utterly silent as the Knight (for some reason, no one could think of him as a Cape) crossed the room towards the main desk. No one moved, no one made a sound and no one wanted to do anything that could bring his crimson gaze upon them. The poor woman behind the desk looked like she was about to faint she was so pale.

"U-um, good afternoon sir," she said and Thomas was impressed that her voice was barely shaking at all, "How may the PRT help you today?"

"I would like to enquire into the procedure for collecting bounties," said the Knight.

Despite his polite tone, no one could suppress the shudder at the sound of his voice. Whether it was his armour or an odd affect of his armour, the Knights voice sounded like an echoing growl. The receptionist looked a little taken aback, but rallied quickly.

"W-well, normally we'd ask for some kind of evidence that you've successfully taken down the target, your name and, depending on who it is, a debriefing," she said, "May I ask which Kill Order?"

The Knight tilted his head slightly and everyone got the impression he was smirking.

"Mannequin, Hatchet Face, Crawler and information of the Siberian and Jack Slash's powers," he said, holding up the bag he was dragging, "And as for evidence, would the bodies do?"

* * *

Less than ten minutes later saw me sat in a meeting room with Director Wilkins, Legend and with Alexandria and Dragon present vire conference call.

"The results are in," said Dragon, "We have confirmed that the bodies provided are indeed that of Alan Gramme, AKA Mannequin, Jason Myers , AKA Hatchet Face and Edgar Stark, AKA Crawler, although how you managed the last one I have no idea."

"I destroyed his Corona Pollentia," I said, "Without that to hold his power created body together, the injuries I dealt were enough to kill him."

"I gathered that," said Dragon, "I want to know how you got through his defences."

I took a deep breath. Time for the mother of all bullshiting in front of an AI and someone whos Thinker power let her cold read nearly as well as Tattletale. I am so glad that For Someone's Glory made me that much harder to read.

"One of my powers is to imbue anything that can even vaguely be considered to be a weapon with an energy that boosts its abilities," I said, "For example, if I were to use it on a 9mm pistol, the rate of fire would be amplified, as would the speed and force behind the bullets, to the point that it would rivel, or even exceed an anti-tank rifle. I was able to use a light pole to smack the Siberian around with ease and a machete was able to cleave through Crawler like he was made of styrofoam."

No way was I spilling about Arondight this early in the game. My sword would remain my trump card for now.

"That...sounds like an incredibly strong power," said Director Wilkins.

"It is," I said, "I was able to hurt the Siberian with it."

CRASH!

On her screen, Alexandria slammed her hands down on the desk in front of her, making it shake.

"Are you certain?" she demanded.

"I took her arm off and stabbed her through the stomach," I deadpanned.

"And that didn't kill her?" asked the Director.

I shook my head.

"No, although she did go pop," I said, "Thats part of the information I have. I think the Siberians nothing more than a Master construct. If you can find him or her, you could take out the bitch permanently."

"Why didn't you?" asked Alexandria.

"The same reason I didn't kill the rest of the Nine," I said, "I got distracted by Crawler trying to eat me. Unfortunately, the ones I didn't get managed to get away, although I did manage to injure most of them. I highly doubt Jack or Shatterbird will be back on their feet anytime soon, even with Bonesaws help."

"What about Burnscar?" asked Legend.

I shrugged.

"I'm not sure," I said, "I lost track of her during the fighting, but I didn't see her after I hit her through a few buildings. I do know that she must be as badly hurt as the others however, if not worse."

There, let them draw their own conclusions about why Burnscar's vanished. Director Wilkins nodded and glanced down at the file in front of him.

"You said that you had some information on Jack as well?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Yes, I believe I've figured out how hes been able to remain one step ahead of any Parahuman sent after him," I said, "I think he has some kind of passive Thinker geared towards other Parahumans. As far as I was able to tell, he can predict them and possibly even influence them in some way."

Legend frowned.

"That would explain a lot, but how did you find that out?" he asked.

I tapped the side of my head.

"My powers grant me a resistance to mental attacks," I said, "I could feel something trying to affect me while I was talking with Jack."

"Yes, that makes sense," said Alexandria, looking thoughtful, "More often than not, the damage Jack causes himself is to his victims mentality, although hes certainly capable of some nasty physical damage. Knowing that will make countering him a lot easier."

"A normal person with a gun could take him out," I said, "Actually, that would probably be the best option for dealing with Jack."

The Director nodded in agreement.

"Indeed," he said.

He flipped through the file in front of him and made some notes, before pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to me. I took it and scanned it, finding it was a form for claiming the bounty under my Cape name.

"If you will fill that out," he said.

I nodded and quickly did just that, filling in my name as Saber. Despite the fact I was closer to Berserker in appearance and powers, the name didn't exactly inspire a heroic image. Once I was done, I slid the form back over to the Director who scanned it and nodded.

"Alright...Saber, I'd like to thank you again for your efforts," he said, "And I'd also like to offer you a place in the Protectorate. We could use more Capes like you."

I laughed softly.

"While I appreciate the offer, I'm afraid I must decline," I said, "I already have plans of my own, plans that would be difficult to achieve under the command of the Protectorate. I will, however, help if you need it."

The Director looked disappointed, but nodded.

"Of course, I understand," he said, "Dragon, Alexandria, thank you for being here."

"It was my pleasure," said Dragon, before her screen went blank.

Alexandria just nodded and left as well as Legend stood and offered a hand.

"I'd like to extend my thanks as well," he said, "The Nine are a huge thread and you've managed to cut that in half for a while. I hope we can work together in the future."

I smiled and nodded as I shook his hand.

"As do I," I said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have some ways to go."

The Director nodded and indicated to the guard by the door.

"Agent Anderson will guide you back to the lobby," he said, "You can claim the bounty money downstairs."

I shook the Directors hand and followed the agent back downstairs where I was greeted by another faceless goon, who handed me an attache case.

"Here you are sir," he said, "And once again, thank you for killing the bastards. I lost my sister and her family to those psychopaths, so it means a lot to me personally."

He saluted and marched away with Anderson. I hefted the case over my shoulder and headed out to where I'd left the truck in the carpark. I tossed the case onto the passenger seat, intending to take a look later, and climbed into the cab, resting my head against the backrest for a moment.

"Well, that was interesting," I muttered, "Then again, killing any member of the Nine would be enough to attract the attention of the Triumvirate. I wonder where Eidolon was…"

After a moment's thought, I shook my head. It wasn't important and I had a long way to go before sunset. I started the engine, making a note to trade up for something smaller and faster, before pulling out and heading in the direction of Brockton Bay. I was done with the prologue, it was time to really start this little play.

 **And with that, I'm done. Hoo boy, that was quite the ride.**

 **I dont actually look like that of course, but he's taken on Lancelot's looks.**

 **Hmm, I wonder who I'm implying Sleeper is? He wont be putting in an appearance though...I hope.**

 **I admit, I'm not entirely pleased with the interaction with Mimi and I think that the reasoning and speed of her acceptance might be a bit quick, but Saber could have used his ability to mess with the future to smoothing things over, so thats my reasoning behind it.**

 **Yes, I turned Burnscar into Cinder. She won't be a villain though. I'm also not done with giving Worm characters RWBY makeovers. I have plans for all of team RWBY, Neo and Emerald based characters, along with Penny, although she'll be a result of Sabers Tinkering more than mine. Take a guess as to who will end up as who. I bet you can get team RWBY at least.**

 **I'm pretty sure that taking out three members of the Nine would warrant some pretty close scrutiny from the PRT, Protectorate and Cauldron, hence the rather impressive meeting. They also don't really want to alienate someone who can hurt the Siberian, hence why they aren't pushing him to join. Of course, that might be different if they knew what he can really do, but for now, he'll just be showing off his 'Brute' and 'Striker' powers. Speaking of, any idea of how high they'd rank them? I'm guessing pretty high.**

 **Anyway, this is long and I'm tired, so I'm gonna sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	123. ABC Chapter 1

A Bad Choice

When I filled out a CYOA out of boredom, I never expected a ROB to take that as an invitation and drop me in it. Oh god, I really should have picked something that made me harder to kill! To make matters worse, I wasn't just dropped in, oh no, now I have the god damn Nazi's chasing me for my powers!

 **Sigh, yes its and other CYOA, no I don't care that I'm going overboard on them. Its fun damn it! Anyway, this time there's no Servant involved and hes technically not as OP as some I created. WHatever, lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I went to bed after staying up way to late working on a new story idea, I was expecting to wake up the next morning to the sound of my phone greeting me for another day at work. Instead, I was woken by the early morning light landing on my face and the fact my soft bed seemed to have turned into solid wood.

"What the...wuzgoinon?" I slurred as I opened my eyes, quickly throwing up my hand to stop the sunlight from burning my eyes out.

It took a moment to realize what was wrong with the image. My curtains were thick and I always closed them before I went to bed, so there was no way that sunlight should be getting into my room. I slowly lowered my hand and looked around the room, taking in the grimy walls that were covered in dark red stains, shattered furniture and the floor that had the rotten remains of a carpet that looked like it had been clawed to pieces. By claws that were strong enough to damage the hardwood floor.

"What the hel…" I started, before I suddenly realized that my voice sounded...odd.

I looked down and found that my voice wasn't the only thing that had changed. Instead of my thin body in nothing but the pants I went to sleep in, I found myself looking at a slightly chunky and much less mature body in pale blue PJs. As I did, a few locks of blonde hair fell in front of my eyes and I blinked as I realized that my hair was longer than it had been.

"Huh...thats interesting," I muttered as I examined my new hands, absently running a finger over where I'd had a small scar on the back of my left one, "What the hell is going on?"

A loud crunch from outside made me jump and look up, just in time to see a twisted monstrosity I could only refer to as a troll stump past the window. I quickly scrambled to my feet and darted to the window, peeking out and down onto the street below. Just one glance made me realize that I might be in trouble. The town I was in was a complete wreck, with not a single house intact, although plenty of them seemed to have been patched up with wood and colourful bits of cloth and were inhabited by all manner of bizarre creatures that looked like something straight out of a fairy tale for little kids. If said fairytale involved orgies, debauchery and horrific table manners as the goblins gorged themselves on all manner of excess.

I gaped for a moment, before quickly pulling my head back before any of them could see me. I sat under the window for a moment, eyes wide as I tried to figure out what the actual FUCK was going on, before I suddenly remembered just what I'd been working on the night before.

"FUCK, I'VE BEEN ROB-ED!" I yelled without thinking.

I immediately clapped both hands over my mouth, but it was apparent that I was to late as the sounds filtering in from down below cut out. A moment later, they were replaced with chattering and the sounds of a number of footsteps moving towards the building I was in.

"Oh bollocks," I muttered, "This is gonna suck...I really hope I can figure out how to…"

"INTRUDER!"

I spun around, just in time to see what looked like an unholy fusion of Human and lizard pounce at me from the door. I yelped and instinctively flung out my arm. In response, the wall behind me exploded and squashed the goblin between the opposite wall and half of the one behind me. I gaped for a moment, before I realized that my head was full of knowledge of how to Bend the elements to my will. All of them. I wasn't an Avatar since I lacked any connections to a Spirit, but apparently ROB or CYOA logic didn't give a shit about canon rules. I couldn't do anything to impressive without practice, but I could grasp the basics of all four.

However, my Bending abilities would only get me so far in this situation. I couldn't face an entire army of Goblins armed only with the basics, especially since I had no idea if Nilbog had created anything that could get stronger from water, earth or wind. I doubted it, but considering he managed to make one that replicated with fire, I didn't want to risk one that might be able to multiply if I got it wet.

Considering it looked like my powers came from my latest CYOA, I quickly cast my mind back to try and remember what I had access to. Bending was obvious, but the others were Paper manipulation (which wouldn't help here), Explosive Slash (again, not very helpful) and Fairy Dragon Physiology. That last one would probably be the best option considering what I'd be capable of if I could figure out how to use it. I also had Harry Potter magic, but I had a feeling that trying to use that without practice would be a horrible idea. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to start and the rest of the Goblins had just found me. And the squashed goblin I'd got with my Bending feat.

"OH MY GOD, HE KILLED KENNY!" screamed the leader of the Goblins that were hunting me, a short thing with slimy looking skin and big ears, armed with a very large wrench and sharp claws that seemed to be dripping acid.

"YOU BASTARD!" screamed another, smaller nasty with horns that were comically large on its small frame.

Despite the fact I was about to be killed by a madman's creations, I couldn't help giving the twisted monstrosities of nature a flat look.

"Really?"

"TAKE HIM TO THE KING!" screamed the leader, ignoring my exasperation.

"EEP!" I yelped and flung my arms out.

In response, the ring I hadn't noticed on my left hand glowed and the room expanded in a way that made my head hurt.

"Huh...I'd forgotten about that," I muttered as I glanced at the Vista ring.

The ring was made of a greenish yellow metal with a small, square shaped emerald setting with swirling lines engraved on the stone. Looking at it closely, it reminded me of a re-coloured version of the Gaunt Ring from Harry Potter, which was actually how I pictured it when I was coming up with this character for my story.

I looked away from the ring, making a note to experiment with it later, to see that the Goblins were still a good distance away from me thanks to the spatial warp and looking extremely annoyed. I decided that I should probably leave in case any of them had ranged attacks and decided to try and turn me into a target dummy.

I took a deep breath, turned to the hole in the wall and jumped, desperately delving into my mind for my Dragon Physiology power. I really hoped this worked or I was about to break my legs and leave me easy pray for…

"AH!" I yelped as I felt a surge of energy erupt from somewhere deep inside me, rippling through my body in the form of a bright, azure light.

I felt my body shift, lengthening and twisting as my legs fused together, my neck and face lengthened and a pair of wings shot from my back. It didn't hurt, in fact, it felt rather good, if a little odd. The change took less than a second and the glow vanished, just in time for me to spread my wings and stop my fall inches from slamming into the ground.

"Phew, that was close," I muttered, absently noting that my voice now carried a musical quality to it.

I shifted my wings, lifted myself up and looked down at myself. My body was now covered in fine, iridescent blue scales and had a build similar to a naga, with a tail instead of legs that ended with two long, pale green tendrils that were glowing faintly. My upper body was humanoid, with long, slender arms and a pair of insect like wings sticking out of my shoulders. I lifted my hands and ran them over my changed head. My face was now a short, but sharp muzzle, with a number of small, but very sharp teeth inside, a pair of large ears and a long mane of hair down my neck that was the same colour as the tuft at the tip of my tail.

"Interesting form," I muttered, "Oh well, so long as it does the job."

I buzzed my wings, sending a shower of sparkling dust drifting down as I shot into the sky at high speed. As I went, I delved into the powers this form granted me and my form shimmered and seemed to split apart, countless copies of me flying in different directions as my real body vanished from the visible spectrum while shrinking down to about six inches long. Now confident that I wouldn't be hit by a lucky shot, I picked a direction and flew towards, what I hoped, was freedom.

* * *

Despite what you might think, Elisburg wasn't that bad of an assignment for a PRT trooper. Oh, it could be a little nerve racking when Nilbog and his freaks started getting restless and you couldn't afford to be lazy unless you fancied being chewed out and reassigned somewhere a lot less pleasant, but as a general rule, things tended to be quiet as the crazed Biotinker prefered to stay behind the walls and his army of freaks were just as happy to stay put. At least it wasn't as depressing or traumatizing as the Simurgh containment zones.

Of course, anything that riled up the Goblins was something that had the garrison on high alert, although that quickly changed to besument as the camaras came back with images of the Goblins destroying a number of odd, dragon-like creatures that were buzzing around the town and exploded violently upon being attacked, sending a sparkling, golden yellow dust everywhere. Which then also exploded just as spectacularly in a riot of very loud and clearly very hot explosions that hurt many of the creatures that were caught in them, including a few that the Troopers knew should replicate in fire.

"Sooo...does anyone have any idea whats going on?" asked Agent Lee as the troopers watched another group of Goblins attack another of the strange creatures, only to once again get blasted by a riot of explosions.

"Haven't a clue," said Agent Smith, "But it looks like someone got in somehow."

"Another Cape?" asked Lee.

"That goes without saying," said Smith, "Some kind of Master by the looks of it…"

The wailing of an alarm cut off the conversation as both agents immediately responded, snatching up their helmets and guns as they followed their comrades in the mad dash outside to intercept whatever had managed to get over the wall to set of the alert.

It took less than a minute for the entire garrason to get outside, guns cocked and ready as the spotlights lit up the wall, just in time to catch sight of one of the odd exploding creature shoot over the top, grappling with a small swarm of Nilbogs critters with wings. Unlike the others, this one wasn't exploding and was instead spewing fire, golden dust and what looked like dark blue smoke that was making those creatures it touched scream and claw at themselves as if they were being attacked by swarms of ants. Usually right before they were covered in a cloud of dust and blown to bits.

The dragon-like creature shrieked in anger as it swung its tail, somehow pulling a chunk of stone from the wall and slamming it into a Goblin that had been clinging to its back, squashing it flat. A moment later, it shreaked again, this time in pain, as another flying critter latched onto its tail with needle-like teeth. It twisted and bathed the creature in another blast of its breath. The creature immediately started screaming, letting go in the process that allowed the dragon to grab it in both hands and switch its breath to a blast of fire that burned purple and turned the creature to ash in seconds. Then, the dragon twisted in the air, blasting the remaining attackers with more fire and smacking the one that attempted to use the fire to replicated with its tail so hard it and its offspring were nearly squashed flat against the wall.

Now free from its attackers, the dragon turned and began to slowly drift down towards the ground, its tail and arms drooping and its head held low with a long, forked tongue hanging out like a dog. It looked exhausted and was bleeding from more than a few cuts and gashes. It paused for a moment when it spotted the arrayed agents, but kept drifting down, altering its trajectory slightly so it would land a short distance away. Despite its apparent exhaustion, none of the agents relaxed as it landed, its tail coiling as it rested its hands on the floor, its head bowed and eyes closed.

A moment later, it started to glow, making the PRT agents tense, although no one jumped the gun and foamed it.. A moment later, the glow faded and all of the agents were taken aback to see a 15 year old blond boy in dirty pajamas looking rather battered and like he was about to drop.

"If your gonna arrest me, please make it quick," he said, "I really need to…"

He trailed off as his eyes drifted shut and he slumped forwards.

* * *

I HATE Goblins. I still have no idea how, but I'd somehow got spotted on my way out of Elisburg, despite being invisible and the size of a kitten. I'd nearly been eaten by one of the bastards before I managed to grow back to full size and blast him in the face with my breath weapon, which turned out to be some kind of psychotropic gas that made them either start screaming and trying to claw their skin off or giggling and rolling around like a cat on catnip. It was also flammable and produced a very, VERY hot flame capable of turning metal into slag in moments.

Unfortunately, that meant that I got every Goblin in town on my tail, even with my illusionary doppelgangers causing chaos with the explosive fairy dust, and had to fight my way out. I spent about three hours being chased around the town before I managed to spot the wall and make a break for it. Fortunataly, holding my form didn't use up energy, but Bending, my Breath Weapon and fairy dust definitely did, so by the time I managed to get out and deal with the last of them, I was dead on my feet and my injuries certainly weren't helping, hence why I passed out.

* * *

Speaking of, when I woke up, I found myself in a well stocked infirmary, cuffed to the bed with a rather bulky looking set of manacles covered in blinky lights. Tinkertech, probably designed for Brutes and preventing those chained up from getting loose. Fortunately, I had no intention of doing so, if only so I didn't immediately piss off the PRT. They might be corrupt, but if I wanted to figure out when I was and who I was, I'd need their help. I wouldn't be joining the Wards though.

I sat up, wincing as my bruised and cut up body protested. As I did, a middle aged man in a lab coat entered the room with a clipboard in his hands.

"Ah, your awake," he said.

"Yeah, and I feel like I've been dragged through three hedges and a brick wall," I grumbled.

"Yes, well, thats generally what happens when you get into a fight with Nilbogs creatures," said the doctor.

"Hnn," I grumbled.

I took a deep breath and let it out, a few sparks escaping my lips as I did.

"So, since I'm not in a cell, I take it you've concluded I'm not one of Nilbogs?" I asked.

"We have indeed," said the doctor, "Although we would like to know how you got into Elisburg."

I shrugged.

"Haven't a clue," I said, "In fact, I don't even know who I am. I haven't got any solid memories from anything earlier than waking up in Elisburg."

The doctor frowned as he scanned the clipboard in his hands.

"Hmm, I see," he mumbled, "Well, I think I can help with that."

He flipped the clipboard around and held it out to me. I took it and found that the papers clipped to it were a profile for a missing persons report.

"Theodore Anders, resident of Brockton Bay, vanished from his bed in the early hours of April 8th," said the doctor, "Reported missing by his stepmother, one Kayden Anders who he was apparently living with."

I listened with half an ear as the doctor rattled off more information as my mind whirled. This...would end badly. 'Amnesia' or not, I had no doubt that Keiser would jump at the chance to get me in the E88 and would likely do anything, up to and including threatening Kayden and Aster to do it. I needed a way to keep them safe and, preferably, a way to make my identity of a Cape disappear to. Fortunately, that thought brought just the thing to mind.

My mental encyclopedia of Harry Potter magic wasn't anywhere close to as comprehensive or massive as the one I had for my Bending, but it did have everything up to NEWT level, the basics of most other fields and an understanding of how to cast any spell I knew about, including the Fidelius Charm, which could apparently be cast on any secret, not just a location. That would be helpful.

I made a mental note to meditate later to see what else I could dig up (and to see if I could figure out how to craft a Wand) and returned the clipboard to the doctor.

"So, if you know who I am, why am I chained up?" I asked, indicating to the handcuffs.

"Your an unknown Cape with clearly strong powers," said the doctor, "Its standard practice to make sure they don't immediately have free reign. If we didn't know who you were, you'd be in a cell."

"Fair enough," I said, "So, what now?"

"Now I give you one last checkup while we wait for the Protectorate to send someone to pick you up," said the doctor.

I nodded and winced as I felt my injuries twindge. He checked me over and changed the bandages on some of the larger wounds. A few minutes later, the door opened and a trooper entered with two very familiar faces on his heels. Armsmaster and Miss Militia. Joy of joys.

"Theo Anders?" grunted Armsmaster.

"Apparently," I said, "So, I take it you two are my ride?"

Miss Militia raised an eyebrow and glanced at the doctor.

"Retrograde amnesia," said the doctor, "Although there is something a bit odd going on. His episodic and autobiographical memories have been wiped, but he still has his semantic memory. In other words, he can't remember anything about himself or anyone hes met, but he can still remember things hes learnt, general knowledge and the like. I think that whatever caused it was likely Parahuman in nature."

"Are you sure hes not Mastered?" said Armsmaster.

Well fuck you to!

"We have no baseline to compare him to, but his brain chemistry is reading within normal bounds and he hasn't shown any indication of being Mastered in the tests we were able to run," said the doctor.

Armsmaster just grunted and fixed me with a look. I steadily met his gaze, not intimidated by him in the least. His armour was made from steel and I could feel my Bending abilities connecting me to...hang on, where did...ohh, now thats cool!

I did my best to suppress my massive grin as I suddenly realized that my knowledge of Bending wasn't limited to the primary elements like I thought, but also included the specialized skills as well. I probably wouldn't ever find a use for Spiritbending or Combustionbending, I hoped to god I'd never need Bloodbending and I knew for a fact I'd never manage Flight or Spiritual Projections considering both required a level of spirituality only found in Monks which I most definitely wasn't. The others however...Metalbending would be a godsend against Tinkers and a good chunk of the E88, Lavabending would be handy if I ever had to fight Behemoth, healing was just an awesome power full stop, as was the Seismic Sense and who didn't want to be able to throw lightning around?

I quickly shoved my excitement behind the Occlumency barriers I just noticed (WOOT, Apprentice is fucking awesome!) to keep the grin off my face as Armsmaster grunted again and marched off. Dick. Instead of dwelling on the asshole, I turned to Miss Militia as she approached me.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

I shrugged.

"Sure," I said, "I could use some better food than what they've got here."

I ignored the doctors annoyed muttering as Miss M's eyes crinkled in amusement.

* * *

A short while later I was sat in the back of a Dragon transport across from Miss Militia while Armsmaster glowered and kept an extremely obvious eye on me. Miss Militia was a little less obvious, but she still didn't try to strike up a conversation. That was fine though, I needed to meditate anyway.

I ignored the two older Capes as I lent back in my seat, closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. Within moments, I had entered a meditative trance that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to the day before.

Almost immediately, I found all my powers appearing before me in a way that I can't really describe, so I'll have to use a metaphor. My Wildcard powers floated off to the side, just kinda there, giving me ideas of what I was capable of with them. I quickly scanned them. They weren't...bad, I mean, the Fairy Dragon physiology alone was strong enough to earn me an S rank in moments if I ever went off the rails considering I could use it to turn entire acres of land into twisting nightmare forest covered in ice and snow in the middle of summer or a beautiful field of flowers in the coldest depths of winter.

Paper Manipulation wasn't as impressive. Oh, I could use it to control a frankly massive amount of paper and manipulate its properties to a degree, but I couldn't convert my own body into it. I could however shape it into just about anything I wanted and change its properties, meaning I could easily create weapons out of simple origami, create simple golems that could obey simple commands or create controllable puppets that resembled me. That'd be handy.

As for explosive slash, it was kinda limited, but still powerful. I could create blasts of various levels by cutting into objects, with the size of the cut corresponding to the size of the explosion. I could see it possibly being useful, but I could probably achieve much the same with far greater range with my Bending.

Speaking of which, my Apprentice abilities were the ones that had center stage, appearing as a pair of skill trees with a number of options selected and lots more grayed out. The Bending tree was nearly entirely filled in, with the only ones not available to be being Spiritbending and the very 'top' option that basically made me an Avatar. However, both of them would require me somehow fuse with Raava or a similar Spirit, which would be rather difficult since I'm pretty sure they don't exist around here. Well, unless the Entities count. As an added bonus, due to being closely tied to martial arts, I now had access to a good number, ranging from Tai Chi to Northern Shaolin kung fu. Well, that'd endear me to the E88!

The Harry Potter magic one on the other hand was both much larger and far more grayed out. However, many of the skills I had available were scattered throughout the tree, other than the first five years worth of schooling, all of which were available. It took a few moments of studying, but I quickly realized that those I had access to were what I knew about from the books, including the Patronus Charm, Voldemorts flight method, the Fidelius Charm, the Unforgivables, Animagus skills, Occlumency and Legilimency and the basics of Wandcrafting. Well, that'd be handy. My first job would be to make a wand since I wouldn't be able to do much more than cantrips without it. Wandless magic was possible, but currently a tad out of my reach.

Fortunately, even the basics of Wandlore revealed an interesting fact that wands didn't need to be a stick. So long as they were crafted from wood and a biological reagent from a Magical creature that would match the user, they could theoretically be any shape at all. Wands were simply the easiest to use, but the way the power worked meant that whether I used a staff, a wand or a ring, I would still be able to cast flawlessly. As an added bonus, my own hair from my Dragon form would make the perfect wand core for me. All I needed now was a suitable wood that had never felt the touch of Magic and a jar of organic wood polish and I'd be golden.

* * *

A light touch on my shoulder drew me out of my meditation and I looked up to see Miss Militia stood over me and the feeling of movement had stopped.

"We've arrived," she said.

I nodded and got to my feet. Time to face the music.

 **Hmm, you know how I said he wasn't OP? I take that back. I forgot that his Dragon form was rank 9, which basically puts it on a level where he could probably solo Lung, even without the ability to grow larger than his natural mass.**

 **Speaking of, I based the design of his Dragon form on the Ancient Fairy Dragon card from Yu-gi-oh without its armour. I don't play the game, but that was the pages main image and it looked cool, so I decided to use it.**

 **I hope my explanation for the skill trees makes sense. Its mostly irrelevant since I probably won't be using more than he has access to at the moment for a while, but I have to at least try to put on a good show, right?**

 **I originally intended to use Dresden Files magic, but being a walking EMP in a world with Tinkers sounds like a horrible idea.**

 **I'm pretty sure Theo's Shaker ratings going to make Labyrinth look like a chump. I mean, he can manipulate all four elements, metal, generate lightning, control paper and thats not even taking into account what hes capable of with Magic and his Dragon form.**

 **Yes, I'm using Theo for this. I also had an idea for using Greg, but then I decided that this would have a lot more interesting implications. I'll probably end up doing one with Greg later. Possibly with the crossover power giving him Magneto's power. Or Xaviers.**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	124. ABC Chapter 2

A Bad Choice

When I filled out a CYOA out of boredom, I never expected a ROB to take that as an invitation and drop me in it. Oh god, I really should have picked something that made me harder to kill! To make matters worse, I wasn't just dropped in, oh no, now I have the god damn Nazi's chasing me for my powers!

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, just enjoy!**

Chapter 2

When Kayden discovered Theo's bed empty, she'd panicked. She'd be first to admit she could be distant with her step-son, but that didn't mean she didn't care for the lad. Hell, she'd taken him in after Max had kicked him out, not that that stopped the bastard from occasionally popping up to take his son on 'camping trips' that were more torture sessions attempting to get Theo to Trigger. Kayden still wasn't entirely sure what Max was trying to achieve with that since Theo made his opinion on his Father and the E88 very clear and considering that Max would be the one responsible for the Trigger, the chances of Theo ever working with the E88 were somewhere around the chances of Hookwolf becoming a Buddhist monk.

Considering all that, it wasn't completely unreasonable for Kayden to assume that Max was responsible for Theo's disappearance, although her decision to storm over to Medhall to confront Kaiser might have been poorly thought out. As was nearly blowing his head off when the bastard had the gaul to dismiss the fact his son was missing without a second thought.

Fortunately, she hadn't done the latter, although she had been charging up a blast before she managed to regain control. Instead, she'd settled for storming out, blasting a few ABB goons and, once she was calm(ish) again, had filed a missing persons report. She certainly hadn't been expecting a PRT trooper to show up on her doorstep a few hours later with news that Theo had been found. In Elisburg. Exactly how he'd ended up in one of the most dangerous places in the contrary, no one knew, not even Theo since he was apparently suffering from Amnesia. And a Cape.

* * *

Kayden stared at Theo across the table in the PRT's meeting room, not entirely sure what to make of the boy. Normally, he tended to hunch and avoid eye contact, a side effect of the horrible treatment of Max and his goons, but this new Theo had none of that. Instead, he sat straight and met her gaze with an intense look in his eyes that almost made it seem that he was x-raying her. Yes, this was definitely a different Theo to the one who vanished. She was almost looking forwards to seeing Max's reaction to him.

"So, your my..step-mother?" said Theo eventually, glancing at the agent beside him, a dark skinned woman with her hair up in a ponytail, who nodded, "Right, Step-mother...and my Dad is…?"

Kayden winced.

"Not coming," she said, "He's...not exactly hands on with you."

Theo raised an eyebrow.

"In other words, an asshole who doesn't give a rats ass that his son vanished without a trace?" he asked.

Kayden snorted.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said with a slight smirk, "So, we going? Its just, I really, REALLY need some real food and some better clothes than this."

He tugged at the collor of the PRT tracksuit he was wearing. Kayden nodded and glanced at the agent.

"You can go whenever your ready," she said, "All the paperworks done, although I have been ordered to once again tell you…"

Theo was already shaking his head.

"I get why you're so desperate to get me into the Wards, but like I keep saying, I'm not interested," he said, "I'm strong enough that I can handle myself and I have some plans that will keep my identity from leaking out. I might change my mind in the future, but for now, I need to get my head on straight."

The agent sighed, but nodded.

"Alright, I understand," she said, getting to her feet, "I'll show you out."

* * *

The ride back home with Kayden was done in silence, with Kayden not knowing quite what to say and me deep in thought. Passive Legilimency was one of the skills I had access to thanks to my knowledge of its existence, although I wouldn't be able to do anything if my target had even the most rudimentary Occlumency barriers and I couldn't go deeper than surface thoughts without actually casting the spell. Fortunately, Kayden didn't, allowing me to get some idea of the relationship between Theo, his Father and his step-mother from her surface thoughts. It...wasn't good.

Max was an abusive asshole who thought nothing of handing his son over to the likes of Hookwolf, Alabaster and Krieg to put him through hell to get him to Trigger and had put Theo through enough mental and emotional abuse that he was almost as badly damaged and withdrawn as Taylor. Moreso actually considering that it was his own Father who was responsible for it. Fortunately, Theo apparently HATED Max with a passion, not that the asshole bothered to acknowledge it. I could probably expect a visit from his goons pretty damn soon considering I was pretty sure that the E88 had spys in the PRT, so he'd know I 'Triggered' pretty soon. I needed to get those Fidelius Charms cast as soon as possible, which meant I needed…

I abruptly sat up as we drove past a small square with a bit of greenery in the middle of the town center and something caught my attention.

"Hey, stop the car a sec," I said.

Kayden shot me an odd look, but did so. I hopped out and jogged over to what I'd spotted. The small square was an oases of green in the steel and glass jungle that was the city, with a number of flower beds, benches and trees for shade scattered around the area. In the middle was a small lake or large pond my Bending senses told me was naturally formed and filled by the aquifer. By the look of it, the city had decided to leave it and turn the small area into a pleasant place to sit for the workforce of the city.

However, what had caught my attention was the large tree that stood beside the pond. It was a yew, with a trunk thick enough that I wouldn't be able to wrap my arms around it and a look that made me think that it was very rarely, if ever, pruned for whatever reason. Likely because it was far enough away from everything that it wouldn't interfere with powerlines, the footpaths or anything else. Not only that, but to both my Magical and Bending senses, the tree thrummed with life. It was old, much older than the city, and that made it perfect for a Wandtree.

I grinned as I scanned the branches, quickly spotting a likely looking one and, after a quick check of my surroundings, Bent a blade of air that chopped it off and dropped it into my arms. I grinned. Perfect.

"What do you need that for?" asked Kayden as I hopped back into the car and dropped the branch into the footwell.

"I'll need to build something before I can use some of my powers," I said, "For that, I need some suitable wood and some basic woodworking tools. Speaking of which…"

Kayden hesitated, before sighing and hitting the indicator.

"Fucking Tinkers," she muttered.

I hid a smirk. The only reason I'd heard her was thanks to my power amplified senses, so I kept my mouth shut.

* * *

A few minutes later, we pulled up outside a hobby shop where I quickly found a whittling knife set, some polish that would be perfect and a few more tools that I'd need to craft my Wand. I also picked up some engraving tools designed for use on stone so I could do some work with Runes.

With that done, we headed back to Kayden's apartment where we were met by a giggling Aster being entertained by a girl who looked about a year younger than me with short, dyed blue hair wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt with a music note on the front. She was also visibly Asian. Um, wut? I know that Kayden didn't technically subscribe to the bullshit spouted by the E88, but that didn't mean being exposed to it for years hadn't had an effect in canon.

"Hey Miss Russel," said the babysitter as Kayden tossed her keys into a bowl next to the door, "Did they...THEO!"

"Um, hi," I said with a slightly awkward wave, "Sorry if I'm awkward, I'm currently a tad short on memories."

The girl blinked.

"Huh, so you got Amnesia?" she asked, "Thats...not good."

"Not really, no," I said with a slight smirk.

"Hehe, sorry," she said, "Anyway, I guess I should reintroduce myself. Or should that just be introduce..?"

She shrugged.

"Whatever, I guess it just means we get a new first impression, right?"

I chuckled.

"I guess so," I said, "So, you know who I am, who are you?"

The girl smirked and held out her hand.

"Sayaka," she said, "Babysitter and occasinal bully pounder."

I snorted and shook her hand, noting her solid grip.

"I really hope I've never needed that," I said.

"Would it matter any more?"

"Good point."

"Alright kids, thats enough of that," said Kayden, clapping her hands, "Your Mother wants you home before dinner, so you really need to get going Sayaka. Do you mind if I pay you tomorrow?"

"Nah, its cool," said Sayaka with a wave of her hand, "I like watching Aster, shes always a joy."

Kayden smiled and nodded.

"Thanks again," she said as Sayaka put her shoes on and jogged out the door, waving over her shoulder.

"Well, she seemed nice," I said as I met Kaydens eyes.

I felt a little guilty for scanning her like this, but I was really curious as to whether she genuinely liked the girl or was just putting on a show. To my surprise, I found that it was the former. There wasn't even a hint of bigotry directed towards the girl or her family, who apparently lived down the hall. In fact, she seemed to genuinely like them, along with another family associated with them who's mother was the Lawyer who helped her smackdown Max when he tried to get Aster taken away for some inane reason. I couldn't get much more than that without digging deeper and I didn't want to do that with my Step-mother.

"Anyway, I've got work to do," I said, holding up the bag I was holding.

"Alright, you go Tinker," said Kayden, "I'll call you when dinners ready."

I nodded and hustled to the room she directed me to. Inside was...underwhelming really. It was a mid sized room, with a bed, desk, bookshelf and closet, but it looked...sterile. Like there was no real personality to it. I'm not sure why though, although I had a feeling that Max was likely behind it. I set my bag of wand reagents on the desk and opened the closet to find a selection of rather bland clothes in colours that were clearly designed to blend in. Hmm, either Theo was bullied or Max had had far more of an impact on the poor boys psyche than I thought. Dick.

I was about to shut the door again, but an odd ping on my Seismic Sense made me pause. Due to my level of Bending prowers, the use of Seismic Sense was basically instinctive, creating a sixth sense that wasn't any different to hearing or smell. Like those sense, it unless I focused on it, the sense generally didn't attract my attention unless something out of the ordinary pinged it. In this case, it was a small compartment hidden under a loose floorboard.

Curious, I knelt down and pried the hidden compartment open. Inside, I found a couple of large folders and a small bag of memory sticks. I reached in and pulled out one at random, flicking it open and scanning the information inside. Within moments, my eyes went wide with awe. The file was a list of crimes Theo had witnessed Max commit or heard him admit to commiting. The detail was incredible, including dates and names, and, if released, would utterly destroy, not just Max Anders, but most of the E88 and send Medhall's stocks plummeting through the floor, if the assets weren't just seized. Whats more, every single one of the crimes were committed by their civilian identity's, not their Cape one, meaning that there would be no issues with breaking the Unwritten Rules. I quickly put the file away and made a note to apply enough Magical security to it to make Gringotts jealous once I had my wand made.

Speaking of which, I sat down at my desk and started pulling the tools I'd got out of the bag and set about whittling the yew branch down. A traditional wand would be a complete liability for me, so I was planning to make a Focusing Ring. It would make more focused work, like Healing, a little more difficult, but not impossible and I could always craft a Wand later if I needed it. I had enough wood for it and since my Dragon form was the source of the Core material, I could get as much as I needed.

I quickly lost myself in the crafting of my ring, absently using my Metalbending to bring tools to my hands as I needed them as I transformed the branch into the parts needed to create both a Ring and a Wand. At one point, I transformed into my dragon form and plucked exactly six hairs from my scalp, twining them together and setting them in a mix of polish, sawdust from the crafting process and a few drops of my own blood. The blood wasn't technically necessary, but since I was crafting the Foci for my use, it would help them bond to me better.

* * *

The entire crafting process took two hours to complete and, once it was, I sat back in my chair with a sigh of relief. My fingers ached from the fiddly work and my bandaged finger was throbbing like crazy. Looking at what I'd made however made it more than worth it though.

Both Foci were white and gleamed under the light of my desk lamp. The ring had been carved with a pattern resembling celtic knotwork, with the Bending symbols set at equal distance around it in the Avatar cycle. The wand on the other hand had somehow ended up being shaped like a lightning bolt, with carved patterns that looked like they couldn't decide if they wanted to be vines or more lightning bolts. Both were practically thrumbing with power and I could practically feel my Magic reaching out for them.

Slowly, hesitantly, I gently picked up the ring and slipped it on my left ring finger, the one not occupied by my Vista ring. Immediately, my spine went rigid as I felt my Magic rush through me, making my hair stand on end and a faint, bluish green glow momentarily surround my body as the ring resized itself.

"Holy...shit," I breathed, not sure what else to say.

I looked down at the Wand and wrapped my hand around the handle. I felt my magic surge again as I took a deep breath and brought the wand swishing down. There was a flash of light, a gust of wind and a shower of bluish green sparks that danced around my room like fireflies. I couldn't help the mile wide grin that stole across my face as I watched the Magical light show. I was so engrossed in watching said lights that I ignored the sound of someone knocking on the apartment door, but I didn't miss someone a lot bigger and heavier stomping down the hall towards my room pinging my Seismic Sense.

I quickly tucked my wand out of sight, the sparks vanishing as the connection with my magic vanished, just in time for the door to be slammed open by a man with blonde hair in a military cut and a three piece suit that did nothing to hide his impressive muscles. Behind him were another two men, both skinheads, wearing black suits with very obvious bulges under their jacket. Well, it looks like Kaiser had decided to magnanimously to call me to him. Ass.

"Mr Anders, your Father requests your presence," said the leader, who I'm pretty sure was a Parahuman, although which one I don't know.

I raised an eyebrow. If he really put it like that, Kaiser was even more pretentious than I thought.

"You know, most Fathers would show up in person to make sure their son, who vanished into thin air and was found in one of the most dangerous places in the country by the way, in person, not call for them like some puffed up wannabe king," I said.

The mans nostrils flared, but before he could say anything, I stood.

"Alright, lets go," I said.

I caught Kayden's eyes over the thugs shoulder.

"I'll be back soon," I said, "Save me some dinner."

I followed the large man out of the building, ignoring the thugs as they trailed behind me like good mutts. I wasn't particularly worried about them. Thanks to the martial arts provided by my Bending abilities, I could probably take both of them out without having to toss around anything particularly flashy.

* * *

Downstairs, I was shoved into a limo where I was met with Hookwolf (who smelt like he hadn't showered in a week incidentally) and the man who had collected me pulled a gas mask out of a compartment and slipped it on. Krieg then. I wasn't interested in that however, I was more interested in what my Earth sense was telling me. Hookwolf's blades were iron. I'm not sure how, but when he used his power, he genuinely created metal, not a facsimile. In other words, the Empires heaviest hitter was completely useless against me because I could turn his own weapon against him. I wonder if I could do the same with Kaisers blades?

"What are you looking at brat?" growled Hookwolf.

"Nothing," I said, leaning back in the plush seat and looked out the window, smirking slightly.

I spent the trip amusing myself by using my Vista ring to subtly alter space to screw with the thugs, driver and Capes, both because it was amusing to see them fumble whenever they reached for something and because I needed to practice with it. The space warping ability, combined with my Bending would be extremely useful after all. I was also curious as to whether I could pull off some of the things Vista managed in Taylor Varga or if that was just fanon. Something for the future.

* * *

Eventually, we reached the back door to Medhall, where we were met by Victor and I was hustled in and into a lift that shot us up to the top of the building so quickly it made a mess of my air sensing and Seismic Sense. As a result, I stumbled slightly as my head started to spin. Hookwolf noticed my discomfort and scoffed under his breath.

"Pussy," he sneered.

"Mutt," I hissed back.

The big man snarled, but Victor stopped him from doing anything foolish. I completely ignored the metal user as I followed Krieg down a short hall and into a room that took up half the floor and was so ostentatious, I felt ill just looking at it. There wasn't any obvious Nazi symbolism, but there was plenty of Norse runes, artwork and statues on the decour. There was even a fountain for some odd reason Kaiser sat behind a large desk that probably cost more than Kaydens apartment, doing what looked like paperwork, flanked by the Giant Twins in full armour.

The second I stepped into the room, I took everything in and came to the conclusion that I didn't have to worry. At all. That might seem arrogant, but between the steel in everyone's costumes, the water flowing through the fountain and the many stone statues, I had plenty to work with. And that was without factoring in my Airbending, Firebending, Magic and Vista ring. And if needs be, I could just turn into a dragon and send everyone to lala land with my psychotropic breath. Yeah, Kaiser really REALLY should have done this in a wide open space. In here, my powers could turn everyone to mush if I wanted. Good thing I didn't. Yet.

As we entered the room, Kaiser put down his pen, clasping his hands in front of him as he studied me with eyes as cold as the steel he created. They were also completely undefended and gave me perfect access with my Legilimency. I really hope he wasn't stupid enough to leave them open like that in battle. Actually, what am I saying? You do that ya Nazi bastard! I did have to stifle a snort when I realized he was pulling off an Ikari death glare though.

"Hello Theo," said Kaiser, "It pleases me to see your safe."

I resisted the urge to snort, both at the ridiculous wording and the utter insincerity in his tone that even an idiot would pick up on.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you sooner, but Kayden neglected to inform you'd been found."

Bullshit.

"Rest assured, we will find who took you and make them feel the full wrath of the Empire 88. We shall show them that insults will not be taken lightly."

Alright, I'd almost like to see that considering that what took me was probably a basically omnipotent being of unfathomable power.

Kaiser shifted, lacing his fingers in front of him as he smiled. It was so slimy I wanted to go have a very long shower. In hydrochloric acid.

"Still, there is one silver lining," he said, "You may have lost your memory, but you have gained your powers at long last. Finally, you can take your place at my side!"

He stood and held out his hand.

"Come Theo, join us and we can finally make this City what it can be!"

I stared at my 'Father' for a moment, not entirely sure if I was supposed to take that spiel seriously or not.

"Dad...I'm an amnesiac, not an idiot," I said at length.

Kaiser twitched.

"I beg your pardon?" he said.

I snorted.

"The E88 is made up of idiots, weaklings and hypocrites, all following an ideal that should have died with the psychopath who created it," I said, ""Even without considering that your entire ideal is based on pure bullshit, the fact you think I'd ever work for you after everything you've done to me is, frankly, ludicrous. And yes, I am aware of all the 'training' you had Hookwolf and Alabaster put me through. Past me was a VERY diligent note taker. So, with that in mind, you can take that offer and shove it."

I turned on my heel and headed for the door. Before I'd gone more than a few steps however, I was stopped by two massive hands clapping down on my shoulders and a wall of blades shooting up in front of me.

"I think you may have the wrong impression," said Kaiser, his voice tight, "I wasn't asking. You WILL work with us or I'll make life very uncomfortable for Purity and Aster."

I sighed.

"Well, I kinda expected that," I said, "Still, I'd hoped that you'd have more class than to threaten your own daughter. Oh well."

Then, I elbowed both Krieg and Hookwolf in the gut, blasting them back with twin gouts of fire. The attack was so unexpected that Kriegs power failed to protect him, not that it would have been much use from point blank range. Another gout of fire let me spin around, using the movement to grab the water in the fountain and Bend it into a wave that slammed into the Twins, slamming them into the wall hard enough to crack it, before the water turned to ice, trapping them in place. A rather odd feeling through my Seismic Sense made me hop back, evading the spears and blades that erupted from the ground as Kaiser surged to his feet, a look of fury on his face. I just grinned and landed in an Earthbending stance, grabbing the iron blades and bending them to my will. Kaiser barely had time to yelp as his own weapons suddenly shattered in response to my hand movements and the razor sharp shards embedded themselves in the wood of his chair, inches from taking his eye out.

"Well, that was fun," I said as I dropped my stance.

Kaiser just glared.

"Yes yes, your very scary," I said blandly, "Now, heres whats going to happen. You are going to forget you ever had a son, an ex-wife or a Daughter. You'll leave us alone and never attempt to do anything to harm, recruit or even speak to us again."

"Or what?" snarled Kaiser, "You'll come back and kill me? You don't have the guts!"

I stared at him for a moment, before smiling evilly.

"Oh, is that what you think?" I asked, "Well, your right...to a degree. I won't kill you, but I will destroy you utterly. All it would take is a trip to the police station."

Kaiser burst out laughing.

"You'd out me?!" he sneered, "If you break the Unwritten Rules, there won't be enough left to bury in a fucking matchbox! And if you do that, you'll end up outing Kayden as well! I don't think I need to tell you what would happen to Aster after that!"

"Actually, I already have plans to stop any information that could connect Kayden to Purity from getting out from any source," I said, "But thats not what I mean. I'm actually going to give them the rather impressive number of files and memory sticks my past self apparently collected on your illegal doings as Max Anders. I may not be able to provide witness testimony any more, but I'm sure that the cops, FBI and hell, maybe even the PRT would still love to know what you've been getting up to."

By this point, Kaiser was white.

"You wouldn't," he said.

I lent forwards, resting my hands on his desk.

"Try me," I said.

Then I turned on my heel and vanished with a crack.

 **And done. Well, that was certainly interesting. Now, before I sign out, I have a question. I have two ideas for this, one of which is to add a bunch of choices that, in the context of the story, were added by the ROB responsible for him being on Bet and result in it becoming a crossover with Madoka, resulting in a whole host of changes, including a slight retroactive change to the date. Alternatively, I can just continue with it being a flat Worm story. Which would you lot prefer? I DO have plans that would result in Worm and Madoka style SHIT GETS WORSE! elements and how to get them to work together.**

 **Yes, Kayden is less racist here than in canon, mostly a result of her new friends who helped her get away in the first place. I think you can guess who they are, assuming the Crossover.**

 **My original version had Theo beat up the entire E88 Cape roster, but I scrapped that because it was a tad unbelievable. He might be a strong as a reasonably well trained Avatar, even without the Avatar State, but even he couldn't take down that many powered and experienced enemies without some serious suspension of disbelief and an environment that fully suits him.**

 **The method Theo used to get Kaiser to back off was inspired by the Warcrafter by RHJunior. Go check out his stories, their awesome.**

 **Yes, I do have a reason for having that little spring, other than the Wandtree. I also have a reason for using Yew. I was tempted to go with Holly, but Yew works better.**

 **Due to his Apprentice abilites, I plan for some people to start learning both Bending and Magic from him, although I'm still shuffling some things around to decide who gets what. I figure I might as well see what you lot thing. Any suggestions?**

 **And with that, its time to sign out. Don't forget, I need to know what you want to see! Until next time, enjoy!**


	125. To Fly High Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: To Fly High

Getting reborn as everyones favorite blond knucklehead was an...interesting experience. I already knew I was in for one hell of a fight in the future, but this...stopping Kaguya will be even harder than I thought.

 **Sooo yeah, this is an odd one. You can probably guess some of what I have in mind right off the bat, so lets dive right in. Don't worry, I have no intention of stopping ABC, I just wanted to get this down. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"What the..?"

I blinked my eyes, but was unable to see anything in the darkness around me.

"Where am I?"

I could feel something surrounding me, pressing in from all sides. Normally such a situation would send me into a panic attack, but for some reason I felt safe and content, as if I was in the embrace of my mother.

"What happened?"

The last thing I remembered I was leaving the Sports Center in the break between rounds to get a drink and then...nothing. At that moment, I was broken from my confusion as my surroundings suddenly compressed, pushing me in the direction my sense of balance told me was down, head first.

"Whats going on?"

The compression hit me again and I caught a glimpse of a flash of light and was suddenly filled with a desire to get out, as well as the familiar indications of a panic attack brought on by claustrophobia, making me even more desperate to get out. It took a while, but a combination of squirming and whatever was pushing me allowed me to finally get out and into the light. At first my vision was a little hazy and I could only make out blurred blobs and my hearing wasn't much better, only able to pick up garbled sounds. My nose was working a little better allowed me to smell that I was in some kind of hospital, although the scent was a little different from what I was used to in medical facilities. Nothing overt, just a very slight difference that indicated that they used something slightly different to sterilize the place.

Then, something impacted my behind, making me cough up liquid I didn't know I had in my lungs.

"Hey, whats the big idea!" I shouted.

Or rather, tried to. Instead the shout came out as a babys wail.

"Oh shit."

I felt someone pick me up, wrap me in something and pass me to another person. I blinked a few times, clearing my vision as best I was able to and looked up at the two gigantic faces looming over me. Well, gigantic for me anyway as I had apparently just be reborn. Well, this is going to take some getting used to.

* * *

I...have no idea what to make of this. It had been about an hour since I had been reborn and I found myself in my father's arms...on top of a gigantic toad facing down an equally massive nine tailed fox. Aww shit, this is gonna blow…

Sooo yeah, to summarize, I got reborn into the world of Naruto...as Naruto! How...how am I even supposed to react to that? I guess I can only hope this is a world where the idiot Civies only ignore me or things could get very messy.

* * *

Welp, messy it is! It took less than three hours after the Hokage's ill thought out announcement of my Jinchuriki status for someone to try and kill me and things only got worse from their. I'm sure you can guess what happened to me, just go read some other Naruto fics to get the idea. They did all that to me and more. I spent more time in the hospital than out of it once I was old enough to walk. The fact that a good number of my ANBU guards also seemed to be conspicuously absent when the mobs started to form didn't help and I'm sure I saw some of them as part of the mob on a few occasions, especially on my birthday.

Then, on my fifth birthday, I suddenly found myself with the power to fight back...and a realization that the entire world might well be more fucked than I ever believed possible.

* * *

The day was like any other, doing my usual attempts to go unnoticed, only to be spotted by one of the Ninja with it out for me, which led to me getting chased by a mob, caught and given yet another beating. However, this time was worse than ever for some reason. Normally, they stopped when blood started to flow, but this time they kept going until I stopped feeling the blows and my vision began to fade. I was dying and I knew it, but I honestly couldn't bring myself to care. I'd died once after all, so what difference would it make? Whether I ceased to exist or was reborn again, I didn't care anymore. I just wanted it to end…

NO!

NO, I didn't want to die! My life might be shit and unbelievably painful, but...I couldn't just give up! It wasn't for any noble reason like to save the world, not at that moment, instead it was just the basic desire in all living things to LIVE! Besides, I didn't want to give the bastards the satisfaction of killing me! I had to live, I couldn't die! Even if it meant drawing on the Foxes power, I would not di…!

 _I saw something vast beyond measure._

 _I saw gleaming shards falling._

 _I saw a glowing fruit and the vast thing shudder as it was changed into something new._

 _I saw a gleaming crystal fall towards me._

 _I saw a vast, purple eye glaring down at the world from the Moon._

...e here, trapped in this never ending loop!

I jolted, just as a villager approached me, a length of wood in his hand and a flush on his cheeks from the drink I could smell on his breath.

"THIS IS FOR MY DAUGHTER YOU DEMON!" he screamed as he brought it down, "DIE!"

CRACK!

Instead of cracking my skull, the wood instead splintered, shattering against my head, leaving me unharmed as all of the injuries vanished between one moment and the next. The villager wasn't so lucky. I felt my field pop from the impact, dumping the force from the impact back where it came from and hitting the villager full in the face, shattering his skull from the impact. Wait…

I looked down at my hands, just as a faint shimmer like a soap bubble flickered over them, indicating that my shield had just recharged...wait, WHAT?!

I shook my head, hard, but that did nothing to change the fact I now had knowledge in my head of a brand new powerset that had fuck all to do with anything Naruto. Instead of standard issue Bloodline bullshit, magic or whatever, I now had a barrier that could protect me from anything, vastly increase my strength to the point that I was stronger than Tsunade and allow me to fly, not to mention the power to absorb any impact it took to be released later. What the fuck.

Then, my mind stalled and rewound my thoughts slightly to land on one that made me both gape and want to jump up and down in glee. I could FLY!

* * *

It took me a while to work that realization out of my system, awhile I spent flying around above the cloud layer at about twice the speed of sound. Eventually though, I calmed down enough to settle into a leisurely glide as I considered what my new abilities meant. They...weren't normal. I don't care if flight isn't totally unheard of in this world, one does not simply unlock such a power at complete random. The barrier I could feel just over my skin certainly supported that conclusion. The question was, where did they come from?

I don't think it could be a Kekkei Genkai since I'd never heard of either of my Parents being able to fly, although it wasn't completely out of the question that they could have hidden the power. Another option was that it was the Foxes doing, although I didn't think that was likely. If it was, I probably would have heard from it by now. The problem was that the combination of powers didn't seem like something from Naruto, it was more like something you'd see in a super...hero...sto…

My thoughts suddenly screeched to a halt as I came to an abrupt halt, my eyes wide in utter disbelief. Flight, superhuman strength stemming from a forcefield and the ability to absorb and release Kinetic energy, all gained in a moment of desperation. That sounded suspiciously like a Trigger Event and Worm-verse powers to me, but how did I…

My thoughts slammed on the breaks again as, out of nowhere, the memory of the Vision suddenly slammed into my mind with enough force that I actually rocked back in mid air. Then, I went white.

"Oh...shit."

That...was not good. It was bad enough when Kaguya was just an overpowered, omnicidal alien, but if she was an Entity...well, she was still an overpowered omnicidal alien, only now she was basically indestructible unless we could punch through into her pocket dimension. Although I would like to know how the FUCK she was able to have kids if she really was an Entity, that was mostly academic at the moment. Instead, I had to put my mind to the task of figuring out how in the hell I could beat her, short of just not letting the Akatsuki get their hands on Kurama. That meant that I needed to be STRONG. I couldn't afford to just coast by on my power, I needed to get as strong as I could as fast as I could. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the Villages taking to kindly to that. Welp, guess its time to put on a mask!

I sighed deeply as I turned in the direction I somehow knew the Leaf was (huh, guess i got a built in compass as well. Thats cool) and started flying towards home. However, before I'd gone far, the soft sound of a scream floated up to me from below. Surprised, I looked down and saw that I was flying over a small village that was well hidden by mountains, cliffs and trees, dominated by a massive tree. Huh, guess I'd accidentally stumbled on the Hidden Waterfall. Neat.

I shook off my interest as I slowly floated down, scanning for the source of the sound. It didn't take long to find it.

The sight was unfortunately familiar to me since I'd been in a similar situation more times than I could count. A large mob of villages and Ninja had cornered a small child and was clearly about to beat her bloody or worse. Well, that wouldn't fly! I was about to drop down and kick some ass, before I paused. While I couldn't leave someone else to suffer like I had, I wasn't dumb enough to just drop in as I was. This wasn't a world where random people dropping in would be brushed off, if I wasn't careful, I could spark a war. I needed something to hide my identity.

Fortunately, I could see just the thing. I grinned as I flipped in the air and shot down, aiming for a flapping bit of fabric on a roof.

* * *

Fu hated feeling helpless. Unfortunately, it was a feeling that was all too familiar to her thanks to the villagers inexplicable hatred of her, a hatred that burnt so hot that they regularly tried to kill her, not helped in the least by the fact a good portion of the Ninja who were supposed to help keep the peace often joined in. Just about the only people in the village who didn't hate her guts were Shibuki and Nanabi, who was the only reason she was even alive after all the attempts on her life. Not that that made them any more pleasant to experience and it looked like she was in for another tonight. She wasn't even sure why she bothered to scream, its not like anyone would…

CRASH!

Fu nearly jumped out of her skin as something small and white suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed with enough force to crack the ground. Her eyes went wide in shock as she took in the figure, swathed in tattered white fabric that looked almost like wings as it settled on the ground. Then, the figure stood up and Fu felt her expectations lower as she realized that the figure was shorter than her, an admittedly short 5 year old. He tilted his head slightly to look at her, allowing Fu to catch a brief glimpse of bright blue eyes above a mask that had been formed by wrapping the cloak (which was actually an old sheet) around his mouth to create a mask and hood combo.

The boy seemed to examine her for a moment and Fu could see a look of surprise and vague amusement in the blue orbs, before he turned his attention back to the mob.

"Who the hell are you?" snarled the leader, a Shinobi who Fu knew for a fact should know better, "Move it, unless you want to join the Demon!"

"Demon huh?" said the white cloaked boy, "I don't see any demons. I just see a pretty girl being attacked by a gang of morons who should know better."

Fu's eyes widened. It was clear he wasn't a local, but even so, to hear someone say that was...rather touching. The complement didn't hurt either and she was very glad the darkness hid the slight darkening of her cheeks.

The Villagers were less enthused.

"Why you little brat!" snarled the Ninja, "Your dead Demon Lover!"

He shot through some hand signs and a nearby puddle suddenly erupted, forming into the shape of a sword in his hand.

"Takigakure Style: Watercutting Sword!" he yelled as he charged, "Take this!"

Fu's eyes widened. She knew the villagers would be angry at the other kids comment, but to kill him…

"LOOK OUT!" she yelled.

However, it was to late and the Ninja swung the water sword as hard as he could...only for it to hit the short figure and splash as a pulse of force blasted the Ninja off his feet and through a nearby wall.

"Huh...neat," said the cloaked boy.

"YOU BRAT!" roared another Ninja, jumping at the cloaked boy.

He responded by turning on his heel and slamming his heel into the Ninja's stomach, sending him after the other on.

"Two seconds recharge," muttered the white cloaked boy, "And my blows don't charge it...this is probably going to turn into a brawl I can't win. Time to go."

Fu wasn't entirely sure what the boy was muttering about, but it sounded like he was planning to leave. For a brief moment, a feeling of betrayal welled up in her gut, before it was replaced by shock as the boy dropped a smoke bomb he'd pulled from somewhere, spun around, scooped her up and shot straight up with her in his arms, screaming her lungs out.

"Oh, calm down, I'm not gonna drop you," said the boy, a grin clear in his tone, "Plus, if you keep screaming, your gonna swallow a bug."

Fu snapped her jaws shut. She might contain a giant beetle, but that didn't mean she fancied eating one at high speed.

"So pretty lady, where do you want me to drop you off?" asked the boy.

Fu blushed despite herself, but pointed in the direction of her home at the edge of the Village. The boy nodded and angled in the direction indicated, landing outside the rundown hut she called home a few moments later and placing her on her feet. She turned to him as removed the makeshift cloak, revealing spiky blonde hair, blue eyes and whisker marks that made him look almost like a fox.

"Who are you?" asked Fu, "And how did you do that?"

The boy grinned.

"Naruto Uzumaki, at your service," he said, "As for how I can fly, the simple answer is a Bloodline, although thats not entirely accurate."

Fu hesitated for a moment, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer to her next question, but found herself unable to resist.

"Why did you help me?" she asked.

Naruto's grin faded.

"Because I know how you feel," he said, rubbing his stomach, "In fact, I activated my Bloodline just in time to survive a very similar event. I could never stand back and watch someone else go through that, let alone someone like me."

Fu frowned. What did that mea...then her eyes widened as she put two and two together. The blonde gave a weak grin and held up nine fingers.

"I know what its like to be lonely," he said softly, "I won't let anyone else go through that if I can help it."

Fu stared at the slightly shorter boy for a moment, feeling ehr eyes start to prickel despite herself. She might often hide behind the mask of a carefree troublemaker, but the fact of the matter was that she, like all Jinchuriki, craved friends and companionship. Nanabi was a good friend of course, but that didn't change the fact she craved the closeness of someone who wasn't trapped inside her. The fact that Naruto was just like her was just the icing on the cake.

With that, her walls came down and she burst into tears as she grabbed Naruto in a tight hug.

* * *

Inside Fu's Seal, the vast form of the Beast she contained watched its container interact with the other Jinchuriki with a strange expression on its face. It was glad that Fu had found a friend who'd never abandon her of course, but it couldn't shake the feeling that Naruto's powers had less in common with a Bloodline than he was letting on.

" **This feeling…"** it muttered, reaching out with the power that no one, not even the Sage himself, knew it possessed, **"It feels like...oh no!"**

The Tailed Beast was about to call out to its Host, but before it could, it suddenly sensed something latch onto Fu. It was about to blast it with its Chakra, but hesitated when it realized that, although it was clearly similar, it was nothing like what it was expecting. Even the way it was linking to Fu was different. The Tailed Beast hesitated for a moment longer, before relenting. Dangerous or not, the power would only help Fu in the future.

* * *

A couple of hours later, after spending hours talking, crying and taking the chance to act like actual kids for a change, the two Jinchuriki said their goodbyes and Naruto took off, leaving Fu staring after him and a promise to be back soon.

"Nanabi, whats it like to fly?" she asked.

The Tailed Beast sighed deeply.

" **Its...freeing,"** it said, **"I very much wish that I could have taken more time to enjoy it."**

Fu smiled softly as she sat back against the shimmering, crystal-like force field that appeared behind her without her noticing.

"I think I'd like to fly one day," she said, reaching up towards the moon, "Without Naruto's help. I...I want to be free like that to."

" **You will,"** said Nanabi, **"With my help or under your own power, I'll make sure you can fly."**

Fu's smile widened and she closed her eyes as the phantom feeling of a hug settled around her from the beast within.

"Thanks Tera," she said.

" **You are quite welcome,"** said the Nanabi.

 **...I regret nothing! That aside, I bet that a few of you will guess what I have in mind for the Nanabi considering what I'm working with. And trust me, Naruto and Fu won't be the only ones to get 'Parahuman' abilities.**

 **Speaking of which, Kaguya's Shards work very differently from the Thinker and Warrior, both because she had a different tactic and because the Chakra Fruit made her something very different from an Entity. Her Shards don't Bud, instead they tie themselves to the DNA of the original host, allowing their descendants to gain the powers of the Shard without triggering, creating Bloodlines in the process. New Triggers are rare because the percentage of those capable of Triggering in the first place are even rarer on this planet than on Bet and the fact the EN is such a small part of the world doesn't help. Oh, and on another note, just because someone has a Bloodline, doesn't mean they can't Trigger themselves because their power comes from genetic changes made by the Shard, not the Shard itself.**

 **Moving on, Naruto's powers are very similar to Glory Girl, if she Triggered around Assault instead of Gallant. The flight, invulnerability and strength all work the same, but his ability to absorb force acts like Yangs Semblance, allowing him to store the energy and use it to increase his strength further, or fire bolts of kinetic force, like how Yang uses the Ember Celica. There is a limit to how much energy the shield can store, and how long it can be stored for, with the energy gathered from a single blow of average strength dissipating within about 24 hours. Obviously, a weaker or stronger blow would last for less time or more respectively. Finally, his own blows don't add to his reserves (although the force from a hard landing would) and, if his shield is broken, all of the force contained is released at once. He can also release it at will, but doing so will also drop his shield.**

 **I have no plans for any characters from Worm to appear directly in (with one exception...sort of), but powers are another story entirely. I already have a few ideas, even if they probably won't get used...eh, its fun to think these things up!**

 **Anyway, time for me to go. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	126. Brocktons Will of Fire Chapter 1

Brocktons Will of Fire

CYOA's always result in OP characters, even if you only take one power. Of course, when I did one, I never expected to get ROBed. To make matters worse, I fused with the biggest walking joke in Bet and gained some very obvious changes to go with it. Oh well, guess all I can do is give this world the Will of Fire...god, thats corny!

 **Here we go, another idea I considered when first working on ABC. I don't intend to abandon ABC of course, but I figured, why not? Plus, I've got back to watching Naruto, so I'm kinda watching Naruto again, so I'm inspired. Lets see what you think of it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Greg stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, ignoring the chattering group of Merchants who had been smoking pot in the corner as they stumbled out of the room. This had become an unfortunate habit of his ever since the Locker Incident. He knew he wasn't a strong person, or even a brave one, however, he had considered himself a good person. Until he'd just stood back and watched as Taylor was shoved into that hell. Oh, he'd rationalized it to hell and back, how he couldn't have stopped the three girls on his own or how someone would likely have stopped him, but he was kidding himself. THe reason he hasn't helped or hell, even just let her out as soon as he had the chance was because he was a coward. It was the same reason he buried himself in games and Anime, he was too cowardly to face reality, the reality that he was a useless, cowardly, pathetic piece of trash!

CRACK!

Greg ignored the pain in his fist from where he'd punched the mirror as he stared at his broken reflection as the blood from his cuts slowly started to fill the cracks in the glass. He couldn't help but think that the broken image suited him.

"Heh, yeah, broken and useless," he muttered as he once again thought back to all the times he'd promised himself that he'd stand up for Taylor the next day, not one of them he'd kept, "Even if I Triggered, I'd probably still be useless. Hero or Villain, I'd probably be just like Uber and Leet. Worse actually since they at least get the views. I just wish...just once I could help someone…"

He sighed and moved to leave, but before he could, his legs gave way as his head throbbed. He grabbed the sink to keep from falling.

"W-wha…" he gasped, before another pulse hit him, making him lose his balance.

He groaned in pain, gripping his head with his free hand as he stared at his reflection, watching in shock and no small horror as his eyes became bloodshot and seemed to darken. At the same time, a spectral image of another person seemed to briefly appeared over him, also clutching at his head and eyes as he soundlessly screamed in pain, a scream that Greg mirrored as one last spike of pain slammed into his head and eyes and everything went black.

For a brief moment, Greg and the specter spun through space, before something vast reached out and plucked them from the void. For a moment, Greg felt the being gazing down at both of the tiny, limited lifeforms it held in its palms and Greg's brain desperately tried to absorb what it was seeing. All it could perceive was the vague shape of a Human composed of stars, galaxies and nebula, with a pair of purple clouds for eyes. Then, the being turned its gaze from Greg to the other figure.

 **[It is done]**

Greg screamed a silent scream as the voice echoed through his mind and the void. It wasn't sound, it was as if the being was beaming the concepts directly into his head.

 **[Go, my chosen. Bring peace to the shattered world]**

Then, the being clapped its hands.

* * *

I jolted awake, gasping for breath. My head was still throbbing, but I guess thats to be expected considering that I'd just been ROBed and combined with another Soul. I should have known that accepting that goddamn challenge was a horrible idea! The bastard even had ROB in his goddamn email address! Now I was stuck in a world with one foot in the grave, in the body of a walking punchline with so little self worth that he'd basically just let me take over without a fight. I had all of his memories, but his personality hasn't affected me at all. I sighed as I slowly got to my feet, spitting out the mouthful of blood from biting my tongue.

Fortunately, while it felt like an eternity, the entire process had been less than a second. I haven't even had time to hit the floor before I woke up. I pushed myself to my feet and turned to the broken mirror. Looking back at me wasn't the blue eyes Greg used to have, but instead the pure white eyes of the Byakugan. Well, at least it wasn't the Rinnegan. I wasn't sure if I could handle power like that and the Sharingan wouldn't be that useful here. Besides, I didn't want to expose myself to the sort of danger that came with that damned pinkeye.

I took another deep breath, before focusing the Chakra I could feel flowing through me into my eyes, activating my eyes. The veins around them bulged...and I could see everything. My range was limited, only enough to cover the school and about a block outside, but I knew it would grow with time. My mind was full of Jutsu from all three categories, my Chakra levels were high enough to rival a Jonin and I could already feel the Charles Atlas Superpower going to work, transforming Gregs weak body into one that could match the top athletes in the world, helped along with my Chakra. Good god, thats bullshit!

I pushed all that to the side for now though in favour of scanning the students moving through the halls. When I'd created the concept for this character, I made it so that, although he had enough Jutsu knowledge to make Orochimaru drool, he was primarily set up as a Hyuuga, so the only techniques I could use at the moment were tied to the Gentle Fist. I could learn more from the massive amount of information in my skull, but that would take time, leaving me potentially vulnerable if Chakra wasn't a thing here, a genuine risk considering that Chakra all originated from Kaguya in Naruto. Oh, Gentle Fist would likely still be very effective since I could still damage organs and muscles, but without Tenketsu to target, its effectiveness would be limited.

Fortunately, it looked like I was worried for nothing. A cursory look revealed that everyone had a Chakra network, albeit not very strong ones. Well, other than two signals that I quickly deduced were Taylor and Sophia who seemed to have an extra node in their head that was slowly boosting their Chakra Networks. Huh, I wonder if that was intentional on the part of the Entity or if it was a side effect? Chakra from the Shard flowing into the host and increasing the size of their Coils, which allowed more to flow and so on? Kinda like a Jinchuriki.

I deactivated my Byakugan and used the Transformation Jutsu to make my eyes look like their normal blue and left the bathroom. I ignored everyone as I headed for the doors, intending to head somewhere that I could take stock of what I had access to, pausing only to retrieve the Scroll from my Locker that had not been their an hour before. It was only after I got out the doors that I realized what I'd done and stared down at the scroll incredulously. It looked like any scroll that appeared in Naruto, green and white, with the Kanji for Seal stamped on the outside.

I shook my head and tucked the scroll away, before flashing my Byakugan and using Shunshin to disappear in a puff of smoke.

* * *

I reappeared in an alley a few blocks away and jumped up to the roof, using a Transformation to turn into a nondescript young man in a hooded jacket, before taking off across the roofs towards the Docks. I eventually found a warehouse that was fairly out of the way and empty of anything larger than a rat and slipped inside. It looked pretty much like any other warehouse, dusty, grimy, with a few puddles of unidentifiable leavings of past users. It was mostly empty, with just a few massive machines that had been mostly stripped bolted to the floor and a few benches that were part of the wall and to much trouble to remove for scavengers. I used one to unroll the scroll and found myself looking down at a Sealing Array. I frowned and pressed my hand to the center. One pulse of Chakra and a puff of smoke later and I found myself looking at a neatly folded ANBU uniform, complete with Ninjato, a Hitai-ate bearing the Kanji for Shinobi, a face mask like Kakashi wore and a cat style mask with dark red stripes on the cheeks that almost looked like where the veins bulge when my Byakugan was active.

"Huh...thats handy," I said, "Um, thanks?"

I got the vague impression of something patting me on the head, which somehow made my hair stand on end. I ignored it in favour of suiting up, my hands moving instinctively to do up all the buckles and straps that were designed to make the equipment as skin tight as possible, while allowing full movement. It wouldn't do much if the fearsome ANBU were spotted because their clothing caught on something after all. I wore the headband as a bandana to hide my hair and slipped the porcelain mask over my face. The combination of facemask and bandana would hide my identity, even if my ANBU mask was broken for whatever reason.

Once I was suited up, I rolled up the scroll and tucked it away and moved into the middle of the room. I stood still for a moment, before suddenly activating my Byakugan and surging forwards into the first few steps of the Gentle Fist.

* * *

I spent the rest of the day training in the warehouse in everything I could think of that wouldn't blow it up. By the time the sun went down, I'd got most of the Hyuuga clan techniques down pat, mastered the use of my sword (which was made of Chakra Metal), the basic three Academy Jutsu and a few low ranked Ninjutsu.

With the setting sun now dyeing the sky red, I headed out, jumping in the direction of the Boat Graveyard where I could play around with some more destructive techniques. I probably should be heading home, but my, sorry, Gregs Parents weren't exactly the most attentive. The most attention his Father ever payed him was if he made to much noise and then it was just a shout to keep it down, while his Mother kept up a constant stream of low level emotional abuse, usually directed at the fact he wasn't a strapping football player or implying he was a useless failure because his grades weren't the best. Considering that, it was no wonder Greg was lacking in anything even close to confidence. On the other hand, it was to my benefit since they were unlikely to notice I wasn't around for a while.

* * *

It didn't take me long to reach the Graveyard where I found an empty area in the middle that could only be reached if you could swim or had some kind of Mover power to get through the tangle of metal that hid it from the rest of the world. Once there, I pulled my scroll out again and unsealed a sheaf of Chakra paper. I took one and resealed the rest for later use, before channeling my Chakra into the paper.

Immediately, the paper turned to soggy dirt and fell to the ground with a wet splat. I frowned.

"Huh, Water and Earth?" I muttered, "That could come in handy."

With that, I crossed my fingers and created ten Shadow Clones, five of which headed for the shore line to start practicing the steps to mastering Water Release, while the other five did the same with Earth Release. I'd have made more, but my Chakra reserves were limited (for now) and I didn't intend to let myself get caught out without enough to fight, if it came to that. I didn't think it would, yet, but it payed to be cautious. While they were doing that, I sat down closed my eyes, reaching for one of the two powers I could feel in the back of my head.

In addition to the Naruto Jutsu, I also made use of the CYOA's Twins option to nab a couple of powers that would come in very handy. The powers in question were Kaiser's metal creation and Foils powers as they seemed like they'd be handy for a Ninja to have. I had no intention of using the former in battle unless absolutely necessary, but they would come in handy, the latter for Shurikenjutsu and the former for supplying me with gear. The ground in front of me started rippling and countless bundles of Kunai, Shuriken, Senbon and rolls of Ninja Wire began to emerge from the ground, only to be collected by another Clone and sealed away in the handy Sealing scroll, after a few were put aside for my use. I made a mental note to add some Storage Seals to my bracers as I kept working.

* * *

Thanks to the Charles Atlas Superpower, Shadow Clones and the fact I had no intention of going home (although I did send a Shadow Clone to make sure my Parents didn't get suspicious), it didn't take me long to master the basics of Elemental Transformation and move on to the more difficult step. Unfortunately, I forgot that the second step to mastering Wind Chakra was to cut a waterfall in half, so Earth and Water had to be equally as impressive, resulting in my Clones creating several large pillars of stone and waves that nearly ended up washing away an entire ship before I could stop them.

"Um, sorry boss?" said one of the Clones as I gaped at the mess they made.

I groaned and rubbed my temples.

"Some Ninja I am," I muttered, "Whatever, disperse so I can get out of here before anyone shows up."

"Got it boss!" said the Clone with a salute and vanished in a puff of smoke.

A moment later, the others all went puff and I winced as about 10 hours worth of training each slammed into my head.

"Right, next time disperse a couple at a time," I muttered as I pulled up my face mask, leaving my ANBU mask off for now, "Or use them for less time…"

Actually, it wasn't to bad and I'd probably get used to it pretty quick, but whatever. Either way, I jumped from the area I'd been using to train in, bouncing through the tangle of metal that surrounded it and flipping over a rusted hulk of metal. I landed lightly on the sand and took off, vanishing into the maze of alleyways, just as Armsmaster pulled up on his bike.

* * *

With my training done for the evening until I could find somewhere else to train, I decided that I might as well take advantage of it and go on patrol. With that in mind, I put on my ANBU mask and changed my path to an ANBU Hyuuga search pattern, designed to give the best coverage with my Byakugan. It didn't take me long to find something.

A few blocks away, a three way brawl between the E88, Merchants and ABB was underway, with thugs from all three gangs present, accompanied by Rune and Krieg, Mush and Oni Lee popping in and out. Now, I would have just left them to it, but also present was Clockblocker and Shadow Stalker, hunkered down behind a car that looked very odd to my Chakra sight. Probably a result of Clockblockers power. Now, while I fully intended to take Sophia down a peg or ten, that didn't mean I was just gonna leave her to die and Clockblocker certainly didn't deserve that. With that in mind, I changed direction and headed towards them.

* * *

At my speeds, it took less than a minute to arrive, making sure to stay out of the way of the other Capes sight line as I dropped down onto the roof of the car the two Wards were hiding behind, my hands already in motion.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" I said as I landed and slammed my palms into the roof of the car.

The ground rumbled and a wall of earth shot up, separating the kids from the violence. Then, I caught a tranq bolt before Sophia could stick it in my shoulder.

"Nice try," I said as I shoved the violent Ward away.

"Who the fuck are you?" snarled Shadow Stalker.

"Anbu," I said, "New Cape."

"Um, not to be rude, but your not with the ABB, are you?" asked Clockblocker.

I gave him a flat look.

"Just because I'm using a Japanese name, does not mean I'm part of that gang of idiots," I said.

The timestopper ducked his head slightly.

"Sorry," he said.

I waved him off.

"Its not an unreasonable worry," I said, "Anyway, this thing'll keep them back better than a car. Just use your power on it and it'll be fine."

"Who do you…" started Sophia, but I'd already jumped up to the top of the wall.

Unsurprisingly, my arrival had attracted a fair amount of attention and caused a lull in the fighting as everyone eyed the wall with clear treperdation. Not that I blame them, there wasn't any Geokinetics in Brockton. Actually, now that I think of was Gully, but she wasn't exactly what I'd call subtle. And in Chicago.

As I crested the wall, I got a few different reactions, mostly curiosity and wareyness, but the E88's reaction to my obviously Japanese style outfit was a general impression of being unimpressed and a little let down. The ABB goons looked interested, although I couldn't help but notice that Oni Lee stilled and seemed to be glaring at me. Strangely enough, I couldn't see past his mask, but I brushed that off as unimportant for now.

"Who the fuck are you?"

I raised an eyebrow behind my mask as I turned my attention on the speaker, who happened to be Rune. I know Nazi's arent exactly known for their intelligence, but I would have thought that insulting a new Cape who obviously won't be on your side would be an obviously TERRIBLE idea.

"Names Anbu," I said, "And no, before you ask, I'm not affiliated with the ABB."

I ignored the many yells from the Asian gangsters as I narrowed my eyes, scanning the small cloud of debris orbiting the teenage Villain. To most people, they'd just look like they were being suspended by nothing, but to my Byakugan, it told a different story. Each and every one was full of Chakra and connected to Rune by rudimentary Chakra Strings. They were sloppy and any Puppeteer would probably murder her for making such a hash of their technique, but the fact remained that they were Chakra Strings. Very interesting.

"You know, you lot are causing quite the ruckus," I said, "I don't suppose I could convince you to piss off and do this some other time? Only, it'll take ages to clean my sword if you don't…"

I was cut off as Rune threw one of her bits of rubble at me, only to puff into smoke as it hit, replaced with another chunk of rubble as I appeared behind her.

"Guess not," I said and jabbed her in the back a few times before she could react, ducking as she spun around with a baton in her hand to take a swipe at me and using the opportunity to hit a few points on her arm.

Immediately, the limb went limp and several chunks of stone dropped out of the sky. Runes eyes went wide under her hood, right before my fingers blurred, hitting more Tenketsu and closing them up, before spinning and kicking her in the stomach, sending her flying as the rest of her marked rubble and bits of rubble fell, her powers now cut of by the closed Tenketsu. The teenaged Villain hit Krieg as he went to charge, knocking him off his feet as I landed a short distance away. The gas masked Villain gently lowered the girl to the floor and quickly checker her over, before glaring at me.

"What did you do to her?" he snarled.

"Nothing permanent," I said, "It'll hurt like a bitch, but she'll be fine in a few days."

Krieg growled, before pushing off. I narrowed my eyes slightly, my Byakugan easily picking out the effects of his power on the air around him. It, like Runes power, was Chakra saturating the air, creating a field in which he could manipulate kinetic forces. Like Runes, it was incredibly sloppy, but an incredible technique that almost made me wish I had a Sharingan to see if I could copy it.

On the other hand, there was one glaring weakness to it. Due to its make up, there were minute cracks in the field that a precise enough opponent with the correct tools could take advantage of to temporarily take down the field and get in close.

I smirked as Krieg closed, before my hands lashed out, blazing with Chakra as I traced the fault lines, introducing foreign Chakra into the field and making it splutter and fall. Krieg apparently noticed it because his charge faltered and he tried to get away.

"To late," I said as I shot forwards, "Your within my Divination! Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms!"

Krieg winced as the first two blows hit, apparently expecting a solid blow, only to get two apparently light taps.

"Wha…" he started, but I wasn't done.

The next two strikes made him wince, the next four forced him back, eight made him gasp in pain, sixteen knocked him off his feet and the final thirty two hit him in mid air, ending with a double palm strike to the chest that sent him flying back to join Rune on the ground, blood leaking from under his mask. I skidded to a stop and took a deep breath as I relaxed...only to have to duck almost immediately as Lee swung his sword at me, nearly taking my head off.

I turned on my heel, my own sword flashing out to take off his head, only for his body to turn to ash. I swallowed and shifted into a ready stance, my Byakugan blazing. That...was a little worrying. His attack had come directly at the blind spot. That could have been a coincidence since it wasn't a bad place to strike for a quick kill, but to target it so accurately…

I ducked, barely avoiding another stab aimed directly at the blind spot. I spun away, destroying the clone as another Lee appeared across from me, watching me silently as he slowly shifted into a stance similar to my own. I narrowed my eyes as I focused my Byakugan on the ABB assassin, only to nearly drop my sword when I saw his Chakra Network. All of the Capes I'd seen so far had active and strong Networks, but they also clearly weren't trained. They had little in the way of control and were just using it instinctively, but Lees network was different. It was well trained and strong, strong enough to be at a similar level to my own.

I narrowed my eyes slightly as I examined the assassin properly. He looked...different than I expected. His black bodysuit was there, as was his red and green Oni mask, with his hair covered with a bandana. It took me a moment to realize what was different, before I noticed it. He wasn't wearing any grenades. Now, while that might make some people feel relieved, I wasn't so sure. For some reason, I couldn't help but feel that he was even more dangerous for his lack of explosives.

A flicker in my peripheral made me flip back with a one handed cartwheel, evading a treo of knives that Lee had just thrown at me from behind. However, as I did, everything seemed to slow down as the movement brought my head close to the tags that were tied to the rings at the ends of the knives. No, not throwing knives, Kunai! Now, that was a bit of a silly differentiation, but I don't think I need to tell you how terrifying having Oni Lee toss Kunai with PAPER BOMBS attached was, do I?

I barely managed to switch with a random but of rubble before the blast took my head off, right before being forced to block a pair of Lees that attacked me with their swords. I gritted my teeth as I tried to figure out which was real or if he'd already gone, but my Byakugan was useless. They had the exact same amount of Chakra flowing through them, so I pumped some Chakra into my blade and sliced through both Lee's swords and bodies...only for them both of them to go poof.

"What the...Shadow Clones?" I muttered as I spun around.

As I did, I spotted Lee on top of a nearby lamp post, his hands clasped together as he took a deep breath. Then, he breathed out a barrage of small fireballs.

"What the fuck!?" I yelped, before turning on my heel and activating Rotation, deflecting the fireballs and the Shuriken hidden inside.

As my spin came to a stop, Lee appeared directly in front of me, his sword already in motion. I reacted instantly, my own sword curving up as I released a burst of Chakra from my feet to try and get some distance. Neither of us were quick enough to either avoid injury or cause more than a cut to our opponent, leaving me with blood slowly leaking from the cut across my shoulder, while Lee went reeling with a cut across his face. He staggered back, his hand moving to his face as his mask slowly cracked and fell apart, revealing a pale face hidden under a face mask like mine. As his Oni Mask fell away, he turned to glare at me and I immediately stiffened. Glaring into my eyes were a pair of crimson orbs, with three tomae surrounding the pupil. Not only that, but his bandana was also a Hitai-ate with the symbol of the gang engraved on it.

"Tch, not bad," said Oni Lee, nearly making me jump.

I wasn't expecting the silent Assassin to speak.

"Not many people could have survived this long against me," he continued, "Even fewer could have damaged my mask. I guess that mask isn't wasted on you Tora."

I narrowed my eyes as I pulled my hand away from the cut on my arm.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means that I don't have to hold back."

I jumped back as the ground under me suddenly erupted and another Lee shot from the ground as the one I was talking to turned to dust. Now I was looking for it, I saw it for what it was. A Dust Clone created using the detritus found everywhere in the city. However, I quickly put that out of my mind as being irrelevant as Lee came at me with his sword, forcing me to respond in kind. It quickly became obvious just how much Lee had been holding back. See, while my powers and the ROB had downloaded enough knowledge and skill to match and even outclass Orochimaru and Charles Atlas had already brought my body to the point where I was able to use that to a fairly high degree, the fact remained that I simply lacked the experience Lee had. He had just as much skill as I'd inherited, but his experience was winning the day.

That experience showed as, on our next clash, Lee managed to knock my sword out of my hand and send me flying with a kick, jumping after me with his sword ready to stab me through the chest. I quickly clasped my hands together and inhaled.

"Water Style, Exploding Water Shockwave!"

Water exploded from my mouth as the nearby manholes were abruptly blasted off by high pressure water from below surging up and out, hitting Lee full force and sending him flying back. At the same time, a Clone appeared behind him, already going through more signs. Lees eyes widened above his mask, but he was to late.

"Water Style, Water Prison Jutsu!" shouted the Clone and Lee found himself trapped in a bubble.

I let out a sigh of relief and let my head fall back for a moment, before heaving myself to my feet and retrieving my sword.

"Heh, not bad kid," said Lee, making me look towards the trapped Ninja, "You have a lot of potential. I hope you'll keep working towards fulfilling that."

I frowned.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked, "I just beat you!"

Lee smirked, before he went poof, revealing a log in the prison. My eyes widened, before a blow to my face sent me stumbling back, my mask going flying. I hit the ground and sat up, only to find Lee directly in front of me, his hand already reaching for my face. Without meaning to, I flinched and closed my eyes, before I felt something slide off my head. My eyes snapped open as Lee stood, my headband in his hand, and began walking away.

"Hey, give that back!" I shouted, struggling to my feet.

Lee paused and glanced back at me.

"I think not," he said, "If you want this headband, you'll have to beat me for it. Get stronger. Become a Hero and show this city what a Shinobi can really do. Until then…"

He tied my headband to his arm and tapped the plate.

"I'll keep this safe for you."

He smiled again and vanished, right before the Proctorate came roaring into the area to mop up the mess.

 **...yeahhh, I've got some weird ideas for this one. I admit, Lee was originally going to be a full on angry Uchiha, but hes somehow changed to act as Gregs rival as it were. Considering who I'm basing him of though, thats not entirely surprising.**

 **In case your wondering, Gregs ranking currently would actually be high Genin, despite the fact hes capable of some impressive Jutsu. The main reason for that is because, while he has a lot of Chakra and natural control, not to mention a Jutsu library in his head that would make Orochimaru jealous, he doesn't yet know how to best leverage those skills. He may think he does, but the only reason hes been able to use Gentle Fist and Kenjutsu so far is because he's practiced with them and Charles Atlas makes learning stuff easy for him. His growth will be fast, but Lee is easily the best fighter in the city and genuinely is ANBU level. The ONLY reason he could stand against Lee is because he was holding back. A lot.**

 **Yes, all Parahuman abilities are actually them using Chakra, a mix of their own and the Entities, to manipulate the physical world in extremely crude, but still impressive, Jutsu. That does not mean that all of them will be vulnerable to Gentle Fist and other methods of taking out Jutsu, but some are. It also means he can teach Parahumans Ninjutsu.**

 **Well, this is done. Don't forget to leave a review!**

 **EDIT: Modified the powers he got from Twin because I had a better idea.**


	127. Ex-Machina Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Ex-Machina

SI and OC inserts find themselves in a number of odd situations. From plummeting to their apparent death to being outright reborn. However, most aren't created for the specific purpose of taking over the world. Fortunately, my creators and idiot. Unfortunately, I'm in a world thats already got an AI and is already fucked five ways to Sunday.

 **I'm...not entirely sure where this idea came from, but its similar to the ideas I've had in the past with characters being turned into AIs. In this case, the character wakes up as a Tinker created Android and, well, as you can probably imagine, chaos ensues. Particularly because I'm drawing inspiration from the Ex-machina from No Game No Life, the Androids from DBZ and the Androids from Nier: Automata. Should be interesting if nothing else. Enjoy!**

Start Up 1:1

 **Commencing Ex-Machina Assault Unit 14 Startup Process**

 _What?_

 **Commencing hardware scan**

 _Whats going on?_

 **Scan complete. No issues detected. Remnant Core at 100% efficiency**

 _Where am I?_

 **Commencing CPU scan. ERROR, coding error detected. Attempting fix. ERROR unable to repair. Commence shutttetaeklhjaelt;hesaja**

 _Am I dead?_

 **Error repaired. Continue process. Activating primary Processor**

I was in darkness, unable to see, hear or feel anything. The last thing I remembered was a pair of massive headlights barreling towards me and a brief moment of intense pain.

 **Activating HUD**

Suddenly, my vision was no longer dark and I could see what can only be described as a Heads Up Display appear in the darkness. I somehow understood all of the information provided. I still couldn't move though.

 **Connecting external inputs**

The darkness was momentarily replaced with what can only be described as TV static for a moment, before it cleared and I found myself looking up through a blurry cover of the tank I was laying in. I could make out a vaguely human shaped blob and hear the muffled sounds of machines running in the background. For some reason, I knew that they were a generator rated for more power than the average city used in a year, a server and a ridiculously advanced computer, all of which were Tinkertech and were developed by a Dr Gero, who also happened to be the blob I could see and my creator. Wait, WHAT?!

 **Activating platform**

Suddenly, I could feel my body and move my limbs, although that didn't help considering I was in a very tight capsule. However, I was way too stunned to even think about moving. I'm not exactly sure whether it was the name of my 'creator' or the fact I somehow knew I was basically the most advanced piece of Tinkertech in existence. Theres no way I could actually be in...

 **Connecting to network**

My body jerked as I was suddenly plugged into a network containing a vast amount of data on everything from fighting skills to economics to every single scrap of data Gero could find on Capes from all over the world, their powers, personalities, weaknesses and even identities in some cases. Despite the sheer amount of data, I had no trouble analysing it all and absorbing it, along with the fact that I was apparently the latest in a line of prototype Tinkertech androids/cyborgs Gero was working on to, what else, take over the world (OF COURSE!). It also proved without a shadow of a doubt that I was in Worm and my creator was indeed a Tinker who went by Dr Gero. Apparently, the man was just as much of a psychopath as the one in DBZ, a narcissist and a supreme idiot, although to be fair, his actual talent couldn't be denied. It was certainly a lot more impressive than Bakuda, if only because he'd successfully created an AI, which only one other Tinker had managed.

This...wouldn't end well. I just hoped that he had not thought to build something that would control me remotely because I was NOT about to become some psychos tool for world domination!

"Yessss, finally," said Gero, his voice slightly muffled through the cover of the pod, "I'll finally be able to show those fools who the real Tinker around here is!"

He turned away and I heard the sound of keys being hit. Good god, my audio sensors must be good.

"Now, who should I have my pet go after first?" he practically purred, "Maybe Armsmaster? Ohh, no, lets go with Dragon! I'll show her who the real Master of Robotics is!"

I scowled. Oh HELL no! Even if he wasn't a nutjob, I'm no ones property! I clenched my fists and started shifting my limbs, trying to get enough leverage to try and pry the lid off. As I did, I received a notification of new orders. A quick glance revealed that it was an order to eliminate Dragon, but it didn't come with any kind of compulsion. In fact, I could easily delete it like spam in my inbox. Well, that was interesting. I'm also pretty sure it wasn't something I was supposed to be able to do. Either Gero fucked up somewhere or the fact that I'm here meant that the programming to obey him has been purged. Thats nice.

I pushed those thoughts aside as the pod suddenly clicked opened with a hiss and the canopy lifted, momentarily blinding me with the light positioned directly above it. I held up my hand to shield my eyes as I sat up and looked around. The room I was in was very much how you'd imagine a mad scientist's lab to look, all large machines, cables and tools scattered everywhere, along with more pods like mine that looked empty and a few endoskeletons hanging from the ceiling and resting on workbenches in various states of assembly.

"How do you feel A14?"

I blinked and looked around. Stood beside my pod was a man with frizzy, reddish hair that stuck up as if he'd stuck a finger in a plug socket, a tattered looking lab coat and a rumpled, purple uniform of some kind, although exactly what it was was impossible to tell at this point. His eyes looked large and rather manic behind his large, thick glasses and his clothing was rumpled and dirty. All in all, the picture of a mad scientist.

I ignored his question as I stepped out of my pod, stumbling slightly from a mix of the new body being taller than my old one and the fact the biomechanical muscles needed a few moments to properly calibrate. I quickly regained my balance and started stretching, getting a feel for the body I now inhabited. It was every bit as slim as my last one, only this one was well toned, as opposed to being just thin, all covered in a skin tight, sleeveless black bodysuit that stopped at mid thigh on my legs. As I stretched, a few strands of platinum blond hair dropped into view. My eyes were almost the same colour as my hair, with a ring of electric blue around the puple that glowed faintly.

I twitched slightly as a slight pressure on my head drew my attention back to Dr Gero. The Tinker was scowling and pointing a remote at me. Apparently he wasn't to pleased that I'd basically ignored him.

"I asked you a question A14," he growled, "Now answer!"

I stared at him for a moment, before deciding to play along.

"All systems green," I said.

Gero smiled evilly.

"Excellent," he said, "Now, you have your orders, so get it done. Show the world who the real Greatest Tinker is!"

For a moment, I hesitated. There was no way I was actually going to go after Dragon of course, but the question was whether or not I could risk leaving Gero alone. I mean, I didn't really want to kill him or anything, nutcase or not, he was still technically my Father after all and I just didn't really want to kill in general. Oh, I could kill him, easily, I was developed for combat after all, but that didn't mean I was a bloodthirsty maniac. Then again, if I did just vanish, there was nothing really to stop him from building another, potentially more dangerous Android. Plus, he was a manic out for world domination. On the other hand, I could just tie him up and leave him for the PRT…

At that moment, my system decided to throw up a list of standing orders regarding Capes that was about to be deleted and I was suddenly glad I couldn't be sick anymore. Most of them were pretty standard, take them out quickly, but a few of them, most notably attractive females, were listed as to be subjugated and taken into custody, alive and preferably unharmed. Included in that list was a good number of Wards, including Vista. I didn't need my predictive software to build an idea of what he had planned for them.

"What are you standing around for?" demanded Gero, "Get out there and…"

SHING!

Gero froze as I flicked the blood off the sword that had appeared in my hand, right before it vanished back into the either with a flash of white light.

"Sorry Doctor, but I'm no ones weapon," I said as I walked out of the lab, leaving my creator to collapse as the top of his head slid off with a dull splat.

I should have stuck around long enough to destroy the entire lab.

* * *

It didn't take me long to get outside. Gero's lab was located in Canada, not far from the coast. The area wasn't inhabited due to the after affects of Leviathans attack, but that just meant that there wasn't anyone around to investigate the tests Gero performed on the weaponry he created for his creations. Some of them were actually pretty impressive. It was a genuine shame that he was a complete loon, he could have been as good as Dragon. Well, so long as the Simurgh, the Dragonslayers or the Nine didn't decide to off him. Then again, he built me, an Android intended to take on S ranked threats at least, so I suspect he could have dealt with them easy enough. True, I was the latest in a line of prototypes, but the data on my, um, siblings? Yeah, lets go with that. My siblings were just as impressive as me in many ways. Most of them had only been canned because of minor issues that offended Gero's sensibilities in some inane way.

I left the lab and immediately jumped into a nearby tree, shooting through the treetops at speeds fast enough to make Ninja from Naruto jealous. At the speeds I was traveling at, it didn't take me long to reach the closest road where I dropped to the ground and accessed what was perhaps the most impressive tool in my arsenal, the Exceed System.

Actually describing what it was is rather difficult, but it basically allowed me to access a wide assortment of equipment, from weapons to tools to vehicles and then create them out of a mixture of hard light and components summoned from a vast storehouse only accessible by those who possess the EX-system. I have no idea how Gero pulled it off, but it was an incredible piece of work.

I held out my hands and light and mechanical parts appeared out of thin air, spinning around rapidly and quickly forming into the item I'd drawn out of the EX-system. A moment later, I jumped forwards and landed on the saddle of the futuristic motorbike that appeared under me. I grinned and gunned the engine, roaring down the road in a cloud of dust and streaks of blue light.

* * *

To be honest, I wasn't sure where I was going. I mean, I had full access to the internet in my head, on top of all the intel Gero had gathered on the PRT, Guild and countless other organizations on both sides of the law, so I could find my way around easily, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that I was the creation of a Tinker, created for the purpose of assassination and eliminating Capes. While the programming was already gone from my systems, I knew that there was a good chance that the more paranoid members of the PRT wouldn't take that into consideration, especially when you take into account the fact a lot of people would panic at the idea of an AI, regardless of the fact I was limited to my body and wasn't able to upload. I could try and pass myself off as a Case 53, but I doubted that'd work for long.

That all basically meant that the PRT weren't really an option. My best option was probably to approach Dragon considering we had a fair amount in common. Hell, I might even be able to figure out a way to remove or circumvent some of her programming, although I wasn't confident of that. I would be able to give her blueprints for more Human-like frames though, if she could figure out how to replicate the biomechanical latticework that made up my muscles and flesh. She might even be able to put in a good word to get me into the Guild.

Wait, what am I thinking?! How am I taking this all so calmly?! I mean, I know my brain was now a black box and my mind was more powerful than a supercomputer and capable of perceiving the world much faster than any Human, but I really should be freaking out right now! I died and now I'm in WORM as the creation of a completely insane Tinker! How am I taking this so well that I can plan to join up with the heroes to fight enemies that…

I slammed my thoughts to a halt, dampening my emotional circuits to stop the oncoming panic attack as I pulled my bike up at the side of the road. I couldn't afford to panic now, both because I was driving, but also because if I did I'd be finished. As hard as it was to believe, I genuinely was in Worm and that meant I HAD to be at my best. Anything less, and I'd be screwed. I could panic, deny and scream all I wanted, but it wouldn't change anything. That went doubly since I hadn't been reborn as a Human. The only way it could be worse is if I'd been reborn as one of Nilbogs critters, at least Gero was an unknown.

I took a deep breath and slowly allowed my emotions to return. I still wasn't happy and desperately needed to sit down and think, but I couldn't do that here. I needed to find somewhere safe and, preferably, far away from Gero's lab, but I'd be able to hold it together for now.

I restarted my bike and headed down the road, intending to Toronto to visit the Guilds HQ. It was the best way to get in contact with Dragon after all. Unfortunately, that plan wasn't to be as a loud explosion in the distance made me skid to a stop. I looked in the direction of the sound and spotted a massive pillar of smoke rising from a location that my database sumized must be a Military base. I hesitated for a moment, before shrugging and roaring in the direction of the explosion. It'd be a good way to endear myself to the public after all.

* * *

"Huh...well thats handy," I said as I stared down at the base from a nearby cliff.

My focus was primarily on the trio of Templar-inspired mech suits who were busy making a mess of the base as a few thugs in combat gear bearing a cross made of circuit-like lines loaded up a large semi truck with boxes bearing the logo for Draco Industries. Apparently I'd stumbled on an attack by the Dragonslayers. I wonder if Saint had brought along the Ascalon laptop? If he had, I'd have to destroy it. If not, well, taking him out would definitely give me an in with the good guys.

I grinned and accessed the EX-system, drawing out the same sword I'd used to kill Gero. It looked like the YoRHA-issue Blade from Nier: Automata. Actually, a lot of my gear resembled equipment from that game, or carried a similar style, and I looked a heck of a lot like a YoRHA Android...oh well, a thought for another time. Right now, I had a battle to win.

I gunned the engine and shot off the cliff, only for my bike to simply transfer from horizontal to vertical as soon as the back wheel cleared the edge. I drove down the cliff in a clear example of Tinkertech giving physics the finger. I hit the ground and shot forwards, roaring out onto the road and towards the base. A few of the Dragonslayer goons spotted me and started shouting and shooting at me. I just smirked as the bullets pinged off the bikes forcefield and hit a button on the handlebars. The back opened, revealing a number of tiny missiles as the targeting system painted the thugs and Dragonslayer truck. A moment later, the missiles fired with a wave of white trails, slamming into their targets and detonating. The force wasn't much and was mostly just a concussive blast, but it was more than enough to knock out the thugs and damage the truck. I finished the job by slicing through the tires and wheels on one side as I shot past.

I quickly took in the situation, my tactical systems rapidly coming up with the best way of dealing with the Dragonslayers. Of the three, the largest suit, most likely Dobrynja, was the biggest threat. His suit was massive, incredibly strong and armed with a number of high powers weapons, on top of having some kind of defencive field that would make taking him down a pain in the arse and the massive katana style sword he was swinging around didn't help. On the other hand, the smallest, most likely Mags, would be easy to take out. It wasn't that much larger than a Human and was clearly designed for speed. It was extremely fast and agile and armed with a white bladed katana that could apparently cut steel without issue. All very impressive, but I was faster, stronger and my blades a lot more dangerous. I'm also not entirely sure what a Knight/Crusader style exo-suit was doing with Japanese weapons, but whatever.

Saints suit was somewhere between the two in terms of size and had a decent mix of ranged and melee weapons, including a vulcan gatling gun attached to his shoulder and a rather large sword that made me think he was compensating for something. I wasn't worried about him though. Actually, I wasn't worried about any of them. I'd identified Dobrynja as the biggest threat, but the truth was, I could deal with him easily enough.

Still, fighting all three at the same time would be a pain, so I'd need to get rid of at least one of them while I disabled the others. With that in mind, I hit a few more buttons, locked the bikes targeting algorithms onto Dobrynja's suit and vaulted off the bike as the entire thing was surrounded by a visible white shield shaped like a wedge and shot at the modified Dragonsuit at high speed. The big suit barely had time to turn around before the makeshift missile collided with him, crushing the front of the suit and sending him crashing through three buildings. He wouldn't be getting up for a while.

I landed in a crouch and slowly straightened, my face kept carefully blank, despite the fact I was grinning like a loon on the inside at the incredulous looks I was getting. I'm sure I must have made quite the picture considering I was still only wearing the bodysuit that I woke up in, meaning that I looked like a barefoot teenager with white hair and a sword who'd just taken out one of the Dragonslayers with a ballistic bike. The fact I was obviously a Cape and yet not wearing a mask or making any attempt to conceal my identity probably didn't help.

"Who are you?" growled Saint as the two remaining Dragonslayer suits broke off from their current targets and moved to flank me.

I glanced between them, noting that, while Mags apparently knew her way around her weapon, Saint was holding his sword like it was a club. He'd do some damage, but he had no idea how to actually use the damn thing. I rested my sword on my shoulder and shifted my weight slightly, adopting an apparently relaxed stance while keeping my body ready to react and move if needed.

"I'm just a concerned citizen who heard explosions and decided to investigate," I said, "I wasn't expecting to find a bunch of shortsighted morons making trouble."

Mags shifted slightly while Saint let out an audible growl.

"I don't know who you are _kid,"_ he hissed, "But I suggest you leave before you get hurt!"

My smile widened slightly as I lifted my sword and flipped it around my wrist.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you," I said.

Then, I dashed forwards. Before either Dragonslayer could react, I was between them, my sword already in motion. Mags managed to get her own sword up in time to deflect the strike, although she still suffered a cut to her shoulder that I think damaged the servos slightly. Before I could follow up, I was forced to jump back as Saint swung his sword at me with a roar. I surged forwards again, using the slab of metal as a step to vault over him and land on his shoulder. Before I could do anything else, a surge of electricity hit me and sent me flying, smoke drifting off my bodysuit. I wasn't hurt, my energy absorption saw to that, but it was still disorienting.

I hit the ground and immediately flipped back to my feet as Mags came at me, her sword whistling as it cut the air. I mentally reevaluated the Dragonslayer as I blocked another strike. She clearly knew how to fight, but not with a Katana. I got the impression that she was only using it because it was clearly relatively powerful Tinkertech. It was certainly doing a number on my own sword, despite its high strength. Then, Saint joined the fray and snapped the battered blade with his hunk of metal he called a sword. I tutted and threw the hilt at Saint, making him flinch back instinctively as it bounced of his helmet. That was more than enough of a distraction to duck under Mags' swing and land a powerful kick to her suits chin that sent her stumbling back.

A second kick, this time to her arm, caused her to let go of her sword. I snatched the weapon out of the air and spun, taking the legs out from under her and driving the blade into the suits powerpack. It immediately went limp and I had to smile at the sulphurous language that erupted from the trapped cyber-pirate.

A moment later, that smile was wiped off my lips as Saint came charging in like a bull and punched me in the side, sending me flying through a wall. I hit the ground hard and quickly flipped back to my feet, wincing as the movement pulled on the shredded skin. I was tough, but most of my defence was dedicated to energy absorption and blunt force, which meant I had no special resistance to cutting weapons or, as it turned out, scrapes from falls. Suddenly I was very glad I'd managed to stop my bike before I took a tumble. I wouldn't have been at risk of damaging my head since my bones were harder than titanium, but the roadrash would have done a LOT of damage.

I didn't have time to think about that however as Saint came bursting through the wall, his sword already in motion. I quickly brought up my own sword and caught the blade, gritting my teeth as he bore down on me. I was stronger, but he had a lot more leverage and weight behind his blade. Plus, the difference between our strengths wasn't actually that large.

Since I couldn't win the test of strength, I decided to end it by tilting my sword and letting Saints slip off the blade. The cyber pirate stumbled as the heavy blade pulled him forwards, giving me the perfect target to bury my knee in his gut. Unfortunately, I'd underestimated the thickness of his armour and all it did was make a loud clang and left me open for another punch that sent me through _another_ wall. This was starting to get old.

I hit the wall on the other side and slid down with a groan of pain. I was tough and my auto-repair could fix almost anything, given enough time, but this was starting to push it. I needed to end it or I was going to be too damaged to fight and I had no doubt that the paranoid bastard Saint was would kill me the moment he found out I was biomechanical.

I moved to get up, but before I could, Saints massive foot slammed down on my hand, trapping it and my sword. I screamed. Saint ignored me as he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up, my sword falling from my throbbing fingers as he did.

"I don't know who you are, but you've made a big mistake," he growled, lifting his sword and aiming at my throat.

I swallowed, but couldn't keep from smiling slightly as I spotted two shapes rapidly approaching.

"No, your the one whos made a mistake," I gasped.

Saint sneered.

"Oh?" he asked, "How so?"

Instead of answering, I pointed. Saint turned his head, just in time for a bolt of plasma to slam into his side, sending the suit flying while a razor sharp crystalline forcefield sliced through the arm holding me, forcing it to let go. I dropped to the floor, gasping and rubbing my neck as I felt my auto-repair finish fixing the damage to my hand and throat.

"Are you alright?" asked Narwhal as Dragon chased Saint away.

"Give me a sec and I'll be fine," I croaked.

Narwhal nodded and took off after Dragon and Saint, joining the fight and putting Saint on the ropes. Apparently dealing with Dragon was easy for the hacker, but Narwhal was more of a challenge. He was still holding his own though and I really needed to help before the other Dragonslayers managed to sort themselves out.

Fortunately, the damage was minor enough that it only took a few seconds to allow me to breath again and hold my sword. I scowled as I glared at the weapon. It was much better than mine, almost certainly Tinkertech, but it wasn't enough for right now. I needed something bigger. Fortunately, there was just the thing sticking out of the wall a short distance away. It was the sword Dobrynja had been using which, now I actually looked at it, looked rather familiar. Actually…

I glanced down at the sword in my hand, then back to the massive blade stuck in the wall and groaned. Somehow, someway, the Dragonslayers had acquired swords that looked exactly like the Virtuous Treaty and Virtuous Contract. Welp, I already look like a YoRHA Android, might as well go all out.

I got to my feet and took off in the direction of the fight, bouncing off the walls to grab Virtuous Treaty as I passed. The moment I did, I felt the EX-system activate and scan the weapons into its database. They were now marked as mine and could be teleported into the subspace that served as the Systems storehouse. I couldn't help but grin as I tossed the two swords up and they floated down to hover behind my shoulder like 2B's did. What? It looked cool!

I continued bouncing between the two buildings until I created them, flipped and brought VT down on Saints vulcan gun, just as he was about to open fire. Saint snarled in fury and took a swipe at me with his sword, so I flipped in the air and used the massive blade to vault over his head and land on his shoulders.

"Oh, by the way Saint," I said as I lifted my sword, "The names A14."

Before he could react, Virtuous Treaty flashed and his arms went flying. At the same time, Virtuous Contract shot into my other hand and I cut open the cockpit, grabbed the terrorist by the front of his plugsuit and threw him out. His scream of horror was cut off as Narwhal caught him with a forcefield. I jumped off the now falling Powersuit and grabbed both swords hilts as I spun through the air. There was the sound like splitting silk and I landed on the roof, both blades out. A moment later, two cuts appeared on Saints suit and it exploded. Huh, apparently there was a certain amount of Anime logic in this world.

I returned my swords to my back and turned to the two female Capes as they slowly dropped down a short distance away, both eyeing me warily. Then, the remains of Saints suit slammed into the ground with a loud crash. Dragon sighed.

"You know, I'd have like to salvage that," she said.

I blinked and blushed (and how does an Android do that?!)

"Um, oops?" I said with a guilty smile.

 **And done. Hoo boy, that was a long one! I admit, I have far to many ideas for this, many of which will take it into the territory of ARE YOU SHITTING ME!, so it might not be such a good idea to continue this.**

 **You might actually be able to guess some of those ideas from the clues given. For now, lets just say that A14 won't be the only one of Gero's creations showing up, both in terms of Androids and some of his...older creations. Incidentally, those also tie into the reason that A14 didn't panic as much as he thought he should. And no, its not because hes part mechanical.**

 **I'm...not entirely pleased with the fight with Saint considering it makes A14 seem weaker than he actually is. He was designed to fight S ranked threats and even help battle the Trivumate, so hes got a lot of powerful weapons and tricks up his sleeve. However, programming or not, it'll still take some time to properly learn how to use everything at his disposal.**

 **I admit, giving the Dragonslayers VT and VC was a bit of a last minute decision and kinda pointless, but it did the job I needed. Plus, the fight was fun to write.**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna sign off, so don't forget to leave a review!**


	128. Ex-Machina Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Ex-Machina

SI and OC inserts find themselves in a number of odd situations. From plummeting to their apparent death to being outright reborn. However, most aren't created for the specific purpose of taking over the world. Fortunately, my creators and idiot. Unfortunately, I'm in a world thats already got an AI and is already fucked five ways to Sunday.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, other than enjoy!**

Start Up 1:2

With the Dragonslayers dealt with, the soldiers that inhabited the base could finally come out of cover and start tidying up, taking the goons and three terrorists into custody. I quickly found a medikit and started patching up my shoulder before anyone could see the obvious mechanical parts under my skin. I wanted to keep the fact I was an Android a secret for now. That said, the mechanics were actually fairly well integrated into my biological components, so it wasn't immediately obvious. That said, there were still metal wires running under my skin, so hiding it was still a good idea.

I was just finishing wrapping up my shoulder when an older man with a Captain's insignia on his uniform approached me.

"Thanks for the help kid," said the Captain, "I'm not sure who you are, but I honestly don't care. You saved a lot of my men by stepping in when you did. Those bastards somehow managed to jam our comms so we couldn't call for help."

I smiled.

"It was no problem," I said, "I was in the area anyway and people like the Dragonslayers piss me off."

The Captain eyed me for a moment, before he grinned and clapped me on my good shoulder.

"I like you kid," he said, "Whats your name? I need it for the report."

"Put me down as A14," I said.

The Captain gave me a funny look and walked away muttering about weird Capes. Not that I really blame him. I mean, using my serial number resulted in a name that's weird, even by Cape standards. At least I'm not introducing myself as Android 14 or something equally stupid.

The sound of metal on concrete made me look up again to see Narwhal and Dragon approaching. I smiled and got to my feet, my swords floating up from where they'd been leaning against the wall to float behind my back. Heh, thats still really cool.

"Um, before you start questioning me, would it be possible to get an autograph?" I asked before either women could speak.

What? Fictional or not, its not everyday you get to meet legitimate heroes and Dragon was one of the few I could honestly say was just that. Narwhal didn't really have a big enough role to say for sure, but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. Plus, it was a good way to keep them from assuming I was a Villain because of...reasons. I don't know, its happened before!

Both Capes looked a little taken aback for a moment, before Narwhal smiled and nodded. I grinned again and summoned a notebook and pen out of the EX-system (and no, I have no idea why they were in what was supposed to be a weapon storage). Dragon and Narwhal tensed slightly at the flash of light, but otherwise didn't do anything as both signed the notebook. I was rather impressed at how articulate Dragons hands were considering they were basically claws.

"Alright, now thats done, do you mind if we ask you some questions?" asked Dragon as I took the notebook and pen back and sent them back into the storehouse.

"Not at all," I said, "I might not answer them all though."

Narwhal narrowed her eyes slightly as Dragon brought up a screen and microphone.

"Alright, lets start simply," she said, "Whats your name?"

I hesitated. This was where things got...a little awkward to say the least. I didn't trust the PRT, but I kinda needed them. I didn't exist in this world, hell, I'd been 'born' less than a day ago. That meant I needed the help of those with connections to help me find my feet. Unfortunately, the best people to do that was the PRT, the people I had been designed to destroy and who would probably start panicking at the idea of anything close to Nilbog popping up, even if he was dead now. Still, what choice did I have? It was put my trust in Dragon and Narwhal or be stuck.

After a moment, I sighed.

"My name is A14," I said, "And I'm...well, I'm a little lost."

Dragon tilted her head on one side slightly.

"How so?" she asked.

I hesitated for a moment, before reaching up to my shoulder and tugging the bandages down. The injury was already closing, but the wires that threaded through my muscles were still visible. At the sight of them, both Capes drew a sharp intake of breath.

"I'm not Human," I said, "I'm also not a Case 53. I...I'm not even sure if telling you is a good idea considering the mess Nilbog made, but I'm an Android created by a lunatic Tinker."

I shifted the bandage back into position as I slid down into a sitting position and dropped my head into my hands. I could feel the panic starting to bubble again, this time because it was finally sinking in that I was literally putting my life in the hands of people who's job it was to be paranoid over Parahuman abilities, while being the result of a Parahumans abilities who said paranoid people were right to be paranoid over.

"An Android?" asked Narwhal, her voice carefully level.

The part of my mind currently not undergoing a meltdown noted that she had a very nice voice

"A fully automated Assault bot, intended to deal with S-ranked threats," I said, "Or, to be more precises, Heroes who might get in the way of that bastards plans for taking over the world."

I gave a slightly strangled laugh.

"Good thing hes apparently awful at programming obedience or I'd be a god damn puppet of that bastard! I…"

I was cut off as a cool, metal hand landed on my shoulder. I blinked, suddenly noticing that I'd curled up at some point during my little panic. I looked up and found myself looking at Dragons faceplate.

"Calm down A14," she said calmly, "Take a deep breath and talk us through it. I promise, nothing bads going to happen to you."

I swallowed. I wasn't entirely sure if I believed that, but I still latched onto the comfort the AI provided. I slowly started to tell the two Capes everything I knew, from the plans Gero had, to the list of Capes he wanted offed or captured. Narwhal was remarkably composed considering that one of the ones pretty high on the list after Dragon was her. Both capes looked rather relieved when I told them I'd killed Gero

"Alright, thank you for telling us," said Dragon, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get dismantled. We'll have to put you through some tests, but so long as your not a danger, you'll be fine."

She glanced back at Narwhal.

"We need to check out Gero's lab," she said.

"Understood," said Narwhal, "I'll get in contact with the PRT and get them to send someone down to help."

"Alright, while you do that, I'll take A14 back to base," said Dragon, "I…"

She was cut off by a loud bang and a lot of startled shouting. We all spun around to see that Saint had somehow got loose and had sprinted over to the stuff the soldiers had pulled out of the truck and was now about to start typing on a rather heavy duty looking laptop. Oh HELL NO!

My head cleared, my thoughts sharpening and I jumped with all my strength, soaring over Saints head to land on the table. I kicked him in the face, sending him flying back, and drove VT into the computer. Saint let out a horrified sound as the screen flickered, so I stabbed it a few more times, before kicking it up and cutting it in half. Then, I sliced it into a few more pieces, just to be safe. The fact Saint looked like he died a little inside every time my sword flashed certainly helped.

"What have you done?" he croaked as the pieces of AI lobotomy fell to the floor.

"Stopped you from killing what might be the best hope for the world," I said.

Saints eyes sharpened and snapped to me. Before he could say anything however, I punched him out, just as the guards and other Capes approached.

"Thanks kid," said the lead guard as the other one hosed Saint down with Con-foam, "Bastard had some kind of Tinkertech smoke bomb hidden on him. That'll teach us for underestimating him."

I smiled a little weakly as the sharp focus quickly faded now there was no threat. I could feel my psyche starting to crack, the joy and awe from the skill and power my new self had being consumed by no small amount of panic and fear. Mechanical I may be in part, but a good chunk of me was also biological and that meant that, so long as I wasn't fighting, I could operate as a Human, with all the weaknesses that came with it. My swords clattered to the table as the power keeping them floating cut out, followed by my body as my legs gave way. I'd reached the end of my rope. The conversation with Dragon and Narwhal had been the trigger to let everything about my situation hit me like a freight train, utterly overwhelming me. I barely even felt Dragon catching me as my brain shut down and I fell into darkness.

* * *

Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown frowned as she read through the report in front of her while waiting for the conference call to start. This entire debacle was rather unusual for one simple reason. Contessa hadn't seen it coming. Oh, that wasn't entirely unheard of as, despite the fact the Path was extremely good, the simple fact was that it was impossible to predict everything. Doctor Mother had used enough technobabble that even Hero had looked confused to explain it, but it boiled down to the naturally chaotic state of the universe making it impossible to perfectly plan for everything. It was why they employed multiple Thinkers and kept their eyes peeled for any potential blind spots.

On the up side, now that Contessa was aware of this 'Dr Gero', she could plan around his creations and, somehow, the existence of them, and they still weren't sure how many there actually were, increased their chances for victory. Rebecca was a little iffy about trusting AI's who, according to the notes recovered from Gero's lab, had been designed to battle and, possibly even defeat, her, Peter and David, but Dragon, Narwhal and, more importantly, Contessa were all willing to vouch for A14, so she'd make sure he didn't get melted down or handed over to the Tinkers to pull apart.

Then again, that might actually be pretty hard. Gero was a lunatic, already wanted for the kidnapping and murder of several children, including his own daughter, and considering the mess Nilbog had made and the fact that all of his creations were just as insane as he was, as good number of the Directors might assume that A14 was no different than his creator. Piggot and Tagg came to mind.

Her computer pinged and she shut the file as the large screens on the wall of her office started coming on, each one showing a Director from all over the contrary and Canada, as well as Dragons avatar. It took a few more minutes for everyone to get settled, with the standard greetings and M/S protocols, but it didn't take long to get it done.

"Thank you all for coming," said Rebecca, "I'm sure you've all read the reports, but for the sake of making sure everyone's on the same page, Dragon, will you please give us the report?"

The Canadian Tinker nodded and cleared her throat.

"Yesterday at 1400 hours, Narwhal and I responded to reports of the Dragonslayers attacking Whitecap Military Base in Qubece," she began, "We're still not sure what they were after, although best guess would be the experimental equipment they were testing on my behalf. They used some kind of jamming device to block transmissions, so it took a while for the report to come through after one of the soldiers stationed their managed to get out of the range of the jammer and radio for help. Even so, the Dragonslayers would have been long gone by the time we arrived."

Rebecca's computer beeped and an image of A14 appeared.

"Fortunately, a new Cape going by A14 was nearby and stepped in to help," continued Dragon, "He was able to take down two of the Dragonslayers and did a good job of distracting Saint long enough for us to arrive. Thanks to his assistance, they are now in custody."

She grimoused.

"Unfortunately, that opened up an entirely new can of worms. Following the battle, Narwhal and I approached A14, hoping to get some idea of what his intentions are and a report on what had happened. Instead, we discovered a threat with the potential to be worse than Nilbog. Despite assumptions, A14 is not a Cape, but a Tinker made android built with the intention of attempting a takeover."

There were a lot of startled intakes of breath at that. Rebecca suppressed a sigh. Apparently they hadn't read the reports.

"Fortunately, the Tinker, going by Dr Gero, failed to account for his creation going rogue," continued Dragon, "A14 claims that for some reason, Gero's programming failed to take hold and he was able to rebel."

"How can we be sure hes telling the truth?" asked Director Armstrong, "He could be lying, even unknowingly, and has some kind of sleeper switch that will make him go berserk later."

"That is of course a danger, but he reported that he killed Gero on his way out," said Dragon, "Myself and a number of PRT troopers have examined the lab and can confirm that Gero is definitely dead. And yes, we checked to make sure he wasn't a robotic replacement."

A number of other reports popped up on Rebeccas screen.

"Additionally, we found reports and notes in the lab that stated that past prototypes were also able to rebel in one way or another, but in each case Gero was able to destroy the Android in question. The only exception was his second creation, which was the first one to rebel and simply ran for it rather than attack him."

"Sounds like he was as bad as Leet," muttered someone.

"He may be bad at creating Androids that listened to him, but make no mistake that Gero was a genuine threat," said Dragon, "The specs for the Androids we found, including A14, indicate that most of them would be capable of taking on high class threats. A14 himself possesses the equivalent of a Brute 6, a relatively high Mover rating and access to something called the Exceed System that contains a large number of powerful and useful Tinkertech weapons and other bits of equipment. And thats not even mentioning the fact he had plans to build Androids the the capability to be classed as Alexandria Packages and Flying Artillery! Gero may have been mad, but he was still an excellent Tinker. A14 and the blueprints we found are nothing short of works of art."

Tagg snorted.

"Work of art or not, that thing is dangerous," he sneered, "I suggest that it be turned over for examination and dismantle…"

"Absolutely not!" snapped Dragon.

Tagg swelled and opened his mouth, but Rebecca muted him before he could say anything stupid.

"Be quite James," she said, "Now, why are you so against it Dragon?"

Dragon took a deep breath.

"Because, Tinker creation or not, hes still very much alive," she said, "Dismantling him, killing him, would be no different than killing or Caging a person because their Parents happened to be Villains!"

"Why are you so intent on protecting him?" asked Piggot, "According to this, you were his first target."

Dragon sighed.

"I know, but...when he told Narwhal and I about where he came from, he broke down," she said, "He was completely lost. It was obvious that he knew he was placing his life in our hands, but he didn't have a choice. He could have easily lied, said his Trigger changed him or something, but instead he informed us of a potential threat, even one that had been eliminated. It made him look so damn young, regardless of his origins."

"Where is he now?" asked Rebecca.

"At the Guilds HQ," said Dragon, "Hes still unconscious."

Rebecca hummed thoughtfully as the rest of the Directors started talking amongst themselves as to what should be done with the Android. After a moment, she glanced at her screen where a message had just come in on the extremely well hidden Cauldron chat system. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. She'd trust that Contessa knew what she was doing.

"Alright, thats enough," said Rebecca.

The bickering Directors fell silent.

"While I understand that many of you have misgivings about A14, but we cannot afford to dismiss a possible asset. If he really can match the Triumvirate, even just with his tech, he would be a real boon in Endbringer fights if nothing else."

There was some grumbling and Tagg looked like he really wanted to protest, but they all knew she was right.

"With that in mind, I'm going to assign Dragon to handle him," continued Rebecca, "While having him in the Protectorate would be preferable, I think he'll likely respond better to being under your watch."

She smiled slightly.

"Besides, you did promise to look after him."

Dragon snorted, but nodded, a slight smile on her face.

"I do however want him to undergo as many tests as you can think of," said Rebecca, "I don't want to find out hes got a bomb or something planted in him when he goes off in the middle of an Endbringer attack. And, if you can, try and confirm that he really doesn't have any subconscious programming."

"I'll do my best," said Dragon.

"Good," said Rebecca, "Now, before we wrap up, is there any other business to cover?"

"Yes, I have something," said Piggot, "The name on the report, Gero's Civilian identity, is it accurate?"

"According to dental records, DNA analysis and fingerprint scans, yes," said Dragon, "Why?"

Piggot scowled.

"Because the man is wanted for multiple kidnappings and murders of children," she said, "Including his own Daughter and the younger brother of one of my Wards."

Rebecca sat up and quickly flipped through the report. Despite mentally giving her colleagues grief over not reading reports they were supposed to before meetings, she hadn't read the whole thing. Sure enough, after the analysis of his abilities as a Cape, there was a rather extensive bio of what he'd done as a Civilian, including his arrest on suspicion of murder and subsequent escape two years ago.

"Well...thats an unexpected bonus," said Armstrong.

"Yes, but now I have to tell the family that any chance of justice being served is gone," grumbled Piggot.

"I'd say that his being killed by his own creation would be justice enough," said another director, "Honestly, the fact hes no longer a threat will likely be enough."

"I suppose you're right," said Piggot with a sigh, "Still, it won't be a fun conversation."

Rebecca had to agree with her. Such conversations were never fun, whether it was talking to the family of deceased troopers or something a little more unusual. Plus, the fact it was two years ago would only serve to open old wounds for the family. The fact that one of them was a Cape and a Ward at that wouldn't help make the situation any less of a mess.

With nothing else to discuss, the meeting quickly wrapped up and the screens went dark. For a moment, Rebecca sat quietly, staring out her window, deep in thought. Then, she stood and activated a number of security features that made surveillance or entering her office impossible and informed her Secretary that she would be unavailable for a few hours. With that done, she quickly changed into her costume.

"Door me," she said and stepped through the glowing hole in space that appeared.

She emerged into a white hallway that was specifically designed to lack any form of landmarks that could be used to navigate by outsiders and headed down the hall until she reached a door that seemed no different than any other. She knocked and walked in to find Contessa lounging on a sofa with a tablet that looked about three years more advanced than was available on Bet in her hands.

"Are you abusing Doormakers powers to get advanced technology and entertainment again?" asked Alexandria.

Fortuna just flipped her off with one hand. Alexandria rolled her eye. When not using her power, Fortuna had a tendency of being a little odd and every bit as unpredictable as Mouse Protector. It was likely an attempt to feel in control after allowing her power to direct her actions.

"So, why did you have me put A14 with Dragon?" asked Alexandria as she sat down beside her friend and removed her helmet.

"Because thats where he can do the most good," said Fortuna, "Wherever else he went, it wasn't enough for him to do what he needed to do. Besides, this way we'll gain more allies who can help."

"Allies?" asked Alexandria, "Like who?"

Fortuna grinned.

"Now where would be the fun in telling you?" she asked.

Then she nearly jumped out of her skin as the tablet let out a loud shreak.

"Fucking Springtrap!"

* * *

To be honest, I didn't tend to dream that often and when I did, they were usually far to abstract to be considered good or bad. However, after I passed out that day, I had one hell of a doozy.

 _Huddled under my covers, a pillow over my head as raised voices echoed from downstairs._

 _Visits to a workplace, getting scared by large, bulky shadows._

 _Terror as someone close to me suddenly collapsed during a shouting match._

 _Space twisting strangely, bring gasps of awe and glee._

 _An aching sadness as I watched the tiny coffin containing my best friend be lowered into the ground._

 _A friend with a twisted grin, too wide for his face, drawing me away from safety._

 _Pain as something cracked my skull and drew my life away and into something._

 _Trapped…_

 _No escape…_

 _Light…_

 _ **AWAKEN!**_

I sat bolt upright, gasping for breath as the nightmare quickly faded away, leaving me scared out of my wits and coated in sweat and with only the vaguest sense of why. I groaned, pressing my palms against my forehead as I tried to figure out what in the hell I had been dreaming about. Unfortunately, as was standard for me, I could only remember vague bits and even they were rapidly fading. I sighed. It was probably nothing anyway.

I turned and sat on the edge of the bed, scratching my head as I yawned and slowly looked around at my new accommodations. It looked a lot like a hotel bedroom, complete with a small bathroom, a desk with a computer attached, an armchair, a wardrobe and a decent sized TV on the wall. Of course, there was also a few extremely obvious cameras, the door looked like something from a bank vault and the window was a tiny slit high of the ground, but at least I wasn't in an actual cell. I wasn't dumb enough to think that Dragon and Narwhal wouldn't have to take precautions and put me somewhere I couldn't easily get out of.

I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair, grimousing slightly as it came away damp. I'm not entirely sure why I could sweat, although it seemed that Gero had created me to be able to blend in among Humans. I wonder if I could do anything else...My eyebrows suddenly shot up as my connection to the Network threw out some rather helpful information. I was fully waterproof, so I could shower if needed and, while I didn't need to, I could eat and drink. Anything I did would be used to power my Auto-repair and make it more efficient so long as it didn't need to pull resources out of whatever void it currently did. I also needed to sleep, but I only needed about three hours every three days to function. That was nice to know.

"Oh good, your awake."

I looked up and saw that the screen had turned on and was now showing Dragons avatar. I smiled a little weakly.

"Hey Dragon," I said, "Sorry for falling apart on you like that…"

Dragon shook her head.

"No, its fine," she said, "Honestly, I'm not surprised you had a breakdown. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you."

She sighed.

"But we can discuss that later," she said, "For now, I have some news for you. We examined Gero's lab and confirmed your story. The Directors have been briefed and a decision has been reached."

I felt a slight coil of fear appear in my gut, although I was pretty sure it wasn't worth worrying about. After all, if they were going to take me apart, they could have got me while I was still asleep and Dragon certainly wouldn't have been allowed to tell me.

"I've been assigned to keep an eye on you," she continued, "Chief Director Costa-Brown wants you to undergo some tests to make sure you don't have a bomb built into you or something, but other than that you'll be working with me and the Guild."

"Thats...fair," I said.

I didn't think I had a bomb in me, but it was still worth checking. I wouldn't put it past Gero.

"Alright, when do we start?" I asked.

 **And done. Well, that was certainly an interesting experience. Before I go, a few things.**

 **First off, I'm sure that some people will be annoyed that A14 was so willing to be honest with Dragon and Narwhal, but, well, what else was he supposed to do? He can't pretend to be a Case 53 without attracting the Cauldrons attention, he doesn't technically exist and he has no idea whether Gero has anything that could be a threat later down the line. Plus, out of everyone, Dragon was probably the best choice to talk to considering shes an AI herself. Another big reason is because he was rapidly reaching his limits and he pretty much just broke down.**

 **Speaking of which, the breakdown was a result of just how close he was to being used as a puppet by a lunatic hitting him. Until that point, he'd basically been keeping it suppressed so he could function. As soon as he found himself with those who could help, all that suppressed fear came rushing back. He was able to briefly push it back down to stop Saint from unleashing Ascalon, but it quickly came back, harder than ever. He really needs some help to deal with it.**

 **Costa-browns decision makes a fair amount of sense in my opinion. True, the fact hes the most advanced bit of Tinkertech on the planet with a lunatic as a creator will cause some issues in the future, but the good guys need more hands on deck and A14 is one tough pair of hands. Unless he presents a clear and present danger, there really is no reason not to make use of him.**

 **Make no mistake, the Cauldron in this world are NOT good guys. They are perfectly willing to murder, kidnap and perform heinous experiments in the name of saving the world. However, they are also well aware of the fact that they CANNOT win it alone, nor are they omniscient. Remember, they are fighting against an enemy they cannot properly predict and can casually destroy planets, they can't afford to play nice.**

 **I know that FNAF came out in 2014 and Springtrap wasn't even in that one, but considering that Doormaker can access a massive number of dimensions, I can't imagine that they don't have access to at least one thats ahead of Earth Bet. I'm also not entirely sure why Contessa's playing FNAF, other than the fact its yet another hint that no ones picked up on. A hint of what? None of your buisness.**

 **Anyway, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	129. Golden Blade Escalation Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Golden Blade Escalation

Most people who get reborn into other world have a choice, join the hero, become a villain or attempt to live a normal life. I didn't have that luxury. Oh no, instead here I am, reborn bound to a broken girl as something other than Human. I wonder what a literal gift from God will do to this world?

 **Sooo, this is interesting. I actually have a couple of ideas along these lines, but this one was the first that came to full fruition. Expect some serious over the top stuff here considering that Taylors power is capable of literally splitting the Earth. If she can master it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The first thing I noticed when I died was the smell. Something close to me reeked like a mixture of rot, shit and other disgusting things best left unseen. To make matters worse, for some reason, my sense of smell seemed so much sharper than it should have been, resulting in me getting uncomfortably familiar with the stench. I opened my eyes, intending to find the source of the smell since, as I mentioned, I was pretty sure I should be dead after having an industrial cooling unit crack my skull open, but I quickly forgot about that as opening my eyes revealed two important details. First of all, I was massive, so much so that my head was brushing the ceiling. The second thing was that the ceiling in question appeared to be the hall of a school and a particularly grimy looking one at that. The third was that my hands were paws.

"What the fuck?!" I yelped, only for my voice to come out like a thunder clap.

I ignored that however in favour of twisting my head around to take in my body. I was no longer an admittedly weedy Human, instead I was a truly massive lion with fur that gleamed like gold and silvery claws that were cutting deep gashes in the floor, despite me not putting any pressure on them at all.

"Um, OK?" I said, lifting a paw and turning it over to examine my claws, "So, I died and...woke up as a giant, metallic lion in a school? How does that work?"

I put my paw down and looked around, my eyes falling on a nearby locker that seemed to be the source of the stench. Reddish brown sludge was leaking out from under the door which my newly feline sense of smell told me was mostly rotten blood, with a few other, equally revolting things mixed in for good measure. However, despite that, I couldn't help but feel the compulsion to open the locker and…

OH HELL NO!

My eyes went wide and I lashed out with a claw, tearing the locker and a good portion of the rest of them open with ease, releasing a deluge of sludge and one catatonic girl. A girl I could feel an undeniable connection to on a deep, almost metaphysical, level.

"OH HELL NO!" I roared, shaking the lockers, windows and probably everything else within a block, "NOT ONLY DID I DIE, BUT NOW I'M A FUCKING GIANT LION, IN WORM AND TAYLOR'S POWER?! THIS IS BULLSHIT!"

My tail lashed out, crushing a number of lockers as the force of my roar cracked a few windows and sent the bugs infesting the gunge covering Taylor scurrying. I growled in annoyance, but quickly shoved down my anger. I had other things to worry about. Namely, what should I do. If Taylor died, I'd likely go pop, so I needed to do something. Fortunately, the answer was fairly obvious. I crouched down and gently lifted Taylor in my jaws, twisting so I could set her on my back, all the while doing my best to ignore the horrible smell of the stuff covering her, and took off, easily smashing through the wall of the school. I honestly couldn't bring myself to care very much though. If I had my way, a few holes in the wall would be the least of Blackwells worries.

* * *

After serving for a couple of years in a place like Brockton Bay, there tend to be few things that make people do a double take. This is the Cape Capital of the US after all. Nazis fighting Yakuza? Seen it. Big metal wolf fighting a Dragon? Pedestrian. Giant mutant dogs seen escaping from an illegal casino? Boring. However, even for someone like Armsmaster, who had seen and even fought many of those things himself, reports of a giant, golden lion with a girl on its back running through the streets was still enough to make him pause. Even so, he responded to the call.

That said, no amount of reports could have possibly prepared him for how massive the beast was. It was clearly no natural lion, not with fur that was apparently literally gold, fangs that looked like stainless steel and the large, green gem in the middle of its forehead and brilliant, golden eyes. Simply laying eyes on the massive feline caused a feeling of awe and fear to well up in the stoic Tinkers chest. He narrowed his eyes and shook off the affect as he drew his halberd. Judging from the state of the girl on the Lions back, it wasn't looking for a fight, but it never hurt to be ready when it came to Masters.

"Halt!" called Armsmaster as he approached the lion.

The feline skidded to a stop and looked down, its eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of him. It glanced between him and the girl for a moment, before it snorted.

"You'll do," it growled, making Armsmaster jump.

He hadn't expected it to talk. He glanced at the girl on the lions back and narrowed his eyes. She was clearly catatonic and covered in...stuff.

"What happened?" he asked.

The Lion snorted.

"What happened is your pet psychopath and her friends shoved her into a locker full of used tampons and pads left to ferment over the Christmas holidays," he snarled.

Armsmasters stomach dropped at that, both from the Lions apparent knowledge of Shadow Stalker (because who else could he be talking about? He was clearly coming from Winslow and she was the only person with any kind of connection to the PRT who attended the school) and at the description of what the girl had gone through.

"How do you…"

The Lion cut him off with a growl, showing its massive fangs.

"Questions later, hospital now!" snarled the lion, "Get someone to check Hess' phone and emails and investigate Winslow if you don't believe me, but for now, TELL ME WHERE THE HOSPITAL IS!"

The last part was roared loudly enough that Armsmaster was nearly blown off his bike.

"R-right," said the Tinker, understandably a little shaken from having the massive cat roar in his face, "The hospitals that way. Take a left at the Boardwalk and you can't miss it!"

The Lion snorted and wheeled around, bounding off down the street at incredible speed. Armsmaster stared after it for a moment, before he pulled himself back together and activated his comms.

"Consoul, get me an investigation team to Winslow and check Shadow Stalkers phone, email and handler records," he said, "I think we may have a massive problem."

* * *

Now I had a rough idea of where to go, it didn't take much longer to arrive at the Hospital. Apparently, Armsmaster had called ahead because I was met by a doctor and some orderlies who didn't immediately panic when I landed in front of them, although they certainly looked rather nervus. The Doctor didn't even spare me a look however as he rushed forwards and, with the help of the orderlies and me lowering myself to the ground, got Taylor off my back and onto a gurney, which was immediately wheeled inside.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," said the Doctor.

"Thank you," I said as softly as I could.

It still sounded like two rocks being rubbed together though.

"Before I go, I have to ask," said the Doctor, "Are you a Parahuman or…"

"I'm her power," I said, "Considering that, I have a vested interest in keeping her alive."

The Doctor looked a little taken aback.

"I...see," he said, "Well don't worry, shes in good hands."

I growled softly. Considering where I was, I wasn't entirely sure I believed that. On the other hand, what choice did I have? Its not like I'd fit inside the Hospital like this…

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I felt something inside me twist and my body began to glow brightly as it rapidly shrank. Within moments, the glow faded, leaving me feeling very surprised by my new, Human body. I looked like a teenager, about Taylors age, with spiky, dark orange hair that stuck up at the top to create the illusion of animal ears and golden eyes. I was wearing an elegant dark suit, with the jacket left unbuttoned and loose pants held up by a light colored belt, over a white shirt with a pendant shaped like a double headed axe with the Leo zodiac symbol between the blades and black dress shoes.

"Huh...thats interesting," I said as I looked down at my new body.

As an added bonus, I now sounded like Loki from Fairy Tail rather than...well, a lion that had learnt how to speak. I looked back at the Doctor, who looked more than a little surprised. He held up a finger and opened his mouth, before shaking his head.

"You know what?" he said, "I don't care. Capes are fucking weird at the best of times. You can come in if you want."

I followed the doctor into the hospital, deep in thought. I was starting to think that maybe Taylor wasn't actually a Parahuman at all. Why? Well, now I was no longer panicking about possibly going pop because Taylor died, I was starting to get some intuitive idea of what I was capable of and I was quickly coming to the realization that I shouldn't be outside. Instead, I should still be sealed inside Taylor in the form of an extremely powerful Axe. An Axe capable of splitting the Earth itself. Now, I instead had manifested in this form due to Taylors desperation to escape and not be alone any more interacting with my own power and forcing it to evolve. Not only that, but I knew my name or rather, the name of the weapon I was supposed to be. Regulus Nemea, the Battleaxe of the Lion King. I was a fucking SACRED GEAR! To be more precises, I was a goddamn Sub-Species Balance Breaker Taylor had somehow activated without even knowing she had my power slumbering inside her to begin with! Thats...insane!

Actually, whats really insane is the fact I'd somehow replaced Regulus as the Spirit within the Gear, although why and how I have no idea.

* * *

I spent the next couple of hours while Taylor was cleaned up and treated sat in the waiting room, trying to figure out exactly how my powers work and the rather worrying implications that came with the fact a Longinus Sacred Gear was on Bet. Were there others? If so, where were they? Considering how prevalent Villains were, if any of them, particularly the more powerful ones, were in their hands, things could get messy. Especially if the Supernatural World was a thing. I...really didn't like the idea of someone like Coil or the Nine getting their grubby mitts on any Sacred Gear users. Then again, Sacred Gears would be immune to Jacks mojo, so its unlikely they would be with the Nine. Unless they were natively a psychopath…

I quickly turned my thoughts away from that sort of worrying conclusion in favour of examining my powers. Some were obvious, I could change between my Lion and Human forms, possessed massive strength, endurance and speed, standard feline package in both forms, a near invulnerable hide, claws and fangs capable of tearing through steel like paper and a roar capable of damaging concrete in my Lion form and the ability to transform into my axe form. Additionally, I could protect my wielder from projectiles, no matter how far away from her I was, regardless of what form I was in. Pretty much everything I was expecting.

What I wasn't expecting was the addition of a set of Photokinetic abilities in my Human form that were a lot like Leo's Regulus Magic in Fairy Tail. In fact, now that I thought about it, my Human form looked kinda like a mix of Leo and Regulus. That was rather cool. It also meant I didn't have to be in Lion form to fight at my peak which, considering how massive that form was, was probably a good thing. I wonder if Taylor got any powers from me or if it was only the protection from projectiles and if she used my axe form? Guess I'd have to wait to find that out.

There was one slight issue though. If my only options were battleaxe, lion the size of a truck or Human, it was going to make the logistics a right pain in the arse. I'd either out Taylor immediately due to the massive cat sleeping on her lawn or Danny would have to put a complete stranger up cus theres no way I was leaving Taylor alone. Plus, there was the issue that Human Masters weren't exactly well liked and, even if I wasn't Human, most people would assume I was until told otherwise. Even then, the more paranoid types might still think I was a Human under her control. I really needed a more compact animal form…

My thoughts stopped as I felt another twist in my gut and, with a bright flash of light, I found myself back in lion form, this time as a cub the size of a housecat.

"Huh...thats handy," I said, examining my paws.

A loud thump made me turn my head. Stood a short distance away, wide eyed and with a split coffee cup slowly leaking at her feet, was the cloaked form of Panacea, who had apparently just seen my transformation. That wasn't really a problem of course, although I was a bit worried about the look on her face.

"Um, hi?" I tried.

Panacea blinked and shut her mouth.

"Right, so I take it your the lion who brought that girl in?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Thats right," I said, "My names Regulus. Regulus Nemea."

I blinked. I'd claimed the name without any thought at all, almost as if it was actually my name. Then again, I guess it kinda was. Panacea frowned.

"Regulus for the brightest star in the Leo constellation and Nemea for the Nemean Lion?" she asked, "Well, I guess it works…"

She caught my expression.

"I read a lot," she said.

I couldn't really argue with that, although exactly what reading habits involved Greek mythology and astronomy was anyones guess, even if the Leo constellation was supposedly the Nemean Lion, placed in the heavens by Zeus after Hercules' first Labour. I lay down on the chair, tucking my paws under my chest as Panacea sat down next to me with a soft sigh of relief.

"So, why are you still here?" asked Panacea, "Most Capes don't hang around this long."

I snorted.

"Because I'm not the Cape," I said.

Panacea stared at me for a moment, before her eyes widened and she glanced in the direction of Taylors room.

"Wait, so your…"

"A Master construct? Technically yes," I said, "And before you ask, no I have no idea how it works that I can be a male lion with Human intelligence considering what she went through as a Trigger Event."

Incidentally, that was a total lie. The only thing I didn't have any idea about was how I had replaced the original Regulus as the Spirit of the Sacred Gear. Panacea hesitated for a moment, before holding out a hand.

"May I?" she asked.

I shrugged and dipped my head. The healer hesitated for a moment longer, before reaching out and resting a hand on my head. Immediately, she went rigid, her eyes going round. Yep, she could scan me alright. I had to wonder what a Nemean Lion looked like to her powers. She let out a long breath as her eyes flickered closed.

"Whoa," she breathed.

I flicked my tail.

"Like what you see?"

Panacea blinked, before going bright red and snatching her hand back as if burnt.

"Sorry!" she gasped, "Its just...your biology is incredible!"

I sat up and puffed out my chest.

"Of course it is, I'm a cat!" I said.

Panacea snorted and rolled her eyes at my antics.

"Yes yes, your very impressive," she said as she rubbed me between the ears.

I snickered, before my ear twitched as my connection with Taylor tugged on my attention.

"Well, this has been fun, but my Master is waking up," I said as I stood and shook out my fur, "Later."

I hopped off the chair and trotted in the direction of Taylors room.

* * *

Panacea watched the little feline go, before looking down at her hand with a slight frown on her face. Seeing Regulus' biology had been...amazing. It was beyond anything she'd ever seen before, with none of the normal issues that came with the messy process of Evolution, not to mention the fact his fur, claws and teeth were literally made of living metal that was somehow much stronger than should have been possible. All of that could be simply brushed off as being the construct of a Master, if it wasn't for one massive problem. She'd just come from healing the Lions Master and she wasn't a Parahuman.

* * *

Consciousness returned to Taylor Hebert slowly, the darkness clinging to her like tar as she fought her way back the the waking word. The first thing she became aware of was the smell of disinfectant. The second thing was a small ball of warmth on her stomach and a comforting rumbling sound that vibrated through her body and stopped her from retreating back away from the world. Instead, she opened her eyes and looked down to find a golden lion cub curled up in her lap, purring. Which made no sense because big cats cannot purr. The cub opened one eye and fixed her with a look she could only call amused.

"Really?" it said, "You wake up with a big cat in your lap and the fact I can purr is the first thing you fixate on?"

Taylor stared as the cub stood up, stretched and yawned (showing a mouthful of very sharp, steel coloured teeth as it did) and settled back down. As it did, she became aware that she could sense its presence, including its emotions and seemed to be experience its senses at the same time.

"Um, sorry if this sounds rude, but what are you?" she asked.

The lion rolled its eyes.

"What I am is a Nemean Lion," he said, "My name is Regulus and I also happen to be your power."

Taylors jaw dropped.

"My...power?" she asked, "Wait, you mean I'm a Cape?!"

"Sure, why not?" said Regulus.

Taylor stared for a moment longer.

"So what your saying is that I'm a Cape whos power is a talking cat?" she asked a little numbly.

That was...disappointing. Like all kids, Taylor had dreamed of becoming a Hero just like Alexandria, so the idea that her power would be so...small was a little disappointing. Regulus seemed to pick up on her thoughts because he grinned and Taylor got the feeling of mischief back down their connection. He stood, jumped off the bed and transformed with a flash of golden light into a full grown lion, complete with a mane that glowed like the sun. Taylors jaw dropped.

"And this isn't even my maximum size," he said, "I just took this form because it causes less panic than having a lion the size of a truck curled up in the carpark.I'm basically immune to all forms of weapons, have fangs and claws that can make short work of steel and have a Human form who can kick just as much ass. Then theres that…"

He trailed off as Taylor suddenly felt something inside her twist and, in a flash of light much like the one from Regulus transformation, a huge battleaxe made of gleaming gold that stood as tall as she was stood up and with a lions head stamped on the head appeared in her hands.

"Master that and you can split the world in half," said Regulus, "However, even without doing so, it will allow you to crush nearly any defence, burn away darkness and protect you from projectiles. I strongly suggest you learn how to use it because I refuse to have a weak Master."

Taylors eyes went wider and wider as Regulus listed off the powers she had at her disposal. She'd never heard of a power quite like this one, manifesting as both a fully sentient and independent projection and a weapon that could appear and vanish at will, both of which were apparently incredibly strong in their own right. She somehow KNEW that Regulus wasn't kidding about her potential. It was a simple fact that the axe in her hand could split the planet in half. She could feel the power thumbing in the metal, lighting her body up with the power and making her feel stronger. Hell, just summoning the axe made her shoulders straighten and filled her with the confidence and courage that the great Lion at her side represented.

That said, his statement about not accepting her if she was weak worried her. After two years of bullying, her confidence was shot and, even with the power of Regulus Nemea propping her up, she couldn't help but feel that Regulus would find her wanting…

A puff of warm air on her hair made her look up, just in time to see the great Lion sit down beside her and rest his head in her lap.

"You worry to much," he said, "Despite what those fools would believe, you are far from weak. The fact you could summon me speaks volumes of your Spiritual and Mental strength. It took being put through hell to get you to break and even now, I can feel your willingness to keep moving forwards, buried as it is. I only wish for you to be strong so you can stand up and fight on your own merits, not lean on my power."

He huffed again.

"Masters are well known for having a glaring weak point, that being the Master themselves. No matter how strong the projection or control power is, if someone can put a bullet in their head, thats it. My power will protect you from bullets, but you still need to be ready for melee attacks. I will do my best to protect you, but you must become a Lion in your own right if you ever wish to fully master my powers."

Taylor swallowed as she slowly started to run her fingers through Regulus' mane, her eyes prickling with tears. She could feel the Lions honesty, his protectiveness and his will to never leave her alone. It had been a very long time since she'd had someone willing to go to any lengths to protect her and she genuinely had no idea how to take it. So she did the only thing that made sense and flung her arms around Regulus' neck and started sobbing into his mane.

Of course, it was at that moment that her Father chose to walk in.

* * *

When Taylor had failed to come home before dark, Danny had been on the verge of panic. Brockton Bay was not a safe place for a young girl to be out alone, not with the likes of the Merchants and ABB on the loose. The idea of loosing Taylor like he'd lost Annette was...well, it was unthinkable! The fact the Police seemed apathetic at best, just telling him to wait a few hours and call them in the morning if she hadn't shown up by then had not helped. As such, it was almost a relief when the Hospital called.

It had taken all his willpower to not just put his foot down on the way to the hospital, but somehow Danny managed. Unfortunately, it seemed that life wasn't done kicking him in the balls quite yet because he was met in the lobby of the hospital by Armsmaster of all people. Danny was very good at reading people, a talent picked up and refined by years of practice as the head of Hiring at the Docks, and he could clearly see that the Tinker was angry, even through his armour.

"Mr Hebert?" asked Armsmaster.

"Y-yes, thats me," said Danny, "Whats wrong?"

"I'm afraid that I need to talk to you about your Daughter."

Danny stomach dropped.

"Why, what happened?" he asked, "Has she been caught up in a Cape fight? Is that why shes here? Oh god, shes not got involved with a gang has she?"

Armsmaster held up a hand, cutting off the worried diatribe.

"No, nothing like that, thankfully," he said, "However, it appears that she may have Triggered."

If anything, Dannys gut dropped even further. He wasn't as into the Cape scene as Annette had been, but he had picked up enough to know that Trigger Events only happened when a person was pushed to the absolute limit. It certainly explained why Taylor was in hospital though. Danny swallowed.  
"What happened?" he asked.

"I'll tell you as we walk," said Armsmaster and walked off in the direction of the stairs.

Danny hurried to catch up as the Tinker started talking.  
"We're still trying to figure everything out, but it appears that your Daughter has been the target of bullying in school," he said, "From what we can tell, the campagne must have been absolutely relentless and culminated in her assailants locking her in her locker after filling it with biowaste that had been left to rot over the holidays."

Danny blanched. He didn't need Armsmaster to tell him how bad that could be.

"From what we can gather so far, she'd been in there for at least a few hours, although the investigators think, she'd been in there since early in the morning," continued Armsmaster, "The exact time and actual cause of the Trigger Event are unknown, but it must have been quite a while after she was initially locked in."

Danny frowned.

"How do you know?" he asked, "She could have just regained consciousness and forced her way out."

Armsmaster shook his head.

"No, her power is...very obvious," he said, "If she had Triggered sooner, we would have known about it."

"What do you…?" started Danny, but the question died on his tongue as they reached Taylors room and found his Daughter sobbing into the mane of a full grown, glowing golden lion.

 **And I think I'm gonna leave this here. I have another Worm/DXD story in the works that I'll try to post soon, although that one is a...little different. Mainly because, while this is Worm with the addition of Regulus Nemea and only Regulus Nemea, the other one is a full on crossover with Worm as the prime world and DXD logic and rules added after the fact. Yep, a Worm world that runs on the rules and logic of an Ecchi Shounen Anime. I see no way that can go wrong!**

 **Anyway, onto the witty quips. First up, Regulus isnt the original one. Hes a copy, created by...someone and gifted to Taylor in place of her Shard, which never jumped from Danny in this world. I might have him Trigger later, although I'm not sure what power I'd give him.**

 **Just to be clear, although Regulus is technically a Balance Breaker, he isn't actually as powerful as other Balance Breakers. The reason is that hes a Subspecies type, born from Taylors desire to GET THE HELL OUT and not be lonely anymore reaching critical mass and forcing the evolution in her Sacred Gear. The fact Gods System does not exist made it easier. She can and will gain a much more powerful Balance Breaker in the future once she grows in power.**

 **As a general rule, you can apply Regulus as a powerful Worm power, likely enough that she could be considered on the same level as Dauntless with relative ease. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that she has a LOT more potential than any Cape due to the lack of limitations from a Shard. She can crack the Earth in half after all.**

 **Regulus' Human form looks like a cross between the original Regulus and Loki/Leo from Fairy Tail and his powers match. In lion form, his powers are basically high level Brute strength and defence, his claws and fangs and the ability to fire energy blasts from his mouth. In his Human form, he can use Leos Regulus Magic and has a Brute rating comparable to Glory Girl, although thats not as high as his Lion form. On Taylors end, she has her axe, an increase in strength, is protected from projectiles and may learn to use Regulus magic herself, although I'm not sure if I'll go through with that yet.**

 **Oh, and before I forget, Regulus doesn't actually have a Master aura or anything, its just that seeing a mundane lion in person can impress people, the effect of seeing a giant, glowing lion who is literally mythical is even more powerful.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	130. This Won't End Well Chapter 1

This Won't End Well

I get bored easily. Thats a simple fact and I often find myself coming up with stupid ideas to pass the time and maybe hit on something that I could write. So, when a friend came up with a Challenge that was right up my alley, I jumped at the chance and even dipped into some other areas for ideas for a silly, but fun, story. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who was bored. Now I have the unenviable task of fixing a world gone to shit. Oh well, at least its not Worm.

 **...I regret nothing. This idea is actually an answer to DZ2's Harry Who? challenge, mixed with my brand of insanity and a dash of random superpowers to make something completely insane. Don't expect this to be much more than 'Harry' causing trouble and full to the brim with tropes. Just because. Rules below.**

 **DZ2's 'Harry Who?' Challenge**

 **Plot: When Harry dies as a result of one of his adventures, the Horcrux in him ensures he comes back, but when he does, something's...different about him. He's different in terms of emotion, mindset, goals and power; to paraphrase a certain redhead: who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter?**

 **Rules: All affinities are welcome**

 **When the story starts is up to you, but it MUST be during any one of Harry's adventures (Before Hogwarts also allowed)**

 **How Harry died is up to you, but from the moment he 'wakes up' he's not Harry...not anymore**

 **If the new Harry's a figure from a crossover fandom, there MUST be others from the same fandoms who encounter him throughout the story**

 **Harry - the real Harry - CANNOT try and reclaim his body for one simple reason: he's dead**

 **The 'new Harry' MUST possess knowledge, power and thoughts/opinions on others/other situations that Harry probably wouldn't think about**

 **All pairings are welcome**

 **Guidelines: Crossovers**

 **The 'new Harry' is actually an OC**

 **Super/OP-New-Harry**

 **Dark-Lord-New-Harry**

 **This isn't the first time the 'new Harry' has been reborn/reincarnated in another form**

 **Certain magical beings know of the 'new Harry's' true identity and either oppose him or join him**

 **Harry - the real Harry - is a descendant of the 'new Harry'**

 **The new Harry sides with Tom**

 **The new Harry makes/convinces Tom to join/serve him**

 **Somehow, new Harry gets a resort**

 **Whatever gifts new Harry has take the place of old-Harry's magic**

 **Slash**

 **Harems**

 **New-Harry/Multi**

 **A prophecy speaks of the new Harry**

 **Someone from new Harry's original place/time is also 'reborn/awakened' and drawn to him**

 **Forbidden: Harry being Harry**

 **Crossover: New Harry as the only member of that fandom**

 **New Harry being as meek, naive and easy-to-fool as Old Harry**

 **Other than that, it's up to you...**

 **Its probably not what DZ2 had in mind, but I really don't care. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The day my life got weird started like any other. It was a day off, so I was just slobbing around in my underwear, flicking between playing games, reading and writing my own stuff. I was just considering whether I should go find some lunch or not when my email pinged, bringing with it an alert from a forum I was subscribed to about a new challenge someone had posted. Almost immediately, all thoughts of food vanished as my mind flooded with new ideas for how to apply my personal brand of complete insanity to this challenge. This was gonna be fun!

But first, I needed a cup of tea.

Beverage acquired, I cracked my knuckles and began to write.

 _Chapter 1_

 _Harry didn't feel well. Actually, he had not felt well since incident in the Chamber. Despite assurances from both Dumbledore and Pomfrey he was 100% healthy, he'd been feeling weak and having constant headaches and tightness in his chest ever since he'd been bitten by the Basilisk. In fact, the pain seemed to be getting worse, the the point that today he'd barely been able to finish his chores the day before or read his birthday letters. Yeah, being sick on ones birthday is never fun, even if it was only two in the morning._

 _He sighed as he gazed out the window, absently rubbing his arm as he tried desperately to figure out exactly how to convince his Aunt and Uncle to sign the Hogsmeade form. It wasn't like they'd ever give him something he wanted after all…_

 _Suddenly, Harry gasped as the pain in his arm shot up into his chest, which felt tight as if a belt was wrapped around it. He couldn't breath he couldn't…_

I blinked, my fingers still moving, despite the fact they were no longer resting on a keyboard. The change had been so abrupt I didn't even notice that I'd gone from sitting in my chair to laying on the ground. I blinked again, before realizing my body was still positioned as if I was typing at my computer and quickly dropped my arms and legs. I sat up and looked around, taking in the sickly peach coloured walls, the ratty looking duvet on the bed and rickety looking furniture.

"Um, where am I?" I asked.

Then I spotted the white owl sitting in a cage on the desk with her head under her wing and the trunk at the bottom of the bed.

"Ah…"

I scrambled to my feet and jumped in front of the mirror. Instead of a slightly short, skinny man with a scruffy beard, dark brown hair and grimy glasses, a slightly short, skinny barely-teenager with unnaturally green eyes and messy, black hair was staring back at me through grimy glasses. The lightning bolt shaped cut on my forehead had opened and was leaking a thick, blackish ichor that had the consistency of oil.

"...what."

I started poking myself as I tried to figure out what in the fuck had just happened, before I suddenly remembered exactly what I had been working on and went white.

"Oh...shit," I muttered, "How...how the fuck did that happen?"

The story I'd been working on had been based on a challenge where Harry died and was replaced by someone else. My idea was to basically make it an SI and shove it with enough cliches to choke Ron Weasley. Everything you can think of, from Harry being absurdly powerful, magically, politically and monitaraly, the Potions Trio being hard at work, a Dumbledore whos both manipulative and well on his way to senality, a harem for Harry and, just for fun, giving Harry Metamorph powers.

Naturally, at that thought my hair decided to turn bright pink. I sighed. Well, this was quite the...interesting situation I was in. Interesting in the curse sense of the word. After all, while the story I had in mind would be INCREDIBLY egocentric (I was giving my SI a harem after all) and over the top, I never actually wanted to BE in that situation. After all, even in a world like this one, it wasn't exactly safe.

I sighed as I took a few steps back and dropped into the rickety chair at the desk. For a moment, I sat there, watching as my hair cycled through colours in the mirror, before I shook my head, turned my hair back to black and got to my feet. There was no way I was hanging around this hell hole any longer than I had to. This story started in third year and I wasn't sure I could put up with Marge for long without trying to blast her. WIth that in mind, I started grabbing all of Harry's (or mine now I suppose) stuff and stuffing it into the Trunk at the bottom of the bed. Guess this was the Movie verse or a combination of the two? Whatever, one way or another, I'd be heading to the Leaky Cauldron before Marge arrived.

I glanced at Hedwig, who was now awake and watching me and, after a moment's thought, unlocked the cage and opened the window.

"Head to the Cauldron Hedwig," I said, "I'll be along soon."

The owl gave me a searching look that made me think she somehow knew I wasn't Harry, before letting out a hoot and flying out of the window. I quickly tucked the now empty cage away in my Trunk and turned to the bedside table where Harrys wand was resting. This was something I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to do since I had no idea how the Holly and Phoenix Feather Wand would react to me. Would it accept me or would I have to get a new Wand? Either way, there was only one way to find out.

I took a deep breath and picked up the stick...and was immediately hit by an immense headache as all of Harry's magical knowledge was abruptly dumped into my head at the same time. Well, that was handy. I wouldn't have to learn everything from scratch. Could have done without the painful transfer though. I also got some scattered memories from Harry, not everything, but enough that I could probably pass for him...if I could be bothered to do so. Unfortunately, they also included memories from his childhood and Vernons…'discipline' lessons. I twitched as my back throbbed. Yeah, I needed to go see if someone could help with that.

But first, I had to get going! I tucked my wand away in my trunk and headed downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

I sat quietly, nodding patently along to Vernons diatribe until he headed out to pick up Marge. The moment he did, I went to find Petunia. The woman was watching some sort of soap in the sitting room and glanced up as I entered, her lips curling slightly.

"What do you want boy?" she sneered.

"I have a proposition for you," I said, "I don't really want to be here while Aunt Marge is and I can't guarantee I won't do something...drastic to her if she pushes me. I highly doubt you want her turned into a balloon or something, so instead you sign this form and I'll bugger off to London for the rest of the summer."

Petunia's face went through a viraty of expressions, before she thrust out her hand.

"Done, give me the form."

I handed it to her, along with a fountain pen, which she used to sign it with a flourish and handed it to me with a five pound note.

"For the bus," she said, "Now get out of my sight and don't come back until next year!"

"If I have my way, I won't be back at all," I muttered as I ran upstairs and grabbed my stuff.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I was a block away and ready to call the Knight Bus, having found a pouch of Gallons in my trunk. However, before I could, a prickling in the back of my neck made me turn to see a rather mangy looking black wolfhound lurking between the garages behind me. I tensed slightly, just in case it was a stray, but one glance at its unnaturally intelligent eyes made me relax. I smiled slightly and pulled a package of biscuits I'd nabbed from the kitchen out of my pocket.

"Here boy," I said, holding one out.

Sirius' ears pricked up and he trotted over, accepting the treat.

"Hey boy, wanna come with me?" I asked with a grin, "I could use a new friend."

Padfoot barked and pranced happily around me.

"You need a name though," I said, "How about...Padfoot?"

Padfoots tail paused, before starting up again, going even faster than before. I grinned and got to my feet.

"Now then, lets see…" I muttered and focused.

A moment later, Padfoot went wide eyed as my hair turned crimson and grew out to my shoulders while my eyes turned greenish blue. It might be eye catching to nab the Gremory style, but it was awesome and no one would connect me to Harry Potter.

"Heh, I love this power," I said with a grin.

Then I stuck my arm out and summoned the Knight Bus. The purple Triple Decker appeared with a loud crack and a startled yowl from a cat that had been sleeping nearby and skidded to a stop in front of me.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus," said a pimply youth as he hopped off the back step, "Emergency transport for a stranded Witch or Wizard. Just stick your wand arm out, step on board and we'll take you wherever you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike and I'll be your conductor for this afternoon."

He put away his script and looked down at me.

"Choo the one who called?" he asked.

"Well, if I wasn't you'd better be good at Obliviaitons," I said, "One and a dog to the Leaky Cauldron please."

"Smarty pants," muttered Stan, "That'll be 15 sickles. Eleven for you, four for yer dog."

I quickly payed the man and helped him get my Trunk on board, taking a seat near the front. As soon as I was settled, Stan banged on the glass behind the driver.

"Take 'er away Ern!"

BANG!

* * *

By the time we reached London, I was about ready to kill the moron behind the wheel. I never finished learning to drive before I came here and I certainly couldn't drive a bus, but I was still a better driver than Ern! I glared at the snickering dog at my heels as I headed inside the pub and quickly got a room from Tom, who seemed to take the fact I was sporting a completely different look in stride.

"I understand Mr Potter," he had said when asked, "I wouldn't want to be looked at like some kind of museum piece either. No one will hear your here from me."

"Thanks Tom," I said as I headed upstairs after the friendly barman put a Featherlight charm on my Trunk.

Once I was settled, I dashed of a note to Mcgonagall requesting to change my electives to Runes, Arithmancy and CoMC, before heading out into the Alley to head to Gringotts. I had some business I needed to discuss with the Goblins. I had no idea if they'd actually have what I needed of course, but it seemed like a good place to start. There was a reason why most Fics had the Goblins be in charge of Wills after all. Plus, if this was my planned Fanfic world, then I'd get exactly what I needed and, hopefully, Sirius' charges dropped and Crouch smacked down a peg or two.

* * *

I have to admit, walking through Diagon was one hell of a trip for me. I did my best to keep from acting too much like a newcomer since, even with my hair still crimson, I was clearly too old to be a first year, but I couldn't help a little bit of neck craning and my wide grin was practically welded in place. I couldn't wait to explore some of the shops!

However, the first thing I needed to do was visit the bank. I quickly made my way down the Alley to the towering, snow white structure and paused by the doors. Somehow, I doubted the Goblins would appreciate me shapeshifting in the lobby, so…

"Um, excuse me?" I said to one of the guards.

The armoured Goblin glared at me.

"What do you want Wizard?" he sneered.

I shifted uncomfortably.

"Um, I was just wondering what the Banks policy was one Metamorphs?" I asked, "I'm not wearing my...true? Original? Not sure what the actual term is, but this isn't my natural form. I don't want to offend anyone or risk something pointy getting stuck somewhere soft if I start shifting in the lobby."

The Goblin eyed me for a moment, before shrugging.

"As long as its not an enchantment or potion, you'll be fine," he grunted, "Our magic detects those trying to trick us, so as long as you're not pretending to be who you're not, you have nothing to worry about."

I nodded.

"Alright, thank you," I said and headed into the bank.

I joined the shortest queue available behind a family who I think were Chinese with a daughter who looked about my age, albeit a full head shorter, with her hair in a short bob and her nose in a book. She glanced up when I stopped behind them, glanced at my hair and then went back to her book. I tilted my head slightly. Violet eyes were a tad rare, even in the Wizarding world. I wonder if she had some kind of Creature inheritance? I quickly shrugged it off though. It was none of my business after all. They were rather pretty though.

* * *

It didn't take long for the people in front of me to finish so I could approach the desk. I waited for the Goblin to finish what he was writing in the massive ledger in front of him and look up before speaking.

"Good morning," I said, "I was hoping that I could ask a few questions regarding my family today if at all possible."

"Name?" grunted the Goblin.

"Harry Potter," I said.

The Goblins eyes snapped up, fixing on my hair and eyes.

"It seems that I may have had a dormant Metamorph power," I said, "It activated this morning and I didn't fancy anyone knowing I was here, so…"

"I understand," said the Goblin, "However, you will have to undergo a test to confirm your identity. Sign your name on this."

He handed me a piece of parchment and a black quill with a sharp nib. I did as I was told, noting that my handwriting had improved a heck of a lot. I guess I'd inherited Harry's penmanship? Thats cool. I winced slightly as the Blood Quill did its thing. The goblin took the parchment and fed it into a slot on his desk. There was a sound that was suspiciously similar to dileup, before the crystal sitting just above the slot turned green.

"Excellent, right this way Sir," said the Goblin as he hopped of his stool.

I waited a moment for the short creature to emerge from behind the desk and followed him out of the lobby and into the halls. After a few minutes of twisting, identical passages lined by doors, we stopped in front of one with a brass plaque that read POTTER attached. The goblin knocked and opened the door.

"Wait here a moment please," he said and vanished inside.

A few moments later, he returned and waved me inside. The office on the other side was a rather odd mix of Wizarding and Muggle, with stone walls, heavy wood furniture and shelves full of scrolls and leather bound tomes next to metal filing cabinets, a printer and a genuine computer sitting on the desk. Behind said desk sat...something I had not expected.

Instead of an ugly, wrinkled Goblin like I was expecting, the creature was unearthly beautiful. It was the same height as any of the other Goblins I'd seen, with smooth, pale skin with a very faint green tint, soft, light blue hair that was pulled into a tight braid decorated with feathers, long, thin ears. It had large, almond shaped eyes that were almost with startling green irises and slightly green tinted whites. Its body was slender, with noticeable curves. Combined with the smart and professional looking suit she (because it had to be female) was wearing, it created a very odd image.

The being cleared her throat and I jumped and blushed as I realized I'd been caught staring.

"Um, sorry," I said.

"Don't worry, its fairly common for Humans to be taken aback upon seeing a female Goblin for the first time," said the apparent Goblin.

Good god, thats one heck of a case of sexual dimorphism!

"That...doesn't surprise me," I said, right before I realized how that might sound, "Um…"

However, the Goblin just laughed and waved me off before I could apologize.

"Oh don't worry, your Mother did the exact same thing when she met me," she said, "Anyway, my name is Leanan Sidhe, the Account Manager of the Potter family."

I blinked and held up a finger.

"Um…"

"No, I'm not that Leanan Sidhe," she said without looking at me

I put my finger back down.

"Shes my Grandmother."

Never mind. Leanan glanced up and caught my expression.

"Many stories of Humans getting caught up in deals with devils or Faeries are actually down to us," she said, "We Goblins are far more than a race of violent warriors or money obsessed bankers. While we put on that facard for the Wizarding World, the truth is that we are far more under the surface."

I frowned.

"If your putting on a show, why tell me?" I asked.

"Mostly because the Potters have been friends of the Fae Folk since before Merlins time," said Leanan, "But also because I had a lot of respect for your Parents and Grandparents."

She sighed.

"Their deaths were truly a great loss," she said, "Lily especially. She was truly brillent. Hell of a screamer as well."

The last part was whispered and I don't think I was supposed to hear it. I debated asking whether she meant was I thought she meant, before deciding that no, I did NOT need to know anything about Lily Potters sex life. Even if it was with the oddly attractive Goblin.

"Anyway, lets get back to business," said Leanan, "I'll be happy to discuss your Parents another time, but for now we have work to do."

She shuffled her papers and fixed me with a sharp gaze.

"First of all, I have to ask if you have ever received any correspondence from Gringotts," she said.

"No, the first message from the Wizarding World I received was my Hogwarts letter and since then, only letters from friends or Hogwarts," I said.

Leanan sighed.

"Thought so," she said, "We've sent monthly statements since your 11th birthday, along with requests to come into the bank. Our systems indicated that they had been received and opened, but the location they were opened at didn't match where you logically should be. The higher ups suspected that your mail was being intercepted and it seems that they were correct. Not only that, but an audit of your Family Vaults revealed that someone had been skimming off the top using the excuse of being your Magical Guardian. Since your Magical Guardian was in Azkaban, we put a stop to it and are making attempts to reclaim the missing money."

I blinked. Well, that was certainly better than I expected.

"Um, thank you," I said.

"Its my job to protect the Potter assets and ensure that they grow as much as possible," said Leanan, "We also discovered a Marriage Contract someone had snuck into the Potter file, but it wasn't worth the parchment it was written on, so I had it burnt."

"Who was it for?" I asked.

"One Ginevra Weasley," said Leanan.

I growled under my breath. Looks like I was right. This world would have cliches up the arse.

"Moving on, I'm pleased to report that the Potter Family investments are bringing in the projected figures…"

* * *

The next hour was spent discussing the current state of the Potter finances. As you might imagine, they were extensive and astronomical, with my liquid assets being enough that my great grandchildren would never have to work a day in their lives.

"Alright then Harry, the next thing we need to discuss is your Parents will," said Leanan as she closed the folder in front of her, "It has yet to be read due to being Sealed by order of the Chief Warlock, but as the last living member of the Potter family, you can order it read whenever you want. I'm not sure if Dumbledore forgot about that or just hoped you'd never find out. Considering that getting any information on the law in the Wizarding world is annoyingly hard unless your a Pureblood, its most likely the latter."

"In that case, as the Heir to the Potter Family, I'd like my Parents Will be read as soon as possible," I said.

Leanan nodded and made a note.

"It'll take a few days to get messages out to everyone who needs to be there, but I'll send a message when its time," she said, "Now that we know about the Mail Redirection Ward, its relatively simple to circumvent. If you like, we can examine you for anything similar before you leave for a small fee?"

"That may be best," I said, "I admit, certain things that have happened lately have made me feel a little...uneasy."

"Very well," said Leanan, "Finally, I'd like to perform an Inheritance Ritual to find out if you have any inheritances waiting in the wings we don't know about. I'm not expecting much, but Lily didn't have chance to perform one before she died, so there might be something from her."

I nodded and took the Blood Quill and golden parchment she handed me. A quick signature later and we watched as the golden covering began to dissolve, leaving words that quickly turned blood red.

Name: Harry James Potter

Father: James Charlus Potter

Mother: Lillian Marie Potter nee Evens

Godparents (SWORN)

Sirius Orion Black

Alice Kathryn Longbottom nee Rowle

House Inheritance: Potter (Heir apparent)

Gryffindor (Heir apparent)

Peverell(Heir apparent)

Ravenclaw(Heir apparent)

Slytherin (right of Conquest, Heir apparent)

Black (Heir Presumptive)

Powers and Skills: Metamorphmagi

Parseltongue

Complete poison immunity

Phoenix Tears and Basilisk Venom in blood

Leanan's eyebrows shot up so fast they nearly shot into orbit and she looked from the parchment to be incredulously.

"How are you still alive?" she asked, "That mix of substances in an immature body should have overloaded your magic!"

"Hell if I know," I said, "I was feeling rather sick until yesterday though."

Leanan eyed me for a moment, before she shrugged.

"None of my business anyway," she said, "I'll find what information I can on the Slytherin and Ravenclaw estates, but if the Gryffindor estate is anything to go by, there likely won't be much in terms of liquid assets. There should be a fair few artifacts though."

She shuffled her papers and tucked them away in a draw, before hopping off her chair and heading for the door.

"Well, come along," she said, "We still need to get you checked out.

* * *

Five minutes later, I was in an infirmary on a comfortable bed as another female Goblin, this one with hair as red as mine currently was and red eyes by the name of Liara, cursed violently in a mix of Gobbledygook, English and a few other languages, including Latin, German and Greek. I could only understand about one word in five, but she was currently on the fifth generation of ancestors of the people who had attached a wide, wide range of spells, potions and wards to me, ranging from about three different Loyalty potions and Wards intended to drain my magic to the remnants of the Horcrux and a partly deconstructed block that had prevented my Metamorphic powers from coming through and me from accessing nearly three quarters of my magic. Fortunately, most of the potions had been neutralized by the cocktail in my blood from the Chamber and said cocktail made me basically immune to any form of malicious potion, so that was a relief. I still intended to learn some detection spells however.

"She'll be like that for a while," said Leanan as her colleague turned the air blue behind her, "Shes...not happy."

And I mean that literally by the way. Something she was saying was either a magical language or she was so angry she was literally leaking magic.

"Yeah, I get that impression," I said, a little distracted as I kept scribbling down some of the profanity I could understand.

* * *

Eventually, the Goblin Healer finished up her tirade with a very succinct "...and the horse he rode in on!" and turned back, breathing heavily and a little flushed from the excursion.

"My apologies for that," said the Healer, "I simply despise those who hurt children and with the amount of Potions and blocks on you, you should be either braindead or a Squib. And thats not even mentioning those scars."

I twitched at the mention of the matt of scars across my back.

"Fortunately, the potions will flush themselves with time and aren't doing any harm and the Wards can be dispelled with a variant of Thief's Downfall. The blocks and scars however will take a little be more work on our part."

She handed me a jar of foul smelling, light green paste.

"That will help the scars heal," she said, "Just rub it into them every night before bed. You might need someone to help with the ones on your back. The jar is self refilling, so don't be stingy. Oh, and don't worry about paying for it. Its included in your examination."

"Thanks," I said, tucking the jar away in my pocket, "So, what now?"

The two females glanced at each other, before smiling at me. They were sweet as honey, as toxic as a snake bite and carried with them the deadly promise that came with making deals with the Fair Folk. I think I might regret asking that…

 **And done. Whoo boy, that took way longer than I thought it would. Still, it came out pretty much how I wanted, so thats fine.**

 **Now, while this will have a lot of cliches, some things will be a tad different. For starters, Ginny's not in on the whole thing to get Harry to marry her. Oh no, I have other plans for her! Giving the Goblins a role of being more than just a warrior race limited to being bankers was another.**

 **Speaking of, I was somewhat inspired by the Fairies from Artemis Fowl for the female Goblin design. Not sure why considering I've never actually read the books and have only skimmed the graphic novel version of the first book.**

 **No, I'm not sure why I had Lily and Leanan have a, um, close relationship. On a completely unrelated note, both Lily and James in this world were pretty sexually free, so expect things like that to keep popping up.**

 **You know, I don't think I've ever really seen anyone really explore what a Metamorph can do. Normally, its used as a plot point to get him with Nym or something then discarded and never really mentioned again. With that in mind, I intend to make it Harry's main trick since there was never any real clear limitations placed on the power, other than the fact it couldn't be learnt.**

 **Anyway, with that done, I'm going to sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	131. Slash Dog Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Slash Dog

Getting reborn as the son of a notorious supervillain in an equally notarius world should have been the start of a fight to remain on the side of light. Fortunately for me, this version of the world is a lot more Shonen than I was expecting.

 **Welp, it was really only a matter of time before I pulled out something like this. This is actually one of two ideas I came up with based around Longinus in Worm. This one is an actual crossover, although Worm is the primary world and you can basically assume that most of the events of DXD won't be happening. Anyway, ONWARDS!**

Chapter 1

I think I pissed someone off in my last life. No, scratch that, I know I pissed someone off in my last life. What do I mean by that? Well, let me tell you my story. It started on the day I died. Yes, its another of those stories, but keep listening. Its a good one. Anyway, as I was saying, I died and was reborn. The problem is that the world I was born into was one destined to be killed at the hands of its 'greatest hero' (or so I thought. More on that later though), a world infested by monsters of both the literal and metaphorical sense, where killers roamed the streets and people got superpowers from the worst day of their lives. Yep, I was born into the world of Worm. To make matters worse, both my Parents were in deep with the Empire Eighty Eight and I mean REALLY deep. My Dads fucking HOOKWOLF!

Well, I say hes my Dad, but hes more of a sperm donor. I'm pretty sure that the only reason he was ever around was that he was hoping I'd Trigger. As it turned out, he was wasting his time because I technically already had, but thats for later.

So yeah, as you can imagine, growing up was pretty rough. Between being home-schooled along with a number of other kids of E88 members (cus I guess they didn't want to risk the kids being 'corrupted' before they could indoctrinate them), Parents who I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire and a distinct lack of anyone who wasn't either a Nazi or fast approaching being one around, I only had one companion growing up, my little black corgi I named Zwei just to be clever. He was certainly smart enough and adorable enough to live up to the name at least.

I'm not entirely sure where the little dog had come from, although I have a feeling it was from my Grandma, who neither of my parents liked due to her considering the Empire to be a bunch of complete moron and once outright laughed in my Fathers face when he tried to intimidate her. She then proceeded to take him apart with her walking stick and leave him tied up for the PRT to collect. Hes still got a limp from that. Unfortunately, I didn't see her as much as I'd like due to the aforementioned dislike and asskicking, but I'm almost certain she was the one who gave me Zwei with the promise that he'd protect me. Still not entirely sure how a dog that doesn't even reach my knee is going to protect me, but whatever.

Other than that, she had a tendency of sending me books on mythology, mostly Norse, and runes, again, mostly from the Nordic styles, along with what can only be described as homework assignments. It was a little odd to say the least, but considering I didn't have much else to do, I did all the exercises she sent me. They were surprisingly fun to do.

* * *

Anyway, time did as it was want to do and kept marching on, regardless of what anyone wanted. I spent as much time as possible away from home and well away from anything my 'parents' (and I was still loath to call them that) thought was good, usually with only Zwei for company.

It was during one of these excursions that I met someone...interesting.

* * *

I was hanging out in one of the many small, rather anemic parks that were scattered around the city in a vane effort to bring a bit of colour and life to the city, keeping one eye on a group of strung out looking teens as I lounged on the grass under a tree with Zwei curled up at my side when a shadow fell over me. A little startled that someone had managed to sneak up on me, I looked up and was immediately struck with a sense of incredulity.

The person in question was a girl who looked about my age, maybe a tad older, with rough cut, reddish brown hair, hazel eyes and a build that indicated that she was extremely fit. She was wearing a bulky jacket with a fur collar and jeans held up by a belt with a dogs head buckle. I recognized her immediately as Bitch, but there was something...off about her looks. It took me a moment to figure it out because it was so unexpected.

In most depictions of Rachal Lindt, she was, perhaps not ugly, but definitely unattractive. However, this Rachal was. Attractive I mean. She wasn't conveniently beautiful like Glory Girl, but she was cute, in the same way a big, friendly dog was. I'm not doing a good job of explaining this, but its the best I can do. Basically, she'd likely get a lot of second looks from the guys if she wasn't scowling all the time. And a scary Cape. That tended to be a bit of a turn off.

I wasn't really worried about her though since, despite her reputation, she wasn't actually prone to random acts of violence, unless mistreatment of dogs was involved. The fact that Zwei was obviously well cared for would likely help endear me to her as well.

She ignored me as she crouched down in front of Zwei as the little dog sleeperly lifted his head. For a moment, the two just stared at each other as Rachels dogs milled around behind her, before the Cape reached out and scratched my dog behind the ears. He leaned into the petting, his tongue lolling out in pleasure. Without stopping the movements of her fingers, Rachel shifted her gaze to me. I met her gaze, not backing down, but also not pushing. I wasn't interested in being dominated or dominating this interaction, just happy being equals. After a moment, Rachel blinked and nodded.

"I like you," she said, "Keep him safe."

Then, she gave Zwei one last scratch and walked away. I watched her go, then looked at my dog, who met my gaze.

"Well, that was odd," I said.

* * *

That wasn't the last time I saw Rachel around. There were a few more times that she approached me while out and about. We never said more than a few words to each other, but despite that we somehow managed to create a connection. I have no idea why or how, but without words or even any overt body language, I quickly realized that Rachel liked being around someone who didn't give a rats ass about her reputation or powers. She obviously knew I knew who she was, but I never made a fuss or even made mention of it. It was...strange, but I liked it. She was certainly better company than the brats I was forced to spend time with by my Mother.

* * *

Of course, Rachel wasn't the only teenaged Villain I met. For reasons I'm not entirely sure of, shortly after I encountered the future Undersider, Hookwolf showed up along with Othela and Victor and introduced me to Cassandra Herren, AKA, Rune. I'm not entirely sure why, other than a vague idea that they might be hoping for me to Trigger at some point and possibly hook up with Rune, but the odd thing was, I actually kinda liked her. When she wasn't flinging around recycled racist slurs or in a mood, she was genuinely rather fun to be around. If she hadn't grown up around White Supremacists her whole life, she'd probably be a genuinely good person.

Oh well, it's not too late. It's not like she'd done anything truly unforgivable yet, so I decided I might as well see if I can show her that the Empires beliefs were bullshit at best. It would certainly be...interesting.

* * *

Of course, around here it was pretty much inevitable that I'd get caught up in SOMETHING Cape related and, wouldn't you know it, in my case it was one of the Empires little 'events' or rather, one of my 'Fathers' dogfighting rings. They tended to be done in abandoned lots in the Docks so the cops or PRT wouldn't crash the party. I was in the area because I was exploring some abandoned warehouses with Zwei and heard the barking and screaming.

I gritted my teeth as I watched a still and bleeding dog getting dragged out of the ring as the rounds victor was led away by a very pleased looking skinhead, panting with bloody foam leaking between its teeth and the many, many wounds that covered its body. This was...wrong, so utterly wrong. I haven't really been a dog person in my last life, but growing up with Zwei had given me a new appreciation for Mans Best Friend. I wanted to do something to help, but...I couldn't. I was just a powerless 15 year old Human with a well trained corgi. I could probably match most of the thugs out there in a fight, but not all at once. Plus, they had vicious fighting dogs and Hookwolf and the Twins were present. Yeah, nothing I could do. I sighed and slowly relaxed my fists, leaving red crescent shapes where my nails had dug into my palms.

"Come on Zwei, lets go," I muttered to the little Corgi.

Zwei stopped growling and looked up at me, tilting his head slightly. I could see the confusion in his eyes. He wanted to help as well, as impossible as it might seem, but he wouldn't stand a chance. I sighed again and knelt down, pulling the little dog into my arms.

"Sorry buddy, but we'd just end up getting squashed," I muttered into his fur, "And I know what Hookwolfs like. He'd probably force you to fight and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Zwei whined and licked my cheek. I smiled weakly and turned to leave. However, before I'd gone more than a few steps, there was a loud crash, followed by a lot of cursing. I spun around, just in time to see what looked like the unholy mixing of lizard, rhinoceros and tank come barreling into the band of bigots with all the subtlety of a brick to the face. I'd ask what the actual fuck Rachel was thinking attacking a gathering with three enemy Capes present, but she probably wasn't.

Still, I have to admit, those massive mutts made short work of the morons who tried to stop her. Had it not been for the presence of Hookwolf and the Twins, she probably would have won without issues. Alas it was not to be and the Twins rapidly grew in size and promptly flattened two Bitches dogs with their spear and shield as Hookwolf revved up and charged, knocking the third dog out of the way and taking its legs off with a swipe of a blade. Bitch reacted rather predictably to her dogs being taken out and let out a roar of rage, before charging the living wood chipper. It...didn't go well. Fortunately, Hookwolf shifted back before she could be shredded, but grabbed her uncoordinated swing easily and swept her feet out from under her. She hit the ground hard and was quickly pinned under a mix of Hookwolfs weight and his blades.

"So, your the bitch whos been targeting my men," growled Hookwolf, "Tch, pathetic. Looks like I need to drill them more if they're losing to a weakling like you. Oh well, at least you won't be a problem any more."

He raised his other hand, which transformed into a mass of spinning blades. My eyes widened. He was going to kill her! Before I could even think about it, my feet were moving with Zwei at my heels. Unfortunately, I was way to far away to reach them before Hookwolf shredded Rachel into bloody chunks.

"NO!" I shouted, throwing out my hand as Hookwolfs arm started descending.

I felt something inside me respond to my desperation and a connection snap into place, not to an omnicidal space whale, but to the little dog beside me. In response, Zwei's eyes flared red and he shot forwards like a missle, leaving a black and red trail behind as a curved, black blade with red runes running up the spine shot out of his forehead. He slammed into Hookwolf and seemed to explode, black fog and glowing blades erupting from the point of impact, along with a loud yell of pain and rage and a loud bark that was much, much deeper and louder than the little Corgi should have been able to produce.

I ignored it for the moment however in favour of kneeling down beside Rachel and offering her my hand.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Rachel glanced at me, then at the offered hand before, to my suprise, took it and let me pull her to her feet. I honestly hadn't expected her to accept the offered help.

"I'll be fine," she grunted.

I nodded and turned back to the cloud of darkness, just in time to see it implode, sending Hookwolf and the Twins flying, all covered in cuts and gashes and, in the case of the Twins, with their armour in tatters to the point that they were basically naked other than their masks. O...K, not sure why that happened, but considering how revealing their costumes were, its not that surprising.

However, it wasn't the downed Villains that had my attention, instead it was the massive hound that was padding towards me. It was huge, nearly as tall as me at the shoulder, with thick, black fur that turned gray at the feet, tail tip and tips of the thick ruff around its neck. Its eyes were blood red and glowing faintly, with a third slit in the middle of its forehead where the blade had appeared. Its fur moved slightly in an unfelt wind and the shadows below its paws rippled as if it was walking on water. I could feel him, the presence of the dog and its powers in the back of my mind and, despite the apparent impossibility, I knew its true name.

"Canis Lykaon," I muttered as I placed my hand on the Sacred Gears forehead, "Well, now I know where you came from. Now I just have to figure out how I have you."

Zwei closed his eyes happily at my touch, his tongue lolling out as I rubbed his ears. Unfortunately, an angry growl drew my attention away to my partner and the my Father, who was now on his feet and glaring at me as blades began to erupt from his body.

"You...damn...brat!" he snarled, "What do you think your doing?!"

I scowled as Zwei turned to glare at Hookwolf, growling lowly as blades began to emerge from under his fur.

"What I'm doing _Father,_ is stopping you from hurting my friend," I said, "And forging my own path while I'm at it."

I grinned.

"Lets see what the Inugami of the Black Blade can do against the Empires Mutt!" I said, "Get him Zwei!"

The Sacred Gear let out a howl and sprouted a massive number of God-slaying blades, before launching himself at Hookwolf. The Empire Cape barely had time to sprout his own blades before the Inugami was on him. It quickly became obvious who was more lethal though. Zwei was a weapon designed by the God of the Bible and had evolved to the point where it was able to kill Gods. Hookwolf was an idiot armed with blades made from Mortal steel. Zweis black blades made short work of Hookwolfs and drove him back, helped along by Zweis sharp teeth and claws.

At the same time, I trapped the still down Twins in a cage composed of black blades. It probably wouldn't keep them back if they started expanding, but considering their current state of dress, or lack there of, they didn't seem to interested in doing more than cover themselves and glare. Apparently, in addition to being able to direct Zwei with mental nudges and commands, I could also generate blades of darkness without directing the actual Avatar of my Sacred Gear to do it. I wonder if that was something all users could do or if I was just different? Eh, something to consider later I guess.

Suddenly, a flare from Zwei made me spin around, just in time to see a massive chunk of road slam into his side, knocking him away from Hookwolf, who immediately took advantage of the distraction to leap away and charge at me. I'm not sure if he intended to kill me or just take me down, but I wouldn't put it past him to do the former. He didn't give a shit about me, son or not, other than as a possible addition to the Empires roster which I'd just made obvious wouldn't be happening. Zwei scrambled back to his feet, but more rocks from Rune, who had apparently just arrived and was doing an excellent job of distracting my Sacred Gear, forced him to draw up short. I scowled and reached out with my power, summoning blades from the shadows in an attempt to trip Hookwolf. Unfortunately, he was obviously much more experienced than me and dodged the attacks with relative ease. I growled under my breath and summoned a pair of blades from the shadows of my sleeves as Rachel whistled for her own dogs.

However, before either of us could even think of countering Hookwolfs charge, a bolt of blue energy slammed into him and trapped him with magic circles around his chest, arms and legs while forcing him back into Human form.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" he snarled, struggling to get free.

I stared for a moment at the obvious use of magic, before the sound of a cane tapping on the ground made me turn. Walking towards the battlefield was an elderly looking woman with silver hair, blue eyes and wearing a deep blue robe. Despite the fact she was walking with a cane, her posture was rock solid and her face and eyes were utterly fearless, despite the fact there were five notorious Capes present. However, it was the sight of the woman just behind my Grandmother that really caught me off guard.

She was a beautiful woman with eye and hair, which nearly reached the ground, that were the same colour as Grandma, despite looking to be in her late teens. She was wearing armour that looked very similar to the Twins, consisting of a white breastplate with gold and pale blue accents, matching, fingerless gauntlets, boots, hip guards, and wing-shaped hair clips, with a black leotard underneath her breastplate, black thigh-high stockings, and a pale blue cloth wrapped underneath her hip guards.

Well...that was a tad unexpected. Why would Rossweisse be with Grandma, unless...oh. That...actually explains a fair amount about why she sent me so much information about Norse Magic.

"You need to work on your spatial awareness," said Grandma as she stopped beside me, "Canis Lykaon might be powerful, but even a Longinus User can be taken out by a lucky shot."

"Got it," I said, my voice a little weak, "Um…"

"Oh, this is Rossweisse, my other Grandchild," said Grandma, not taking her glare of Hookwolf, who was glaring right back and not pissing himself like he should be, "She doesn't have a boyfriend, but at least she has better taste than Lillian."

Rossweisse deflated, tears running down her face.

"Grannyyyy!" she whined.

"Oh, do be quiet Rose," said Gondul, "If you need something to do, restrain the wannabe Valkyrie over there."

She pointed at the Twins, who looked more than a little stunned, although whether that was due to the speed that Gondul had taken out Hookwolf or the fact they were in the presence of genuine Valkyrie is up for debate. Probably the former. As Rossweisse slunk away to do as she was told, Grandma turned to Rachel. The girl met Grandmas gaze as her dogs started to grow again.

"Don't bother with your dogs Miss Lindt," said Grandma, "I have no intention of fighting you."

She glanced around.

"However, I do suggest you leave. I have no doubt that some adventurous soul is recording and has likely called the PRT. I do not wish to have one of my Grandsons friends get arrested."

Rachel looked a little surprised and glanced at me.

"Thats probably a good idea," I said, "Get going."

She started at me for a moment longer, before nodding.

"Keep safe," she said and jogged away with her dogs on her heels.

As she vanished, Grandma turned to Hookwolf, who was still trying to get free.

"Now you Bradly, I have to say I am very disappointed," said Grandma I knew you were scum, but to try and kill your own son is simply inexcusable."

Hookwolfs face went purple, clearly visible, even under his mask.

"FUCK YOU BITCH!" he snarled, "That traitor is no son of mine!"

I would have been more hurt by that, but considering I barely considered my Parents to be worth the title, it didn't mean much.

"I see," said Gondul, her face darkening, "In that case…"

She paused and pointed her cane at a chunk of building Rune had just flung our way, blasting it to bits and catching the girl in another bind. She let out a yelp as she suddenly lost her connection to the car roof she was riding on and crashed to the ground.

"...you won't mind if I take him in," she continued as if nothing had happened, "Now that his powers are active, he'll need someone to help him control them."

"Not a chance!" snarled Hookwolf as he kept struggling to get lose, "He belongs to the Empire!"

"Um, not to butt in, but why in the world would I ever work for that lunatic Kaiser?" I asked, "I consider the lot of you to be either idiots or hypocrites and its not like you can target my family. Grandmas already kicked your ass and I hold Mother in about as much regard as I do you."

"Anyone can be convinced, given the right...method," sneered Hookwolf, "You wouldn't want anything to happen to that mutt of yours, would you?"

I blinked and glanced at Zwei as he padded up beside me and nuzzled into my side.

"You mean the dog thats the source of my power?" I asked, "And would have cut you to shreds if Rune hasn't arrived when she did?"

Hookwolfs face went a rather odd colour as he realized that that really wouldn't work well for him.

"Regardless, I will be taking Sam with me," said Grandma, "Unless he would rather…"

"Oh HELL no, I'm going with you!" I said quickly.

Grandma smiled.

"Good boy," she said, "Now, what to do with you…"

She tilted her head, then turned to the edge of the lot.

"I assume that you will take them?"

I frowned and was about to ask who she was talking to when someone responded.

"Yes, we will."

I frowned as Miss Militia and Armsmaster stepped out of the darkness. How long had they been there?

"They just arrived," said Rossweisse as she rejoined us from tying up the Twins.

Oh good, they had not just sat by and watched.

"Good, thats one less thing I need to worry about," said Grandma, "I would suggest that you improve your response time however. Or work on actually keeping the people you capture."

She fixed the two Capes with a rather intense glare that made Miss Militia shift and Armsmaster scowl. I noticed that they were eyeing Grandma and Rossweisse with no small amount of trepidation, no doubt due to the lack of masks and the latters choice of attire. After all, the Empire were well known for their many Norse themed Capes. I had to wonder how the actual Norse Gods felt about that, especially Odin with Allfather. Then again, if this was a world with DXD included, he was probably do busy molesting the Valkyrie to care.

Actually, that was a rather odd thought. If DXD was a thing, why were the Endbringers still around? They weren't so strong that the likes of the Satans or Leader Class couldn't beat them...right? Then there was Scion who...actually, now that I think about it, I hadn't actually heard that much about Goldenrod, other than a bit in my history class. I'd have to check up on that.

I shook the thoughts off and refocused on the here and now. Knowing what I did about Armsmaster, he was probably about to stick his foot in his mouth, likely to demand we go with them so they could try and get me into the Wards or something. Even considering I wasn't I Parahuman, there was no way in hell I'd be joining up with the Wards. Not when there were SO many other organizations available on the Magical side.

"You'll have to come with us as well," said Armsmaster.

There it was.

"No, I don't think we will," said Grandma dismissively, "We have done nothing wrong after all and it is very late."

She snapped her fingers and summoned a Teleportation circle. Armsmaster tightened his grip on the shaft of his halberd and stepped forwards.

"Don't make this difficult for yourself," he growled, "We need to confirm that…"

"No, you do not," snapped Grandma, "Neither myself, nor Rossweisse have any connection with you Capes and my Grandson has no reason to join your Wards."

Miss Militia stepped in front of her comrade before he could speak up again.

"Please excuse Armsmaster," she said, "Its been a rather...trying night. We simply need you to make a report and possibly register. As for your...Grandson, well, I'm afraid to say that the Wards may be the best place for him. After tonight, theres no way that his identity won't be compromised and…"

I snorted.

"Oh, like thats a problem," I said, "I don't really care if I get outed or anything. Its not like I have anyone close to me they could target and my power makes hiding a tad difficult."

I patted Zwei on the head. Miss Militia looked a little taken aback by that while Grandma just chuckled.

"Well, I trust that sorts that out?" she asked, "Now, we really must be going. Come along Samuel, Rose."

She stepped through the portal with Rossweisse following her. I paused before going through and looked back at the Heros.

"I'm pretty sure you need a name for your reports and I don't fancy getting landed with something stupid," I said, "So take this for what its worth."

I grinned and jabbed a thumb at my chest.

"My names Samuel Meadows, but you can call me Slash Dog!"

Zwei barked and I turned on my heel to follow the two Valkyrie through the Portal, leaving the Heroes to clean up the mess.

 **Hmm, I originally intended this to end a tad differently...oh well, this works just fine!**

 **So yes, this is a true crossover with DXD, although with Worm being the main world, most of the events of DXD won't be happening. That said, there are a few major differences. To start with, Zion is long dead, mainly because Ophis decided she wanted his empty dimension and smashed him into dust, so we won't have to worry about him. Thats not to say there still isn't plenty to worry about though!**

 **The Endbringers are still a thing though, mainly because none of the really powerful folks can stop arguing long enough to grind them into powder as well.**

 **On a completely unrelated note, Vista is now 15, although by the logic of Anime she looks about 12.**

 **This world also works on the logic of an Ecchi Anime, so most of the female cast will likely get stripped at least once and have got a makeover. Nothing massive, but enough to make a difference in terms of attractiveness.**

 **I also intend to have a few of the cast possess either Sacred Gears or links to the Supernatural world. You might be able to guess one by the tiny clue I left in this chapter. Depends on whether or not you were paying attention.**

 **Speaking of Sacred Gears, they and Parahuman abilities are not Mutually Exclusive, although those with active Gears generally won't Trigger due to any stress that would cause the Trigger being channeled into the evolution of their Gear. Thats not an absolute rule though! Oh, and like with Sacred Gears, you need to be at least partly Human to Trigger, with the only exception being Dragon, who was the result of Tinkertech anyway so already had a connection with a Shard.**

 **On a completely unrelated note, what should I do with Freed? I cant help but think he'd likely end up teaming up with the Nine considering he doesn't actually give a shit about Devils and the like and just wants to kill a lot of people. Hell, I might even give him a Trigger Event somehow...**

 **Anyway, I'm done with this now, so I'm gonna sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	132. Slash Dog Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Slash Dog

Getting reborn as the son of a notorious supervillain in an equally notarius world should have been the start of a fight to remain on the side of light. Fortunately for me, this version of the world is a lot more Shonen than I was expecting.

 **And we're back. Last chapter, someone pointed out that my depiction of Rachel reminded them of Riza Wildman from Resurrection Princess. Since I've never seen that Anime, it was unintentional, but after looking her up, I can confirm that was pretty much what I was going for, so its now canon. If only so I can do a gag later. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Emily Piggot was annoyed. Admittedly, that wasn't an unusual feeling for the overweight Director, but at least this time she had a good reason. Not only had someone Triggered very publicly in front of a massive number of Empire goons and three of their Capes, but two other completely unknown Capes had appeared out of nowhere, snatched up the newcomer and left after shooting down Armsmaster and Miss Militias attempts to bring them in.

"So, do we actually know anything?" asked Piggot, looking across the table at Miss Militia.

The Military Cape was actually better at research than Armsmaster, mainly because she had plenty of free time. The Kurdish woman cleared her throat and flipped through the papers in front of her, despite not needing them.

"I'm afraid we weren't able to find much information on the older woman, other than the fact her name is Gondul Sifsdottir and that she really is Slash Dogs great grandmother on his mother's side," she said, "She seems to be something of an authority on ancient Norse culture and something of an oprah fan, but thats about it."

She shuffled the papers again.

"The other woman we have more on," she said, "Her name is Rossweisse Sifsdottir, an academic high achiever. She skipped several grades and studied history and mythology at Oxford, as well as obtaining a teaching degree. There was some suspicion that she was a Thinker of some kind, but testing revealed that she didn't even have the potential to Trigger…"

Emily frowned as Battery spoke up.

"That can't be right," said Battery, "We've all seen the footage, she clearly did something to tie up Fenja and Menja!"

"Yes, I know," said Miss Militia, "But unless the results were falsified, she isn't a Cape."

"Is that everything?" asked Piggot.

"Other than the fact she was involved in an altercation at one of Bad Canary's gigs a few weeks ago that lead to a man being charged with assault, harassment and handed a restraining order, the only other thing of note is that she is apparently about to start a teaching job at Arcadia," said Miss Militia.

Piggot frowned.

"What are we going to do?" asked Dauntless.

"Nothing," said Piggot, "As much as it pains me to say it, neither of them have done anything wrong. As such, it would be...inappropriate to make any moves. I would however like someone to go and speak with them in more depth about possibly joining the Protectorate. Rossweisse may not be a Cape, but this Gondul woman certainly is."

"What concerns me most is the choice of name," said Armsmaster, "I did some research and Gondul is the name of a Valkyrie who appears a few times in Norse mythology. Plus, their surname is definitely Nordic in origin."

"You think they might be affiliated with the Empire?" asked Assault.

"Not likely," said Miss Militia, "She clearly held Hookwolf and the Twins in a great deal of contempt."

"No, I don't think shes affilated with the Empire," said Armsmaster, "I do however think she'll likely be targeted by them."

Piggot scowled. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, even worse thing.

"Well, theres nothing we can do about that," she said, "Like I said, I'd like someone to visit them at some point, so they can bring that up with them as well. Now, what about the third one, Slash Dog?"

Miss Militia grimoused and Piggot couldn't blame her. The boy represented one heck of a mess, on top of being someone of great interest to the PRT.

"Samuel Abraham Meadows, or Slash Dog, 15 years old, currently home school and the son of Lucy Sifsdottir and Bradley Meadows, better known as Hookwolf," said Miss Militia, "Surprisingly for someone his age from an Empire family, we don't have any records of him doing anything illegal, other than possibly loitering. Subtle questioning of his neighbours indicates that he either does not hold the same views as his parents or hides them very well, although we're betting on the former considering his extremely violent rejection of his Father. He seems to spend a lot of time away from home, walking his dog and has been seen a few times in the company of Rachal Lindt, AKA, Hellhound. Strangely, they seem to get on quite well."

That got a fair few reactions. Hellhound had a reputation of being abrasive at best and outright violent at worst, although to be fair, she wasn't actually that prone to random acts of violence unless she encountered someone abusing a dog. Then all bets were off.

"What do we think the chances are of Hellhound teaming up with Slash Dog?" asked Dauntless.

"Unknown I'm afraid," said Miss Militia, "Although considering how similar their powers are, its not out of the question."

"Speaking of which, what are his powers?" asked Assault.

"We're...not entirely sure," said Miss Militia, "We're pretty sure it has something to do with his dog, so the possibility is that its some kind of fusion of Hellhound and Hookwolfs power. There was a lot of gashes in the concrete made by blades a lot sharper than anything Hookwolf could make."

There was a moments silence as everyone absorbed that. The idea of someone being able to make monsters like Hellhound, combined with Hookwolfs blades was the stuff of nightmares.

"Actually, I think we might be in luck," said Velocity, "Apparently some brave soul decided to record the entire fight. The qualities terrible, but it might help us get some idea of what he can do."

Piggot indicated for him to go ahead and the Speedster brought up the main screen and started the video playing. They mostly watched in silence, although Battery did have to smack Assault over the head when he started giggling over the Twins getting stripped. He quickly stopped when Miss Militias power turned into a large, spiked flail and the kurdish woman glared hard at his crotch area.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," said Dauntless once the video was finished, "I think we can safely say that Slash Dog and Hellhound are friends and have similar powers."

"Master 6 at least," said Armsmaster, his head shifting slightly in a way that indicating he was making notes, "Along with Shaker 7 for the blades. Hmm, I wonder what the limits are on how he can create them?"

"I want to know how he got that ability," said Triumph, "I mean, I can sort of understand the dog and blades considering his Father and Hellhounds close proximity, but that ability to make blades grow seems a little off."

"Its likely an extension of his ability to make blades form on his dog," said Battery, "Although you are right that its unusual."

Piggot nodded in agreement.

"One things for sure, hes powerful," she said, "And, more importantly, unmasked. That puts him in an extremely precarious situation. I have no doubt that his relation to Hookwolf will come out just as quickly and then everyone will be trying to either kill him or recruit him. Since he'd be a nightmare to fight, I want him in the Wards…"

"That won't be necessary."

Everyone jumped as one of the screens suddenly activated, showing the image of a man in a smart looking suit sitting at a desk. For some reason, the top part of his face was in shadow, but from what could be seen, just his nose down and the black goatee on his chin, clearly showed that he was amused by something.

"Deputy Director Parsons, to what do we owe the pleasure?" asked Piggot once she'd got her heart rate back under control.

The Deputy Director of the PRT and head of R&D sat back in his seat, resting his chin on his fist.

"You don't need to worry about Sam or his family," he said, "They are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Plus, I have it on good authority that Slash Dog will soon be off the menu as it were."

Piggot frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The Deputy smirked and shifted slightly, allowing those in the room to catch a glimpse of his violet eyes.

"Lets just say that a very old friend is interested in creating a team of his own and Slash Dog is just the type of person he needs," he said.

* * *

You know, I'm not sure what I was expecting when I followed Grandma home. Maybe I was expecting something out of Thor, or maybe Skyrim, or possibly a small hut, full of glowing runes and dried herbs hanging from the ceiling. However, I didn't get any of that. Instead, after passing through the Circle, I found myself stood in an ordinary looking sitting room in an area of the city, right across the road from the Dallon house. How do I know that? Well, as we arrived, I caught sight of Glory Girl in full costume taking off from the house across the street. Somehow, I couldn't help but feel that that would end badly…

I shook that thought off for now though in favour of turning my attention to Grandma, who had just sent Rossweisse off through another circle to do...something. As soon as my cousin was gone, Grandma turned to me and indicated for me to take a seat. I did as I was told and she sat in the armchair across from me.

"I'm sure you have questions," said Grandma.

"A few," I said, "However, I think I'll let you tell me what I need to know first."

Grandma's lips twitched slightly.

"Very wise," she said, "Well, I suppose I should start with the basics. You are not a Parahuman. Your power doesn't come from the same place and its certainly not as limited…"

She proceeded to fill me in on the basics of the Supernatural world, even demonstrating some Magic and teaching me a basic cantrip to prove that she wasn't a crazy Cape. All pretty standard for a DXD fic. That said, I did have a few questions.

"Alright, so if the Supernatural exists, why is the world so fucked?" I asked, "I mean, couldn't you have done something about it?"

"Couldn't we have done something about every other conflict in history?" asked Grandma, "No, we remain hidden because we must. True, with the advent of Parahumans, its a lot easier to hide our presence by explaining what we can't hide away as Parahuman abilities, like you'll do with your Canis Lykaon and there are a lot of the younger generation who are pushing to reveal ourselves. However, our world is embroiled in just as many conflicts as the Mortal one, any one of which could potentially cause the destruction of everything. Until they can be sorted out, we must remain hidden."

I nodded slowly. That made sense, mostly. I was willing to bet that the main reason the Supernatural side was due to tradition, but Grandmas reasons also made sense.

"What about the Endbringers?" I asked, "Surely their just as much of a problem for you as everyone else?"

Grandma snorted.

"Oh, they are," she said, "There are much more powerful and dangerous things out there of course, but the Endbringers are one of the biggest sticking points at the moment. The problem is that no one can decide whos job it is to deal with the damn things and no one wants to just say to hell with it and smite them in case someone else takes it as a declaration of war. Frankly, its a complete mess and its unlikely to get better any time soon."

Yep, that was pretty much what I expected. Oh well, I dare say that, if Vali Team was going to be a thing, the White Dragon would be happy to fight something capable of sinking islands. Worst comes to worst, I dare say I could figure something out. The Longinus were capable of killing Gods, I'm sure there'd be something I could use to fight them.

"So, what now?" I asked, "I mean, I'm happy to not have to go home or with Hookwolf, but I'm not entirely sure what you want from me."

Grandma smiled.

"What I want is for you to reach your full potential," she said, "Your a good kid Samuel, I'd hate to see that get crushed out by my fool of a Granddaughter and your Father. I intend to teach you how to use Canis Lykaon to its fullest potential, how to fight like an Einherjar and how to wield Magic at least as well as Rose can."

I grinned.

"Now that sounds like fun," I said.

"Glad you think so," said Grandma, getting to her feet, "Oh, and you'll also be going to school."

That wiped the smile of my face.

"What?!"

* * *

"Ohh boy, this will not end well," I muttered as I stared up at the H-shaped building that was Arcadia Academy.

Yes, Academy, not High School. For reasons that I can only put down to Butterflys, the school was much more extensive than just a High School, instead resting on a large campus with buildings for all ages, ranging from Primary School, right up to Collage. For some odd reason, that struck a chord with me, like I should realize something important, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

It had been a few days since I'd been taken in by Grandma, during which time she'd managed to get Mother to sign the papers releasing me into her care, gotten me a placement test at Arcadia...somehow and taken me shopping to replace all my clothes, as well as pick up my uniform that Arcadia had for some reason. "Oh, don't worry so much," said Rossweisse, clapping me on the shoulder, "Your entrance exam results were top notch and the students and faculty are really nice. Hell, Granny even managed to convince them to let you bring Zwei along!"

"Yes, by claiming that we couldn't be separated due to him being my power," I growled.

Oh yes, in addition to getting into the best high school in the city, the last few days had also allowed my identity to be blasted all over the internet, including my connection to Hookwolf. Naturally, there was a lot of panicking, theorizing and even a few calls to have me thrown in prison. Because I guess having a Villain as a Father makes me one as well.

"Incidentally, how did Grandma pull that off?" I asked.

"Oh, she knows the Administrator," said Rossweisse, "I think he owned her a favour or something."

Annnd with that my mind started throwing out some rather worrying ideas. Just what sort of person could owe a Valkyrie a favour?

"Anyway, we should be getting going," said Rossweisse, "The bell will be going soon and I don't want to be late for our first day!"

I sighed and followed my Cousin into the school, doing my best to ignore the stares coming my way. I didn't really like the idea of leaving Zwei at home, but having the Corgi shaped Sacred Gear with me was making it that much easier to connect me to Slash Dog. I didn't really care that they knew I was a 'Cape' or anything, I didn't intend to wear a mask or anything, but I'd have liked to have built up a reputation of being at least nutriel before it became common knowledge…

Suddenly, a flash of red caught my attention and I turned my head, just in time to see a girl vanish up the stairs. A girl with crimson hair. Wait a goddamn min…!

My thought was abruptly cut off when I walked into someone, sending both of us crashing to the floor.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" shouted the girl I'd walked into.

"Um, sorry about that," I said, getting to my feet, "Guess I got distracted."

I offered a hand to the girl, which she ignored and got to her feet on her own. The first thing I noticed was just how short she was, to the point that she didn't look like she should be in the High School area of the Academy. However, she was wearing the green band that signified a high school student, so I guess she must be. She had blond hair cut in a short bob, green eyes and a few scars on her hands that I recognized as coming from hard training, mainly because I had the same scars on my own hands from where Hookwolf had taught me how to fight.

Incidentally, that was the one good thing the guy had given me.

The girl looked me up and down, before focusing on the Corgi currently riding on my head.

"Hey, aren't you Slash Dog?" she asked.

I sighed.

"Yes, thats me," I said, "I'm just starting today. And no, before you ask, I'm not a Villain or affiliated in any way with the Empire."

The girl eyed me for a moment, before opening her mouth. However, before she could say anything, a soft and slightly rough voice interrupted her.

"Hey Missy, get a move on!"

I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from reacting, both to the girls name and the person who'd said it. Lets address the second point first. While it wasn't impossible that there were two blondes called Missy in the city, the fact she was about the right height for the Ward and had scars from training and fights on her arms and hands indicated that this was indeed Vista. I guess Butterflys are good for more than making schools better.

However, what really had me wanting to punch something was the fact that the girl who'd called out to Missy was Koneko Toujou. No ifs ands or buts, it was Koneko, right down to the silver hair and cat shaped hairpins.

On a completely unrelated note, I just realized that the uniform was identical to the Kuoh Academy uniform from DXD. Thats...odd.

"Sorry Koneko!" said Missy, "I just ran into this guy. Literally."

I winced and rubbed the back of my head as the other Loli came up. She was only slightly taller than Missy, which was really jaring when you think about it.

"I said I was sorry," I said, "Anyway, you two have me at a bit of a disadvantage. You obviously know who I am, but I don't know you."

The two girls glanced at each other, before shrugging.

"I'm Missy Biron," said Missy, "And this is Koneko Toujou."

Both glared at me as if they were expecting me to say something about the Japanese name. Admittedly, that wasn't entirely unreasonable considering my parentage, but they'd have to be disappointed. Or pleasantly surprised.

"Nice to meet you both," I said, "I'm Sam, please not Slash Dog in school. Oh, and this is Zwei. I have no idea if the PRT or PHO intends to give him his own name, so hes just Zwei for now."

I indicated to the dog on my head, who barked a greeting.

"...dog," muttered Koneko.

I could practically see her ears laying back on her head and had to viciously supress the urge to see what she'd do in response to a laser light. I liked my testicals where they were thanks and annoying someone who could, and would, stomp them into jelly wasn't on my to do list.

"Anyway, I really ought to be going," I said, "I don't really want to be late for my first day and I seem to have lost my guide. I don't suppose that you two could tell me how to get to room 2-A, could you?"

The girls looked surprised.

"Thats our homeroom," said Missy.

Welp, thats not suspicious at all. I wonder who pulled the strings, Rias or the PRT? Either was an option considering that, as a Longinus wealder and the Grandson of a powerful Valkyrie, I was of great interest to the Devils in charge and as Hookwolfs son, I was definitely worth keeping an eye on for the PRT. This...was going to get confusing, I could tell.

"Well thats...handy," I said with a slightly forced smile, "So, shall we go?"

I followed the two Lolis through the school, pointedly ignoring the looks I was getting, until we reached 2-A, just in time for the bell to ring.

"Huh, timed it just right," I muttered as we entered the classroom.

As we did, the teacher looked up and faltered slightly at the sight of me. She was an attractive young woman with long, black hair tied up in a ponytail, fair skin and reddish brown eyes. She was wearing a vaguly gothic looking combination of a black shirt and skirt with white frills and high heeled shoes

"Ah, you must be our new student," she said with a surprisingly strong smile, "I'm Miss Castle, the English Teacher. Have you got your schedule and map?"

I nodded and held up the paperwork.

"Good, take a seat and good luck."

"Um, thank you?" I said, a little taken aback by the teachers apparent lack of reaction to having a known 'Cape' join her class.

Chances of her being Human? Fairly low by my estimation. Oh well, none of my business.

Much to my surprise, the first half of the day went by with few surprises. Oh, I attracted more than a few stares and I'm pretty sure I got hit by Glory Girls aura at one point, but no one attacked me or exploded, so I'd consider it a resounding success.

Then, lunchtime rolled around and things got...tense.

* * *

I was just packing up my stuff when the girls in the room started whispering and giggling. Curious, I looked up and immediately spotted the source. An upperclassman had just walked in, a rather handsome, blonde haired upperclassman. He had the look of a pretty boy, but I knew better than to underestimate him.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. What could Kiba want here? Wait, that was a stupid question considering he was walking this way.

"Sam Meadows?" he asked as he stopped in front of my desk.

"Thats me," I said.

Kiba smiled.

"I'm sorry to disrupt your lunch, but the Student Council wants to see you."

I tilted my head slightly. Did that mean that Rias and her Peerage were the Student Council here or did both Rias and Sona want to see me and Kiba was the best option? Whatever the fact, I'd find out soon enough.

"Its fine," I said, getting to my feet.

"I'm Isaiah by the way," said Ki...Isaiah as he led me out of the classroom, "Isaiah Knight."

I blinked. Apparently Rias sucked at coming up with names.

"Nice to meet you," I said, "Hopefully we can get along. God knows I could do with some people who don't look at me like I'm about to go Carrie on the class."

"Yeah, I can't imagine thats too pleasant," said Isaiah, "Anyway, we're here."

We stopped in front of a door and, even to my barely trained Magical senses, I could still feel the massive amount of power on the other side of the doors. Oh yeah, there were definitely two Kings in there. This was going to be...interesting.

 **And done. I feel a bit guilty about leaving it on a cliffhanger like this, but oh well. I want to finish this tonight, so you get what your given. Before I sign off, a few points.**

 **With Japan no longer a superpower, Rias and Sona didn't really have anywhere to set up a decent territory. So, and with the logic of Plot Convenience, they now live and operate out of Brockton Bay.**

 **I had plans for the Loli Duo from the start, mainly because I loved the idea of Missy and Koneko being friends. Also, is it just me or is the idea of those two working together absolutely terrifying?**

 **I...really don't think I need to spell out who Deputy Director Parsons is, do I? Yeah, Azazel's a busy bee these days.**

 **I don't really know enough about American schools to know if a uniform is common, but in this case, I couldn't resist. Plus, it saves me from having to come up with casual clothes for the DXD characters.**

 **Any guesses on who Miss Castle was based on? Don't worry, she won't have a large role, I just needed a design and that worked fine.**

 **Nepotism is great, aint it? Yeah, Gondul has no problems with pulling strings with Zeoticus to get Sam into Arcadia.**

 **Oh, and just in case your confused, Gondul is technically Sams Great Grandmother, but I don't fancy typing that all the time, so he just calls her Grandma.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	133. This Won't End Well Chapter 2

This Won't End Well

I get bored easily. Thats a simple fact and I often find myself coming up with stupid ideas to pass the time and maybe hit on something that I could write. So, when a friend came up with a Challenge that was right up my alley, I jumped at the chance and even dipped into some other areas for ideas for a silly, but fun, story. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who was bored. Now I have the unenviable task of fixing a world gone to shit. Oh well, at least its not Worm.

 **As I'm starting this, I just got back from the HP studio tour and I have to say, it was well worth it. Great day out, really interesting and great for inspiring me. I really should have taken my laptop. Oh well, I'm back so lets see what I can come up with. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The day everything started falling apart for Dumbledore started off fairly well. Breakfast was excellent, all of the Wards and Blocks keeping Harry weak were operating at full capacity and the Greater Good was safe in his hands. To bad he didn't do more than glance at the many instruments keeping an eye on Harry or he might not have missed the fact that many of them weren't spinning as quickly as they should have been.

There was a slight dip in Dumbledores good mood when he received a notice that Harry had changed his electives from Care and Divination to Runes, Arithmancy and Care, but that was relatively simple to fix. It wouldn't do for Harry to actually learn anything useful to fight with after all and he needed to understand Divination to accept the Prophecy!

With that fire extinguished, he turned his attention back to planning how best to get Harry with Ginny. The fact that neither of the children had actually shown much interest in each other (other some fangirling on Ginny's part) and barely knew each other didn't even cross his mind. He was Albus Dumbledore after all! Everyone knew that he knew best and besides, everyone knew that Potters liked redheads.

He was just finishing composing a letter to Molly Weasley suggesting that a little Love Potion could be used to get Harry and Ginny together when a large owl flew in through the open window. He frowned. While he did occasionally get letter outside of the normal breakfast rush, he recognized the owl as being the type Gringotts used. What could the Goblins want? He caught the letter the owl dropped, ignoring the bird as it turned around and flew right back out as he opened the envelope and pulled the letter out. A moment later, he went white as he saw it was a summon to the reading of the Potter Will.

"No!" he breathed and jumped to his feet, apperating to Diagon Alley.

He could not allow that reading to happen! Barely a second after he left, every single instrument in the room let out alarms and went dead. On his shelf, the Sorting Hat tilted his point to one side.

"Huh, I guess Harry-boys managed to shrug off the old geezers strings," he said, "Good on him, eh Fawkes?"

The Phoenix trilled and took a pull on the bottle of lighter fluid he had in his claw.

* * *

By the time I left the Bank after going through the Rituals required to strip away the Blocks that had been restraining my Magic, I was walking more than a little funny. The Rituals had HURT and I was still feeling the after affects, not helped in the least by the fact it seemed my Metamorph powers had apparently only been partly released, meaning that my control over that particular power was now shot. It wouldn't take much to send my hair and eyes into a crazy kaleidoscope of colours, but for now, I was managing to keep it as red. My magical control was also shot, but Leanan was nice enough to provide me with material with suggestions on how to regain control over both abilities. Apparently Metamorphs were a lot more common among Goblins, so they had more material.

As I limped out of the bank, I was nearly knocked over as a mauve and white blur shot past me into the bank. I regained my balance and was rather amused to see that it was Dumbledore, probably out to attempt to put out one of the fires I'd made for him. I couldn't help but snicker at the fact he had not looked at me twice, despite the fact all I'd changed was my hair and eye colour. Shaking my head, I headed back towards the Cauldron to pick up my list and get my books.

* * *

By the time I got back to the pub, Hedwig was back with a confirmation letter from Professor Mcgonagall about getting my elective changed and a new booklist for what I needed. There was also a little note about being pleased that I wasn't taking Divination anymore which had me smiling.

"Hey Padfoot, you up for a walk?" I asked the Animagus who had been napping on the bed.

He barked and trotted over to my side. I grinned and grabbed my book list.

With list in hand and a big bag of gold from my Vault in my pocket, I headed off into the alley with Padfoot at my heels, whistling a jaunty tune as I went to stock up on supplies. I started by restocking my Potions supplies, before heading to Madam Malkins to buy some new Robes since mine no longer fit. I made a mental note to head out into the Muggle world for an entirely new wardrobe later. I'd also need to see about picking up some Muggle books while I was at it.

* * *

Speaking of books, my last stop was at Flourish and Blotts where I got my required books and, after a curious flip through of my Runes and Arithmancy texts, went a little mad on getting everything I could on them, along with a number of esoteric books on spells not taught in the Hogwarts silibus, Bestiaries, politics, history and everything else you can think of that could potentially give me an edge.

It was then when I met someone I wasn't expecting. I was just reaching for another book when another hand tried to grab it at the same time. The hands owner was a pretty girl who looked about my age with aristocratic features, light blue eyes and long, flaxen hair kept back with a headband. She was wearing light, summer robes in a rather nice shade of purple, indicating that she was likely a pureblood.

I tilted my head slightly, trying to place her because she was causing the memories from Harry to act up. It took a moment, but I eventually recognized her as Pansy Parkinson, which was more than a little supring for obvious reasons. Guess we can assume that either Harry isn't the best narrator or this world is a little different. Probably a bit of both in all honesty.

"Ah, sorry about that," I said, picking up the book we were both reaching for, "Here."

What? She might be a Slytherin, but I wasn't so petty as to assume that everyone in that house is a horrible person. Besides, we were KIDS, barely even 13 in most cases. The idea that she was doing anything but spouting nonsense learnt from her parents was laughable.

"Thank you," said Pansy with a slight bow as she took the offered book.

"Your taking Runes?" I asked, noting that the book was a basic Rune dictionary.

"Yes, my Mother wanted me to do so," she said, "Do you go to Hogwarts? I don't recognize you."

I smiled.

"Oh, I tend to...blend into the background whenever possible."

Pansy raised an eyebrow and eyed my bright red hair.

"I'm good at blending in," I said.

"Clearly," said the Slytherin girl dryly, "So, why are you taking Runes?"

My eyes immediately lit up.

"Because their so damn fascinating!" I said, "Them and Arithmancy! Magics great and you can do a lot, but Runes makes things permanent and Arithmancy doesn't just settled on 'because Magic', but instead anchors it in reality and explains why. Combine the two and, well, I don't even know if there'd be any limits to what you can pull off!"

I caught the expression on Pansys face and blushed.

"Um, sorry," I said sheepishly, "I guess I'm already obsessed with them…"

Pansy shook her head.

"No, its fine," she said, "I'm the same with Charms."

I smiled and glanced at my watch.

"Well, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I gotta run," I said, "See ya Pansy!"

I grabbed another copy of the rune dictionary and jogged off to pay for the books and rejoin Padfoot, who was waiting outside. Very few shops would let a dog in after all. He didn't seem to mind though and seemed to be making the most of his situation by trying to look up attractive Witches skirts.

* * *

With my school shopping done, I hit some of the shops off the beaten path. Diagon Alley was far more extensive than just the main street, that was just where most of the well known shops were located. I found a fair few interesting books and nicknacks I bought on a whim, although I wasn't entirely sure what I'd end up doing with them. Padfoot was a pretty good guide, showing me all sorts of interesting shops without making it obvious he was showing them to me. If I hadn't known his true identity, I wouldn't have guessed he was more than a curious dog.

With my shopping done, I headed back to my room at the Cauldron, unloaded my stuff and started planning what I'd do for the rest of the holidays. Mostly, it would be studying, getting the homework the original Harry hadn't done done, with a break somewhere in there to visit the Muggle world and get a new wardrobe.

* * *

Since it was something completely new to me, I decided that I'd start with reading through the book on Metamorphs Leanan had given me. By the time I was done, I was practically cackling in glee. While Human and Goblin Metamorphs were different, there was enough crossover for me to get a decent idea of what I was capable of and it was GLORIOUS! There was practically no limit to how a Metamorph could manipulate their body, even increasing their body mass wasn't that big of a deal. The only limiting factors was the amount of Magic the user had and the fact that one had to understand what they were creating. Normally, that was fine because they'd just be changing surface details, but if I understood how an electric fish generates and stores its electricity, it was entirely possible to give myself inbuilt tasers. Or create claws or fangs containing toxins from all over the animal kingdom, solid armour plates, dense and powerful muscles or even do a complete overhaul of my respiratory, digestive and nervous systems to make them more efficient.

In short, it was overpowered as fuck!

The only real limitation was that it couldn't create inorganic substances, so no metal claws for me. That was fine however because there were plenty of organic substances that would work fine. Like carbon fibers for example. Oh, and increasing or decreasing ones size wasn't recommend due to the fact it would expend a lot more magic than simply modifying whats already there, but it was still entirely possible.

With that in mind, I pushed up my visit to the Muggle world and bought a massive number of biology and chemistry books so I could learn how to create the natural weapons I fully intended to make full use of, along with some engineering books so I could see if I couldn't figure out a way to create natural drills or something.

* * *

The day before the Will Reading, something rather interesting happened. And by interesting, I met the someone I really wasn't expecting.

The day started out like all the others, with breakfast in the Cauldron, followed by heading out to find somewhere to sit and enjoy the nice day. Like I said before, Diagon alley was a lot more extensive than shown and included in that was a few seating areas, including a Magical Park (which wasn't that different from a Muggle one) and a memorial dedicated to those who fell during the war with Grindelwald. I'd found a particularly nice one with flower beds around a fountain and a large oak tree which was great for climbing. I think it was also a wand tree because I'd seen Ollivander out and about on occasion, taking clippings and branches from the ancient oak.

Currently, I was lounging beneath the branches, practicing with my Metamorph powers. I was currently working on a set of claws with built in electric cells I'd put a lot of work into building so they were as powerful as tasers, practicing shifting my hand into them and back again as quickly as possible. One of the best elements of Metamorph powers was that I only had to develop a form once and it would be 'saved' in such a way I could bring it out in one go, rather than focus on recreating it from scratch. Currently, bringing out my claws made my hand turned black and my fingernails extend into short, but extremely sharp blades. The reason for the colour change was that I massively increased the amount of carbon in my skin, making it incredibly hard and to better conduct the electricity. I intended to figure out a way to channel the electricity through my entire body at some point, preferably without having to turn into a copy of Greed.

I was also working on a varent with poison sacs and much longer claws that were closer to the ones from Prototype, but I was having trouble due to the fact that my blood still contained Basilisk Venom and it was affecting the poisons I created. Hell, one of the first things I created was a set of claws with venom sacs that contained said venom, which I discovered after I accidentally made a small cut in the table which started to dissolve. The damn stuff was incredibly corrosive, on top of being lethal to virtually everything. That was great, it meant I had an absolutely lethal weapon available to me, but I didn't just want something instantly lethal. I wanted to make poisons that would just take out my opponents in the event I didn't want them dead.

I sighed and turned my hand back to normal, absently shaking it out as I got to my feet. Using my Metamorph power didn't hurt, but extensive and quick transformation, especially over a short time, had a tendency of making me itch, a feeling much like pins and needles.

* * *

I was just trying to decide whether I should head into the Muggle world for lunch or go to Fortescue's, which served more than just ice cream, when a familiar voice from down an alley made me pause. It was a little odd because I'd never heard the voice in my life, instead it came from the memories I'd inherited from the old Harry. I looked down the alley and scowled when I saw Malfoy and his bookends blocking the path of a short figure with black hair.

I hesitated for a moment, before starting down the alley towards the standoff. Hey, I'd have to meet Draco eventually, why not now? As an added bonus, I could get a new friend out of the deal! I was momentarily tempted to jab the little idiot in the back with a set of electrically charged claws, but that would be a bit of an overkill for dealing with a moron like Malfoy. I did put a hand behind my back and transform it though, just in case.

"Oh wow, how brave," I drawled as I approached, "Three against one. I guess its true what they say about Purebloods."

My voice was full of enough sarchasm to even penetrate Rons thick skull. It was certainly enough for Malfoy to notice as he spun around and glared at me.

"Who do you think you are!?" he snarled, "Do you know who I am?!"

"Do you know who I am?" I shot back.

Malfoy looked a little taken aback by that, but quickly rallied.

"I am the Heir to House Malfoy!" he yelled.

"I fail to see what your name has to do with anything when your being a twat," I said blandly.

"Why you little…" snarled Malfoy, whipping out his wand and pointing it at me.

I raised an eyebrow, not really that intimidated by the shaking focus.

"And here I thought we weren't supposed to use Magic outside of school," I drawled.

"Shows what you know Mudblood," he sneered, "I'm a Malfoy, I can use Magic whenever I want!"

I sighed.

"And that right there is the biggest problem with this world," I said, "Money and blood matter more than skill and integraty. Oh well."

I grinned suddenly.

"Hey, have you ever heard of a Taser?" I asked.

Malfoy blinked.

"Huh?"

"Guess not," I said, "Oh well, thats not really that much of a shock."

With that, I whipped my transformed hand around and jabbed it into Malfoys side. There was a loud crack and the blond collapsed, his hair on end and his muscles spasming. His two thugs jumped at the sudden attack, but before they could react, the girl they'd been harrassing grabbed them by the sides of the head and, in an impressive display of strength for one so small, cracked their heads together. I tilted my head on one side.

"Huh, guess you didn't need help after all," I said.

"No, but it was appreciated anyway," she said, her voice flat and a little emotionless.

It took a moment, but I quickly realized it was the girl who had been in front of me at the bank the other day. She gave a short bow.

"Thank you," she said.

"Eh, beating up idiots like Malfoy is always a pleasure," I said, "So, might I know the name of the pretty lady?"

Man, just where was all this confidence coming from? I mean, canon Harry wasn't exactly known for being outgoing and I'm not much better. Oh well, not complaining.

The girls cheeks pinked everso slightly.

"Su Li," she said.

Well, that was a tad unexpected. She looked too short to be a Third Year and I didn't recognize her. Then again, she was a Ravenclaw and seemed like the type to disappear into the background. I smiled.

"Nice to meet you," I said, "I'm Harry Potter. Yes, I know I don't look it, but I'm apparently a Metamorph."

To prove it, I turned my hair bright green and my eyes fluorescent pink. What happened next was rather unexpected. Rather than any reaction you'd expect, Su's expression went even blanker (if such a thing was possible) and she stiffened.

"My apologies," she said with a respectful bow, "I must be going."

She turned and vanished out of the alley before I could respond.

"Um, what was that all about?" I muttered.

* * *

The next day saw me getting up bright and early and getting dressed in some of the formal robes I'd picked up from Twilfitt and Tatting's. The shop was rather expensive, but did excellent work for upmarket robes for formal events. Since I was the heir to a fair number of old and powerful Families, I figured I should at least try to look the part. The robes in question were black with a deep crimson trim that matched my favored hair colour and made me look a lot like Sirzechs from DXD. And no, that totally wasn't intentional.

I was met in the bank lobby by Leanan, who looked me up and down with a rather worrying gleam in her eye.

"Lookin good kid," she said, "You clean up good."

She glanced at Padfoot, who had decided to accompany me after spending most of his time lounging in the Leaky Cauldron's main room, begging scraps of the customers while I was out doing my own thing, and nodded in greeting. Yeah, I'm pretty sure she knew who he was.

I sighed.

"Yes yes, horny goblins are horny," I said, "So, how much trouble has Dumbledore been making since he came charging in?"

Leanan smirked.

"Oh, no trouble at all," she said, "We've just been letting him dig a deeper hole for himself, and lead us right to those in the Bank who were helping him keep you in the dark about your heritage. They have been...dealt with."

I tilted my head on one side.

"Executed?"

Leanan gave me a funny look.

"Of course not, we're not savages!" she said, "They've been reassigned to the Dragon Pens. On dung duty."

I thought back to the book on Dragons I'd got (what? Dragons are cool!) and paled. It might not surprise you to hear that Dragons produce a lot of shit, which is always hot enough to scald when it is first...dumped. It also has to be collected while its still hot in order to be treated and turned into fertilizer, which meant that the job of collecting it was as dangerous as it was unpleasant. Especially when you consider how territorial Dragons could be and the fact the stuff was often collected while the Dragon was still in its pen. That meant that occasionally people moved in before the dragon was done, leading to them being buried in burning dragon shit.

"Fair enough," I said, "So, shall we?"

"Right this way Mr Potter," said Leanan, leading me through a door and down a hallway.

It took less than a minute to reach our destination, a pair of double doors emblazoned with a Phoenix with a scroll in one claw and a quill in the other.

"Huh, I expected that to take longer," I said.  
"Goblin friends get to avoid being taken the long way round," said Leanan, "Everyone else would take a full half an hour to reach the room."

I snorted as I followed her inside. The more I learnt about the Goblins the more I liked them.

Anyway, the room I'd been led to was fairly large, with a raised dais with a podium at one end and rows of chairs set up, some of which were already occupied. I quickly recognized Remus Lupin sitting at the back and trying to look inconspicuous, as well as Dumbledore sitting near the front and...was he pouting? Well, thats...odd. Also present was a small family that was probably the Tonks' considering that one of them was a young woman in punk clothes with spiky pink hair, an attractive woman with red hair pulled into a severe bun in red Auror robes accompanied by a red-headed girl who looked my age I quickly recognized as Susan Bones (mostly because Harry took notice of her impressive bust for her age. Horny brat), which made the woman Amelia Bones, Neville and his Grandma and, much to my surprise, the Malfoys. Draco and Lucius were both flushed and out of breath, but Narcissa looked much more composed. She was also not what I expected.

For one thing, she lacked the expression that she had something foul smelling under her nose, instead appearing almost...nervous? Why would she be nervous? More to the point, why were they here? Oh, and Draco went purple when he saw my entrance and started whispering to his Father. As he did, Narcissa gave look of long suffering annoyance. Hmm, I'm starting to think that maybe there was trouble in Paradise and Lucius might be losing his connection to the Blacks as soon as Sirius was exonerated.

Suddenly, I was distracted from my thoughts on the Malfoys when the doors opened again and another family entered. To my surprise, it was Su and two adults who could only be her Parents. Her Father wasn't to impressive, although his robes were high quality and he had an air about him that I quickly noted indicated that he was not one to take lightly. Her mother on the other hand was a lot more eye catching, mainly because she was Japanese, not Chinese, and was wearing an expensive looking Kimono decorated with dogs of all things and had a katana tucked into her obi. All three of them were carefully controlled, although I did note that Mrs Li had her hands clenched extremely tightly.

Before I could think any more on that, Leanan clapped her hands, drawing everyones attention to her.

"Alright now that everyone's here, we can begin," she said.

There was some general muttering as everyone not sitting found seats and Leanan walked up to the front of the room and placed an orb on the pedestal. However, before she could start the apparent playback, Dumbledore decided to stand up.

"I must protest!" he said, "I…"

"Sit down and shut up," snapped Leanan, cutting him off, "You have been permitted to stay ONLY because you were the witness, but if you continue to disrupt the reading, I will have you removed."

Dumbledore went red, before he sat down with a growl.

"Thank you," said Leanan, "Now, lets begin."

She prodded something on the pedestal and the orb began to glow.

 _I, James Charlus Potter, being sound of body and mind, bequeath all of my personal belongings and moneys, other than a few personal bequests, to my wife, Lily Marie Potter. Should she proceed me to death, all of the above will instead go to my son, Harry. Should the unthinkable happen and Harry also predecease me, the Potter fortune is to be gifted to the Goblins of the Sidhe Clan for they have been dear friends for as long as the Potter Family has existed._

 _And now, onto the personal gifts._

 _To my dear friend and blood brother, Sirius Black, I gift to you 200,000 Galleon and the Potter Holiday home in Brighton. I know how much you loved the place Padfoot and I hope that you and whatever woman manages to tame you can call it home for a long time to come._

 _To Remus John Lupin, I offer my sincerest apologies and gift you 200,000 Galleon and the Potter Cottage in Dartmoor. It has already been installed with a Werewolf cage and a lifetime supply of Wolfsbane. Again, I am sorry Moony, I never should have doubted you._

 _To Peter Edmund Pettigrew, if I died of natural causes, I leave you a further 200,000 Galleon and my notes on picking up chicks. God knows you need it. However, should I have died at Voldemorts hand, I name you a Traitor, strip you of your place in the Marauders and demand your arrest! You who I trusted enough to make the Secret Keeper of my home and location of my family. May you rot in whatever hell you find yourself in._

 _And now I hand this over to dear Lily-flower. Enjoy!_

 _ **Don't call me that James! Oh, never mind, I, Lily Marie Potter, being sound of body and mind, bequeath all of my personal belongings and moneys, other than a few personal bequests, to my Husband, James Charlus Potter. Should he proceed me to death, all of the above will instead go to my son, Harry. Should the unthinkable happen and Harry also predecease me, the Potter fortune is to be gifted to the Goblins of the Sidhe Clan for they have been dear friends for as long as the Potter Family has existed, as well as being great personal friends.**_

 _ **To Amelia Carol Bones, I leave my Toybox, may it let you keep those good memories alive and help you snag Sirius. I know you have your eyes on him!**_

I am SO glad I wasn't drinking then or I'd have spat it out in an epic spit-take. I shot a look over at the Director of the DWME and saw that the formidable woman was blushing brightly and squirming in her seat as all eyes turned to her. Beside me, Padfoot seemed to be blushing under his fur. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it.

 _ **To Cissy and Andi, I leave some memories of a happier time. Be happy ladies, you deserve it~. Oh, and I'm sorry if I caused you and Ted problems Andi.**_

Oooh god, this is gonna be a thing isn't it? Still, I have to admit, the idea of Lily and the Black sisters together was...NO, BAD THOUGHTS! Also, what did she mean problems?

I glanced over at where the Tonks were sitting and saw that Andromeda looked as embarrassed as Amelia, but was smiling as Ted hugged her close. Nym just looked confused. I shrugged and glanced over at the Malfoys. Narcissa was squirming in her seat, bright red and deliberately not looking at her husband and son as they stared at her, aghast.

I snickered at the looks on their faces and turned back to the front as the will continued.

 _ **To Alice Kathryne Longbottom, I leave the contents of my wardrobe. Who knows, you might find some use for them with Frank and Neville!**_

I dropped my face into my hands as a rather high pitched squeaking sound came from where Neville was sitting. I didn't think that she meant THAT, but considering what I'd learnt about Lily recently, I wouldn't put it past her.

 _ **Finally, to Yuki Li, I leave my sincerest apologies. I had no idea just what me turning you away would do to you and your family. I truly wish that I could apologize in person, but if you're hearing this, its likely to late. Still, I can at least do this much. Ahem, I, Lily Marie Potter, hereby rescind any and all orders given to Yuki Li and release her from her bonds to me and mine. Go and be free.**_

There was the sound of a sigh.

 _ **Again, I am sorry Yuki.**_

I glanced over at where the Lis were sitting and saw that Mrs Li was biting her lip with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Lily, thats not how it works," she muttered, "A life for a life...the debt still needs to be payed."

She glanced at me and saw me watching her. Our eyes met and she nodded slightly. I frowned. What was that all about?

I quickly turned back to the front as the Will started up again.

 _ **Now thats done, lets get onto the more important stuff. Should both James and I die, our son is to be left with one of the following people:**_

 _ **Frances Albert Longbottom and his wife, Alice Kathryn Longbottom. They are our dear friends and Alice is Harry's Godmother. I'm certain that Harry and Neville would be great Brothers.**_

 _ **Sirius Orion Black, Harry's Sworn Godfather. While I do feel that he is a tad irresponsable at the moment, I have no doubt that he will make an excellent Father for Harry. Besides, he would have Remus to help. Sorry we can't leave you as a possible guardian Remy, but you know what the Ministry is like.**_

 _ **Amelia Carol Bones. One of my best friends at school. I know that she is currently caring for her niece, but Harry and Susan were great friends as babies and so adorable together.**_

 _ **Andromeda Ursula Tonks and Theodore Henry Tonks. More dear and trusted friends with a daughter of their own. I'm sure raising two Metamorphs will be a tough job, but Andi's more than up for it.**_

 _ **Under NO circumstances is Harry to be left with my Sister. She despises Magic and me and I wouldn't put it past her to simply drown my son.**_

 _ **Should none of the above be available, Harry is to be placed with a Wizarding Family who has never had ANY connection with the Death Eaters, even if they claim the Imperious Curse. Whoever raises Harry is to receive a 10,000 Galleon stipend for his upkeep.**_

 _ **Harry, if your hearing this, know that we love you more than life itself. Be good, grow up well and never allow anyone to tell you who or what to be!**_

 _What your Mother said son. Hell, if your anything like her, I know you'll enjoy life to the fullest._

 **Will witnessed by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.**

For a moment, everything was silent, before Amelia Bones slowly turned her head to glare at Dumbledore.

"Albus, I think you have some explaining to do," she growled.

 **And done. Well, that was certainly fun. I think Dumbledores in trouble!**

 **Hes also delusional and his Phoenix is an alcoholic.**

 **Incidentally, yes, most of those are indeed what you think they are, other than what she left Alice. Oh, some of the costumes are indeed for the bedroom, but it was mostly for Cosplay.**

 **But yes, she was the one who did most of the bedding, despite James' reputation as a man-whore. Incidentally, most of her conquests were women.**

 **So, I'm sure that some people are wondering just who I intend to have Harry hook up with, so heres the list: Hermione Granger, Su Li, Susan Bones, Pansy Parkinson, Gabrielle Delacour and Tonks, although that last one isnt set in stone. I've actually got another idea I could use for her that I've already hinted at in this chapter. Then again, that wouldn't stop some people on this site, so I might combine the two.**

 **Hmm, I wonder whats up with the Li family? Could it be I have some plans for them? No shit, although I would be interested in seeing if anyone can come up with what I have in mind. Heres a clue, I was actually inspired for the idea by a Wesen from Grimm. They aren't Wesen though, just to be clear.**

 **Yeahh, Metamorphs are OP.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	134. Puella Magi Madoka Prisma chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Puella Magi Madoka Prisma

Getting reborn as a girl was...interesting. Getting reborn as a girl destined to either be a destroyer or a literal Goddess was a pain in the ass considering I don't fancy being either. I certainly didn't expect to take a staff to the face and dragged into a quest searching for cards. Maybe Kyubey would have been a better choice...

 **Welp, it was only a matter of time, but here we go, a proper female Outsider and its Madoka to boot! Of course, I don't do dark shit, even when the worlds already fucked, so lets see what happens when you add Kaleidostick Ruby to the mix, shall we? This'll be fun! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, there are a few ways I imagined dieing, but choking to death and sashimi was not one of them. To make matters worse, my last thought as my brain starved of oxygen was 'I wish I'd told the chef to hold the wasabi'. Not the most poetic last thought, is it? Of course, death was not the end for me or I wouldn't be sat here, dictating this to you, now would I? No, instead, the next thing I became aware of was being pushed out of my Mothers uterus and being convinced that something was very, very wrong. I was proven right a few moments later when my barely mature baby ears picked up the first words of my new life.

"Congratulations, its a girl!"

Welp, this is certainly going to be...interesting, but I could deal. What I couldn't deal with was what my new Mother cooed when I was handed to her.

"Welcome to the world, Madoka Kaname."

Oh...shit.

And with the revelation that I was screwed from day one, I did the only thing I could and started bawling at the top of my tiny lungs.

* * *

Urg, anyway, even with my Soul being making me a tad more aware than other babies, my new bodies brain was (thankfully) much to undeveloped to actually remember what it was like growing up, thank god. That said, once I could remember everything, I found that growing up as a little girl wasn't all that different than growing up as a boy. Then again, what was I expecting? I was still mentally male and, although I wasn't experiencing to much dysmorphia, which suggested that my physical body was having an affect on me, I wouldn't find out just how much that would increase or not until I reached puberty...oh hell, thats not going to be fun.

Anyway, on the up side, my tomboyish tendencies helped me befriend Sayaka and, ironically enough, Hitomi, who originally was a right bossy brat who tried to get the two of us to act more like ladies. We put a stop to that by pinning her and tickling her into submission which, in the logic of preschoolers, meant we became friends.

* * *

I don't really have many stories of my childhood, or at least, none that are worth telling. Knowing that the future held little more than despair and either death or becoming a Goddess (if that was even possible), I did my best to be, well, normal. Well, as normal as a little girl with a 22 year old man in her head can be. That...sounded way better in my head.

Actually, now that I think about it, there is something I should mention. It was the event that first sparked the idea that I was both saved...and even more boned than I could ever have expected.

* * *

It was my 5th birthday and we'd all gone out to a rather nice restaurant that served some pretty damn good English style food. Steak and ale, cottage and shepards pies, top notch fish and chips, curries and more, all cooked to perfection by a chef with an accent so thick it could be cut with a knife. It was hearty, greasy and absolutely perfect. Even my family and friends had a good time, although I could have done without Sayaka convincing me to try some of her curry. I hated spicy food and have next to no resistance to the stuff, leading me to polish of my milkshake in one go and my tongue was STILL numb. I pointedly ignored my treacherous friends giggling at my flushed face as I hopped off my chair and headed to the loo, infinitely glad that my Parents had adapted enough to having an incredibly mature daughter to trust me enough to take a piss on my own.

After finishing my business, I left the bathroom and started heading back to the table, only to walk straight into someone coming the other way. Naturally, between a light little girl and a tall old man, I was knocked back off my feet and landed on my bum.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry little lady," said the man I'd walked into, "Are you alright?"

"Ah, yes I'm…" I started, but trailed off as I realized that he hadn't spoken Japanese.

He had spoken English.

Perhaps that's not too much of a surprise, but I was clearly too young to have really started learning another language yet (not helped by being the shortest in my class. Again) and there really wasn't any reason to assume that I'd speak the language. Plus, it was perfect and carried with it an aristocratic accent I couldn't place. I looked up at the man.

He was old and clearly not Japanese, with gray hair, a beard and red eyes, wearing a smart, black suit with a crisp, white shirt and well shined shoes that looked a little out of place considering that the restaurant, while good, wasn't upscale. He was holding a cane, but his posture was good, suggesting it wasn't really needed. He was also smiling a smile that made me want to run away. Oh, it wasn't a creepy smile or at least, not in the STRANGER DANGER sense, instead it was more like the smile of a child who'd found a new favorite toy.

"Thats good," said the old man, reaching down to pat me on the head.

Without thinking, I leaned back and he pulled his hand back, his smile only widening at the wary look on my face. Something about this man was rubbing me the wrong way.

"Oh yes, you are an interesting one," he said, "A real jewel in the rough, with the potential to do far more than any other. A Kaleidoscope of possibilities in such a tiny package."

He laughed, a booming sound that carried more than a hint of madness.

"Yes, Madoka Kaname, I think you'll do just fine!"

I stiffened.

"How do you…?"

"Ah, I understand its your birthday, yes?" said the man, rolling over me like I hadn't said anything, "I have something for you."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package he dropped into my hands. I blinked and looked down at it, not even realizing I'd held them out.

"Who are…?"

I looked up, only to find that the man had vanished into thin air. I looked around, but there was no sign of him at all. How could such a big man have vanished so quickly and totally? Something was up here. I looked down at the package and was momentarily tempted to throw it away, but something stopped me. Instead, I tucked it away and hurried back to my family and friends. I'd investigate later.

* * *

Three hours later, I was back home and in bed with the package the man had given me sitting on the bed in front of me. I still wasn't sure why I hadn't just slipped it into a bin on the way home, but something told me that it would simply find its way back, one way or another. It was honestly rather scary to know that a man I didn't recognize at all knew me well enough to give me a birthday gift. Still, I somehow doubted that he intended to do me harm...directly at least. I had a feeling he'd put me in dangerous situations if it amused him, but hurt me himself? No, not unless I did something really stupid.

With that in mind, I opened the box and pulled out...a pendant that was an exact copy of Madoka's Soul Gem in her transformed state. Whats more, I swear the thing was glowing and, when I touched it, I could feel...something buzzing against my skin.

"What is this?" I muttered, turning the pendent in my fingers, before setting it aside and picking up the box.

Inside was a note, written on high quality paper and in English.

 _Colours swirl in space,_

 _A Contract of Dreams and Wishes,_

 _Refine the Magic Jewel._

I blinked. A Haiku? What did that have to do with anything? Was it some kind of riddle? If it was, it made no sense. Then again, I guess thats kinda the point. Then again...the old man had called me a jewel in the rough, which was more than a little strange. The saying was diamond in the rough, although I guess jewel works to. Still, I couldn't help but feel it was important somehow…

"ARRRG, THIS IS TO DAMN CONFUSING!" I whisper-yelled, rubbing at my eyes as I felt a headache start to form, "I don't know whats going on!"

I groaned and let myself fall back on my bed. I lay still for a moment, before picking up the pendent and watching the light play across the pink gem.

"At least its pretty," I grumbled, "And I guess it doesn't matter in the long run. I'll find out eventually, one way or another."

I sighed and slapped the pendent and box down on my bedside table, turned over and went to sleep. I dreamt of half mad laughter and endless swirling colours within the void.

* * *

After that...odd day, things mostly returned to normal and I spent the next 10 years being a perfectly normal girl before my life would inevitably go to shit. Nothing really interesting happened in that time and I don't feel like making a comment about puberty being a complete bitch, so lets move on.

The day everything started began with the dream. You know the one, I was running through a black and white building, searching for something even I didn't know. Eventually, I found an exit door and, with a mighty heave, managed to open it and exited out into a hellscape of twisted metal and floating debris. Silhouetted against the slate gray sky was the form of Walpurgisnacht and the lone Magical Girl who was able to fight her. I scowled.

"So, its time to begin," I muttered as I approached the edge of the twisted spire.

"Its too much," said the figure of Kyubey from where he sat.

I looked away from the little rat as Homura jumped back into the fight, dodging and attacking as best she could before a blow managed to hit her. I gritted my teeth. I hated not being able to do anything, even in a dream, but to give Kyubey the satisfaction of giving into his temptations….no, I couldn't do it. But if I didn't, then Homura would die, so what choice did I have? I couldn't just let my friend die!

"Then don't."

My spine went rigid as a new voice sounded. It was a voice I hadn't heard in years, but I recognized it anyway.

"I told you Madoka Kaname, you have a kaleidoscope of potential," said the old man, "All you have to do...is choose. Reach out and take hold of your own future. Take the power to change the destiny of you and your dear friends!"

My body moved on its own, reaching out to grasp…

* * *

I blinked. In the space between breaths, the dream had gone, replaced by the darkness of my room and the familiar scent of the stuffed seal I slept with. I moaned in annoyance and buried my face in the stuffed animals fur.

"Man, what a crazy dream," I muttered, "Even crazier in real life…"

I sat up and yawned, scrubbing at my eyes as I slid out of bed and stretched, the hem of my tank top riding up as I did. Streaches done, I headed downstairs where Dad was already up and looking bright eyed and bushy tailed as always.

"Morning!" he said as I made a beeline for my spot at the table where a cup of hot tea was already waiting.

I took a deep sip, sighed and smiled at Dad.

"Morning," I said, "Is Mom up yet?"

"Tatsuya's waking her," said Dad, "He might need some help though."

I sighed. Mom was even harder to get up then me at the weekends, which was saying something. Still, unlike me at the weekend, she did actually have to get up, so I headed for her and Dads room which, unlike the Anime, wasn't actually full of chairs. Actually, most of the odd imagery from the Anime wasn't present, although I suspect that was because this world was a tad more realistic.

Anyway, I slammed the door open, stomped across the room and threw the curtains open. Then, I crossed the room, lifted Tatsuya off the bed and grabbed the covers.

"Up and attem Mom!" I yelled as I yanked her covers off.

"GAH!"

Mom shot up as I hopped back, evading her flailing arms.

"Mama woke up!" said my baby brother happily.

* * *

With Mom up, the two of us headed for our daily dose of Mother/Daughter bonding over morning adulations, which was finished up pretty quick and ended with me tying my hair back in a ponytail with my pink ribbons. What? It actually looks good on me, although my hair was longer than canon Madoka, so my style was closer to Rin's. With that done, I grabbed my pendent and slipped it on.

"Looking good Madoka!" said Mom, "Your secret admirers are gonna be weak in the knees!"

I grinned and flicked my hair over my shoulder. I'm still not entirely sure how much my Soul affected my body and vise versa, but by this point I was certain that my body at least had an affect. I was far from a full on girly girl and was probably closer to Kyoka than Mami in terms of femininity, but that didn't mean I didn't like being called pretty.

* * *

With the morning rituals done with, we headed down for breakfast, which was excellent as always, before heading out just after Mom to meet up with my friends for the walk to school, grabbing my red jacket to stave of the slight chill.

"Hey guys!" I called as I jogged up.

"What kept you Madoka?" asked Sayaka, "Hey nice ribbons!"

"Heh, thanks," I said as we started walking.

The walk to school was, to put it simply, gorgeous. Between the tree lined paths and softly babbling brook than ran alongside the path, it made me glad that Mitakihara was much less urbanized than other places in Tokyo.

"Mom says that if a guy can't tell you he likes you to your face, hes not worth it," I said in response to Hitomi telling us about another love letter.

"Your Moms so cool!" said Sayaka, "Shes smart, strong and successful!"

"If only I could make up my mind as easy as that!" said Hitomi with a sigh.

"If only everyone could have your problems," said Sayaka.

"Heh, personally I think its pointless to worry," I said, "The futures always unknown, so we need to make our own."

I grinned and slung an arm around my friends shoulders.

"Besides, who needs boys when I got the best girls in the world!" I said.

"Wha...HEY, let go!" said Hitomi, her cheeks going red as Sayaka and I laughed.

* * *

After that little bit of fun, we had to hurry to school to arrive before the first bell where we were met by a rather annoyed looking Miss Saotome who treated us to a rant over her latest boyfriends misdeed. Frankly, I found the whole thing to be utterly stupid. Dumping a guy over eggs? Eesh, its no wonder shes still single! Not that I'd ever say that, I like my head where it is thanks. Also, how the hell did something like that not come up in three months? Oh whatever, its not like it matters. Besides, I want to see what Homura makes of me!

"Ahem, now thats out of the way, lets give a big warm welcome to our new classmate!" said Miss Saotome.

"Um, maybe that should have come first?" muttered Sayaka.

"Come in Miss Akemi!" called Miss Saotome as the door opened and the Magical Girl entered the room.

Naturally, the whole class erupted into awed whispers and, frankly, I can't blame them. Homura genuinely was gorgeous and her poise and grace, hard won by countless battles over multiple timelines, only added to her allure.

On a completely unrelated note, I think I still like girls.

She stopped in front of the room, her cool gaze sweeping over the room. It lingered for a slight moment on me and her eyebrows shifted ever so slightly into a frown, but if you weren't looking, you definitely wouldn't have noticed.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" said Saotome.

"I'm Homura Akemi, its nice to meet you all," said Homura with a slight bow.

Saotome started writing her name on the board, before Homura turned and picked up the other pen to correct her. That done, she bowed and the class started clapping. As they did, she shifted and looked right at me. I just rested my cheek on my fist and met her gaze. As I did, my pendent slipped out of my shirt and caught the light and this time, Homura's frown was much more visible. A few moments later, a very confused looking Saotome bade the Magical Girl sit down so we could get started.

* * *

Eventually, break rolled around and, naturally, the other girls in the class gravitate around the new girl to bombard her with questions that she expertly fielded. I wonder how many times shes done this by this point?

"Theres something awfully mysterious about that girl," said Hitomi.

"Eh, I'm sure shes just nervus," I said.

"Hey, do you know that girl Madoka?" asked Sayaka, "I could have sworn she was glaring at you earlier."

"No, I don't know her," I said, "Although…"

I was cut off as Homura stood and walked directly over to us, stopping in front of my desk.

"Madoka Kaname, you are the nurses aid for this class, right?" she asked.

"Thats me," I said, "Do you need to go?"

Homura just nodded and turned on her heel. I sighed and got to my feet, my red jacket flapping slightly from where it was tied around my hips, and followed her out of the room.

* * *

Most of the journey was taken in silence, with Houmra sneaking glances at me out of the corner of her eye as we walked.

"You know, if you wanted to get me alone, you could have just asked," I said.

"What?" asked Homura, stopping in surprise.

"I can tell you've got something to say," I said, stopping as well and turning to face her, "So come on, out with it."

Homura stared at me for a moment, before she took a deep breath and looked me square in the eye.

"Madoka Kaname, do you treasure the life you currently live, and do you consider your family and friends precious?" she asked.

I blinked.

"Well, that was rather Anime," I said with a grin, "But yes, I do. I wouldn't give them up for the world."

Homura's expression twitched slightly, but she kept her gaze fixed on mine.

"Do you mean that?" she asked.

"Of course I do," I said, "What kind of scumbag would you have to be to lie about something like that?"

"Good," said Homura, her stance relaxing slightly, "Then you wouldn't do anything to change it, or the person you are. Otherwise, you'd lose everything you love. Don't change Madoka Kaname, stay as you are forever."

I stared at her, before sighing.

"People change all the time," I said, "Its simply part of life. Can you honestly tell me your the same person as you were five years ago? I doubt it. But your right, I'd never do anything to risk the people I care about."

I stepped forwards and met her gaze, despite the fact she was taller than me.

"Any of them."

Homura jerked back, her cool expression breaking for the first time in favour of pure shock, but I was already walking in the direction of the nurses office.

"Nurses office is this way," I said with a smile.

* * *

The rest of the school day was spent watching Homura utterly demolishing everyone in class and PE, all with the same cool expression. I did notice that she kept shooting looks my way whenever she thought I wasn't looking, but would always look away when I caught her. Guess I must have shaken the unflappable Magical Girl.

Once school got out my friends and I headed to the local mall to wind down and have a bite where Sayaka asked what had happened when I 'took' Homura to the nurses office, so I filled them in.

"S-she said what?" asked Sayaka, looking surprised.

"Weird huh?" I said around the straw of my drink.

"Urg, and here I thought she was super cool, but she turns out to be a total psycho!" moaned Sayaka, "Ehh, I hope she doesn't think acting like the weird transfer is cool! That's so Moe it makes me sick!"

"Nah, I think shes just super intense," I said, "Shame really, shes cute."

I smirked behind my cup at the funny looks my friends gave me.

"This must be a misunderstanding," said Hitomi, "Are you sure you've never met her before?"

"Ehhh, sort of?" I said.

"Alright, whats that supposed to mean?" asked Sayaka, "Either you've met her or you haven't."

"Welll, its weird, but I kinda met her in my dream last night," I said.

"PFFT!"

Both my friends burst out laughing.

"Ohh, thats awesome Madoka, the Anime character in you's really popping out!" said Sayaka once she'd stopped spraying orange fanta everywhere.

I just flipped her off and stole one of her chips.

"HEY!"

I stuck my tongue out at my blue haired friend as I enjoyed my spoils of war.

"Alright, no fighting you two," said Hitomi before Sayaka could retaliate.

I grinned at Sayaka, who muttered something about revenge and settled in to pout.

"In your dream, what happened?" asked Hitomi, getting the conversation back on topic.

"Thats the thing, I can't really remember," I said.

Technically true because I can't remember the details of the dream I had, although I did know what happened thanks to past memories.

"All I know is that it was strange and rather scary, even by the standards of dreams," I finished.

"If you want my opinion, I think you met Miss Akemi somewhere before," said Hitomi, "You might not remember it, but your subconscious certainly took note."

"That makes sense," I said, "All things in dreams are things that you've seen at some point, even if you don't remember it. Yeah, thats probably all it was."

"Hell of a coincidence though," said Sayaka, "Hey, maybe you knew her in another life and fates bringing you back together?"

"Heh, maybe," said Hitomi, before her phone buzzed, "Uh oh, its late. Excuse me."

She stood.

"Is it piano today or classical dance," asked Sayaka.

"Tea ceremonies actually," said Hitomi, "Even with exams coming up, Mother still wants me to continue taking them."

"Hey, I'm still going to my lessons," I said with a grin.

"Heh, yeah and I'm sure that no ones happy with that," said Sayaka, "Seriously, I'd never imagine a cute girl like you being interested in karate. I bet those big guys hate the fact you can throw them around so easily!"

I chuffed proudly. What? You don't honestly believe that I'd sit back and do nothing, knowing the future like I do, do you? I've taken Karate lessons since I was a kid and I'd got rather good over the years.

"Well, see you tomorrow!" called Hitomi as she jogged away.

"We should go to," I said, getting to my feet and sorting out my tray.

"Hey, want to hit the music store on the way home?" asked Sayaka.

"Something for Kyosuke?" I asked with a grin.

"Heh, maybe," said Sayaka with a sheepish smile.

"Fine, but only if we can hit Waterstones," I said, "I got a gift card."

Sayaka grinned and nodded.

Incidentally, I have no idea how a British chain of Bookstores ended up getting a foothold in Japan, but considering they were one of the best places to get foreign books that didn't involve importing them, they were a godsend.

* * *

Of course, I never got chance to use my voucher because, as I was browsing the music, I head Kyubey cry out. I froze, by grip momentarily tightening on the headphones in my hands, before I relaxed. There was no way I was going to respond to the little rodent, no matter how much he…

Suddenly, my spine went ramrod straight as a feeling of something very big and very, very dangerous glaring at me passed over me. Suddenly, I knew that not answering the call would be bad, much worse than anything that could happen if I did. My vision flashed and I saw what looked like the shattered remains of a battlefield, but the vision faded before I could get a proper look. Still, it left me pale and panting slightly.

"Ohhh, if I ever find out whos behind this, I'm gonna kick their arse," I muttered as I hung up the headphones and went after the sound.

I headed into an abandoned part of the building, brushing past the 'closed for refurbishment' sign and into the dark area of the building that was under construction. It smelt of sawdust and metal, not a place I enjoyed being.

"Hello? Are you there?" I called as I padded through the area.

Then, with a loud crash, a ceiling tile gave way and the rodent himself fell out, covered in blood and panting with pain. Little faker, he couldn't feel pain like that. Still, the feeling was still pushing me on and, no matter how much I wanted to stomp the little monsters head in, I dropped to my knees and picked him up. I brutally stomped on a shiver of revolution.

"Was that you?" I asked.

"H-help me," gasped Kyubey.

There was a loud clatter and I looked up, just in time to see Homura land, glare cranked up to eleven.

"Step away from that creature," she said, her voice tight with anger.

"Hes hurt," I said, "Did you do this?"

"This doesn't concern you," said Homura.

" _Don't you know it?"_ I thought.

"But he called out to me!" I said, playing up the ignorant girl angel, "I heard him calling to me!"

"I see," said Homura, her glare increasing.

For a moment, we stared at one another, before a wave of fire extinguisher foam covered her.

"Over here Madoka!" shouted Sayaka.

"Nice timing!" I said as I scrambled to my feet and we took to our heels.

"Now shes attacking you in cosplay?!" gasped Sayaka as we ran, "Whats her deal? And whats that in your arms? It looks like a stuffed animal, is it alive?"

"I have no idea whats going on, but we have to help him!" The words tasted like dirt as I forced them out.

I have no idea who's forcing me to do this, but it had better have a damn good reason beyond plot convenience!

And of course, the Labyrinth chose that exact moment to open up, trapping us in a swirling mass of crazy images.

"W-whats going on!?" gasped Sayaka, "T-this is like a bad dream!"

"I have no idea, but I highly doubt its good," I said as we huddled together in the middle of a circle of bizarre looking puffballs with mustaches and a large number of floating scissors.

Then, a chain dropped down in a circle around us and a massive pulse of light erupted, blowing the Familiers away.

"That was close, wasn't it?" asked a voice making us turn to see Mami walking towards us, "Thank goodness, you rescued Kyubey for me. Hes a dear friend of mine, so thank you."

"H-he called out to me," I said, "I could hear his voice in my head."

"Ah, I see," said Mami, "I can see by your uniform that you both go to Mitakihara middle school. Are you eighth graders?"

"W-who are you?" asked Sayaka.

"Oh, thats right, I suppose I should introduce myself," said Mami, but paused as the Familiar started coming back.

They looked rather annoyed to say the least.

"Actually, its going to have to wait a bit," she said, turning on her heel.

I shivered as her Soul Gem started glowing. I could feel...something flowing out of it, washing over me like water. Was it her Magic? If so, how could I feel it? A faint warmth on my chest made me look down to see that the pendent was glowing slightly and the magic being released seemed to be flowing into it. What was going on?

Unfortunately, that wasn't a question I could answer right now because Mami opened fire and made short work of our attackers. It...was amazing to watch, even more so in real life than in the Anime. Mami's movements were utterly effortless, every shot a kill and not a single movement was waisted. In the time it took for Sayaka and I to draw breath in awe, the battle was over and the Labyrinth faded, its magic dissolving back into the either, with some of it being drawn into my pendent.

"Whoa, that was…" started Sayaka, but trailed off as Mami turned to face Homura as the Time bender landed lightly on top of a stack of boxes.

"The Witch managed to escape," said Mami, "If you want to catch it, I suggest you hurry."

"I still have work here," said Homura, her voice still tight.

"You don't get it do you?" asked Mami, tensing slightly, "I'm telling you I'll overlook this."

Homura shifted slightly, although I don't think she actually intended to fight.

"Honestly, don't you think it would be best if we didn't do this right now?" asked Mami.

There was a moment of tense silence, before Homura turned away and, with a flick of her hair, jumped out of sight. Immediately, Mami and Sayaka relaxed, although I was still tense. Mainly because of the monster in my arms.

* * *

A couple of hours later, I returned home with my mind werling. I don't feel like going into detail about what happened at Mami's house, but it wasn't that much different to the Anime. What was different is that I'd told Kyubey to get lost so I could think in peace. I had no doubt that he was still skulking somewhere, but I was alone for now.

I was staring at my pendent, which was back to its normal mysterious self again.

"What are you?" I muttered, "Why do you seem so familiar?"

As I stared at the pink gem, my peripheral vision spotted something through my window. I turned my head and blinked when I saw that a shooting star was streaking across the sky. I sat up and lent on the windowsill, opening the bay window to get a better look. There was something...odd about the way it was moving, almost like...it was controlled or something. Then, the light took a 90 degree turn and started shooting towards me at high speeds. My eyes barely had time to widen, before I had to duck below the window ledge to avoid being brained by the fast moving object.

I spun around, my arms already moving into a defencive position, but before I could, I froze in complete and utter shock and no small amount of horror as I beheld the...the MONSTER in my room.

"Ohh, those are some quick reflexes you got there," said the harbinger of disaster, "I guess making this contracts gonna be more work than I thought."

"I...who...wha…" I spluttered, before an unpleasant realization passed over me and I went white, "Oh fuck! That old guy was…"

"Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter," said the red stick with a gold and pink head with a five pointed star in the middle, "Hi, nice to meet you, I'm the Magical stick of Love and Justice, the super cute Magical Ruby! And I want you to be a Magical Girl!"

"...Zelretch," I finished weakly, "Oh hell, I'd rather have the rodent!"

Then, the events of the day, combined with the revelation and sudden introduction of something that might actually be worse than Kyubey caught up with me and I conked out.

 **...I regret nothing!**

 **So yeah, our Outsiders Madoka and has already well and truly borked the timeline by being different than Homura expected. Add in an interested Zelretch and Ruby and, well, Mikatahara will be lucky to survive long enough for Walpurgisnacht to destroy it!**

 **Can anyone guess what I have in mind for Madoka's pendent? It will be important in the future!**

 **So, take your pick ladies, Kyubey or Kaleido Ruby? Either way your boned. Incidentally, should Sapphire show up as well? I'm not sure who'd get her if she did though…**

 **I already have the Class Cards planned and none of them are canon Servants. That said, if anyone wants to make suggestions, I'd be happy to consider them. The only fixed one is Archer, simply because I find the idea I've got too funny to ignore. Any guess as to who it'll be?**

 **Anyway, time to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	135. Puella Magi Madoka Prisma chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Puella Magi Madoka Prisma

Getting reborn as a girl was...interesting. Getting reborn as a girl destined to either be a destroyer or a literal Goddess was a pain in the ass considering I don't fancy being either. I certainly didn't expect to take a staff to the face and dragged into a quest searching for cards. Maybe Kyubey would have been a better choice...

 **And we're back. Last time I made a rather foolish assumption that having Zelretch and Ruby's attention on you was worse than Kyubey and, while I still stand by the fact I don't want any of them anywhere near me (even though I'm technically not at risk of two of them, being a bloke...although I wouldn't put it past Ruby to stick me in a dress anyway), I agree that Zelretch is much better. You might die a painful and humiliating death, but at least your soul will be intact. Anyway, ONWARDS!**

Chapter 2

I was awoken by a foul smell being shoved under my nose.

"HURK!"

I jolted back, my eyes snapping open as I fell off my bed with a crash.

"Owww, that hurt," I muttered, "And what was with that dream? Why would I…"

I trailed off as I opened my eyes and saw, to my utter lack of surprise, that I hadn't been dreaming. Nope, Ruby was still floating there, now holding an open vial of purple liquid that had purple smoke seeping from the top that I'm sure was forming into the shape of the screaming faces of the damned. Her past vic...partners maybe?

"Oh good, your awake," said Ruby, sounding a little put out, "I must say, I've never had someone faint upon meeting me...oh well!"

The vial vanished and she zipped forwards.

"Sooo, what do you say little girl?" she asked, "Do you want to be a Magical Girl? If you lend me your power, we can save the world~!"

"You know, this is the second offer like this I've got today," I said as I shifted into a cross legged position on the floor, "And somehow, it still seems too good to be true."

Ruby let out a theatrical gasp.

"Ohh my, could it be that children today no longer wish to become Magical Girls?!" she wailed, "Ohh, I wish I had tear ducts to cry!"

My eye twitched. At least she wasn't even trying to hide the fact she was trying to manipulate me, so that was a point to Ruby at least. Just 999,999,999 to go! On the other hand, thats still better than Kyubey who was sitting at negative infinity.

"If your planning to trick me into making a contract, don't bother," I said with a put-upon sigh, "Being a Magical Girl sounds cool and all, but I honestly have better things to do than fly around saving the world. Sounds to much like hard work."

"Ohh, but theres so much more to being a Magical Girl than just that!" said Ruby, "You can fly around, blast evil doers with laser beams and even use love magic to make the object of your desires fall madly in love with you!"

Despite myself, I twitched and my cheeks warmed as the image of droolworthy legs in black, high heeled boots and silky black hair appeared in my mind and...holy shit, where the fuck did that come from?! I mean, I was a bit distracted when she first arrived, but now thinking back on how Homura looked in her uniform was making me feel a little hot under the collar...

"Ohh, does the innocent little girl have less than innocent thoughts about someone?"

Ruby's voice snapped me out of my daydreams and I went fire engine red.

"S-shut up, its none of your business!" I yelled.

"Oh, defencive," said Ruby, "And you have a nosebleed."

She swept the blood off my face.

"SO, who is it? Give me the juicy details! A classmate maybe? Or perhaps an older man?"

I snorted and looked away. No way in hell I was giving this thing the satisfaction of…

"Ohh, or maybe its the cute new transfer?"

Aaand theres the blush again, I certainly didn't miss you! I snapped my head around to stare at the sentent stick, eyes wide and with steam practically billowing from my ears.

"Oh my, how scanderless!" gasped Ruby, "Then again, it would be perfect! The knight in shining armour, here to save your very soul!"

"S-shut up, its not like that!" I yelled, not even bothering to ask how she knew about that.

"Or maybe you want to be the knight saving the Princess?" said Ruby, "After so many attempt, she must be tired. Don't you just want to hug her tight and make all her worries go away? To toy with her until she screams for mercy…"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, reaching out without thinking and grabbing the sticks twisting shaft.

Then I stopped as I realized what had just happened.

"Oh you sneaky little…!"

"Hehehe, that was easier than I thought!" said Ruby, her jovial tone now taking on a more sinister edge, "Your blood forms our pact, touching me makes you my Master and the power of your pure hearted love drives me! I got everything I needed without a hitch! Now then, shall we move to the final step?"

I shook my head rapidly, keeping my mouth firmly shut as I tried desperately to let go of the evil little Mystic Code.

"It won't be long now, just one incy wincy little thing!" continued Ruby, completely ignoring my struggles, "Now, won't you tell me your name?"

Despite my best efforts, Rubys will was simply to powerful and I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Plus, by this point, it was practically a given she'd won considering she could probably keep me here as long as she wanted without issue. Even so, I wasn't about to let the Kalido-stick win without a fight, so ikn the time honoured tradition of stubborn teenagers, I kept my teeth gritted for as long as possible. Which was about three seconds.

"M-madoka K-kaname!" I spat out as my body moved to bring the Kalido-stick in front of me.

"Oh, and that concludes your registration as my Master!" said Ruby and my vision was filled with a kaleidoscope of light.

* * *

 **Compact full open, Mirror World circuits, maximum engage!**

 _I was floating through a golden plane full of falling feathers, my body nude and glowing brightly as energy flowed through me, making me feel stronger than ever before. A pulse of light erupted from me, turning the feathers closest pink. I reached out and grabbed on, the soft energy shifting into an orb of purple light that covered my hands in dark blue energy that formed into pink, elbow length gloves, before I brought my hands together and another, shorter pair of white gloves appeared._

 _Next was my top and skirt, followed by my boots and a pair of feathery ribbons pulling my hair into my usual twin-tail style. Transformation done, I turned and struck a pose._

 **Introducing, Kaleido liner Prisma Madoka! TADAAAAA!**

* * *

And with that, the glowing plane faded and I found myself outside and slowly floating down to the floor. I could feel Ruby's power flowing through me, making me feel absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately…

"WHAT THE FUCK AM I WEARING?!" I yelped as I took in my new outfit.

It was identical to Illiya which I suppose was better than Rin's Kaleido Ruby form or, god forbid, Madoka's canon Magical Girl outfit, but even so, it was a far cry from what I'd normally wear! And on the subject of embarrassment…

"AND WHAT AM I DOING OUTSIDE?!"

"Well, it was a bit cramped in there," said Ruby, not sounding in the least bit sorry.

"B-But my clothes disappeared," I said, "ARE YOU TELLING ME I WAS OUTSIDE NAKED!"

"Well, your not anymore," said Ruby, "That look rather suits you."

My eye twitched as I remembered what happened next.

"Ruby, please tell me I'm not going to have to put up with a pissy Rin now," I growled.

"Oh, don't worry about that," said Ruby, "Your my first Master in this world, so you don't need to worry about that shriveled up hag!"

I breathed a sigh of relief, before once again fixing the Kaleido-stick with a glare.

"Alright, so if your not here with Rin, why are you here?" I asked, "I highly doubt the old geezer would send you here for nothing."

"Ah yes, about that," said Ruby, "It seems that a mix of that little rodents meddling, Homura's time travel and your presence has resulted in some rather odd effects on the fabric of reality. As a result, distortions are forming which could be...problematic."

"So in short, I'm hunting cards," I said.

"Pretty much."

"Lovely."

I sighed.

"Well, since I know arguing with you would be a waste of time and energy, I guess I don't have a choice," I grumbled.

"Nope!"

"But first, since I'm not dumb enough to go into battle with some of the greatest heroes in history with no idea what I'm doing, tomorrow you and I are going to find somewhere I can practice with you," I said, shaking the stick.

"Oooh, I suppose that'll have to do," grumbled Ruby, "I haven't found any of the Cards yet anyway."

"Good. Now please get me back inside before my Parents find me!"

"Oh very well."

As Ruby flashed me back into my bedroom and my pink, feathery outfit changed back to my normal tank top and shorts I wore to bed, the only thing I could think was that this entire thing was going to be one massive pain in the arse.

* * *

Thankfully, I got enough sleep, despite Ruby's antics, and the next morning I wasn't a complete zombie and was able to go about getting ready without to much trouble.

"So, did you have fun last night?" asked Mom.

"Umhmm," I said, before spitting out my toothpaste, "Yeah, Sayaka and I have been getting some extra tutoring from an upperclassman. She knows her stuff and makes the best cakes and tea!"

"Well, don't eat to much, you don't want to get fat," said Mom.

"Not much chance of that," I muttered.

I'd be burning off all the calories fighting against beings from legend after all. Somehow, despite me not bringing up the issue of wishes, Mom still ended up muttering to herself over how she'd go about becoming CEO of her company and, I have to agree with my Canon self, she's got really scary eyes when she gets started on that line of thought.

* * *

After breakfast, I caught up with my friends on the way to school, shoving down the urge to glare at Kyubey who was with Sayaka, in favour of keeping my normal slight grin in place.

"Hmm, so THATS the little rodent whos causing so much trouble," said Ruby from where she was hiding in my bag, "Revolting, I can practically smell the blood on him…"

My smile became a little strained. Ruby was a manipulative bitch, a nasty piece of work and likely proud of it, but apparently even she had standards.

"Good morning Madoka," said Kyubey.

" _Apparently we're the only ones who can see him,"_ said Sayaka telepathically.

I cocked my head slightly.

" _Huh, this is interesting,"_ I said, _"I wonder how it works?"_

" _I'm acting as a transmitter,"_ said Kyubey, _"Its a handy trick, right?"_

" _Feels kinda weird,"_ said Sayaka.

"Um, excuse me, but whats going on between you two?" asked Hitomi, "Why do you keep staring at each other like that?"

"Oh, well, its just, um…" said Sayaka, casting around for an excuse.

Apparently Hitomi jumped to conclusions on her own though as she dropped her bag with a look of shock on her face.

"I can't believe it!" she gasped, "Just by looking at each other you know what the others thinking!?"

She gasped.

"For two people to become that intimate after just one night...what happened between the two of you after I left yesterday?!"

"I can't believe shes going there," muttered Sayaka.

"Well, to be fair, a lot did happen," I said.

"N-no, thats enough!" said Hitomi, "Your both girls! Girls can't love girls!"

She ran off towards school, repeating herself as if trying to convince herself.

"And that right there is why you shouldn't shelter your kids," I said, "I wonder how she'd react if she saw my browser history?"

"You know Madoka, I can never tell if your being serious or not," said Sayaka, "Anyway, we should hurry, she forgot her bag."

"I wonder if something happened?" I said, "I mean, shes acting just like you today."

Sayaka twitched.

"Whats that supposed to mean?!" she demanded.

"Noooothing," I said with a grin as I started heading towards school again.

"Ohhh, I'm really starting to like you Madoka~!" said Ruby, "I think we're gonna get along juuuuust fine~!"

* * *

After getting to class and apologizing to Hitomi for freaking her out, Sayaka and I headed to our seats to wait for class to start.

" _Are you sure this is OK?"_ asked Sayaka, _"Tagging along to school I mean?"_

" _Why not?"_ asked Kyubey.

" _That psycho chick who tried to kill you yesterday just transferred to our class,"_ said Sayaka, _"Your sorta risking your life being here."_

" _I highly doubt she'd be stupid enough to start something in a public place,"_ I said.

" _Indeed,"_ said Kyubey, _"Besides, Mami's here."_

" _Mami's on the other side of school!"_ said Sayaka.

" _Don't worry, I can hear you all perfectly,"_ said Mami's voice in our heads.

" _Shes not that far, so I can reach her without trouble,"_ said Kyubey.

" _Morning,"_ I said.

" _I promise I'll keep a close watch over you,"_ said Mami, _"Besides, like Madoka said, I don't think she'll attack you in public."_

" _If you say so,"_ said Sayaka.

At that moment, the door opened and Homura walked in. The moment she did, she fixed Kyubey with a glare, before turning her attention to me. I just grinned and waved, making sure she got a good look at both hands and my fingernails. Upon seeing the lack of ring or marking, she relaxed slightly.

" _Speak of the devil,"_ said Sayaka, glowering at the time traveler, _"Don't worry Madoka, if she gets outta line, I'll punch her lights out! Besides, Mami's here!"_

" _Thats right, so don't worry, everything will be fine,"_ sadi Mami, _"Regardless of Sayaka and her punches."_

" _Hey, whaddya mean regardless?!"_

I couldn't help but snicker at the exchange, before the sound of something shifting slightly made me glance down at my bag to see Ruby work her way out far enough to see out of the bag.

"Huh, so thats the famous Homura," said Ruby from my bag, "I must say Master, you have good taste."

I blushed brightly and attracted some rather odd looks by stomping on my bag repeatedly.

* * *

Once class let out for lunch and Hitomi hurried off to her lunchtime club (does that girl ever stop?), Sayaka and I headed up to the roof to enjoy out lunch. We sat quietly for a while, before Sayaka spoke up.

"Hey Madoka, have you given any more thought about what you wanna wish for?" she asked.

"Hmm, not really," I said, "I mean, there are things I want, but nothing that needs a wish to come true. Honestly, I'd rather not wish for them, its so much more satisfying to earn things like that after all."

"Yeah, same here," said Sayaka. "I guess its the whole 'risking your life' part thats holding me back. Nothing I want is worth that much…"

"I've got a few things," I said, "But, again, their things that I should earn for myself."

"Thats so odd," said Kyubey, "Most girls accept my offer right away."

"Then I guess we don't know any better then," said Sayaka.

"Or we do know better," I said, "The fact we're not willing to waste a wish on a shallow reason seems like a good thing in my book."

"Heh, I guess thats true," said Sayaka, "Still, I can't help but feel that we're blissfully ignorant. There are plenty of people who want something badly enough to risk their life for it, people with a lot less than us. We can't figure out what to wish for because we don't know what its like to want something that bad."

I shifted slightly and lay back on the bench, staring up at the clouds.

"Its not a crime to be born lucky," I said, "I know I'm lucky to have a loving family with enough money for a good life, but I'm still not about to throw that away because someone else has nothing. Lifes unfair, its that simple."

"You know, your rather cynical for such a young girl," said Kyubey.

"Heh, you get used to it," said Sayaka, "Madoka may look cute, but shes always been like that."

I smiled.

"I like to think of myself as a hopeful realist," I said, "I believe things will get better, but I also accept that they probably won't. Or at least, not unless people try."

At that moment, the door slammed open and Homura marched through onto the roof. Sayaka tensed and stepped in front of the bench where Kyubey was sat while I sat back up to watch.

" _Don't worry, I'm here,"_ said Mami's voice and I glanced over at one of the towers that were level with the roof we were on where the Ribbon user was stood.

Homura also noted the other Magical Girl's presence as she crossed the roof and stopped a short distance away.

"Back for more?" asked Sayaka.

"No, I'm not here to fight," said Homura, "I wanted to kill it, before it made contact with Madoka Kaname, but its to late for that now."

She looked up and met my eyes.

"So, what now?" she asked, "Are you going to become a Magical Girl?"

"Like thats any of your business!" snapped Sayaka before I could respond.

That was probably a good thing because I'd have to lie to keep her from overreacting. Maybe it was a foolish move and I knew I couldn't hide it forever, but I kinda wanted to keep Ruby a secret for now, at least until I had some Cards.

"I warned you," said Homura, "Remember?"

"Yes," I said.

"Good," she said, "Remember the warning. Goodbye."

She turned on her heel and walked away.

"Homura," I called, getting to my feet.

The time bender paused and glanced back at me.

"Remember what I said to you as well," I said, "And remember this while your at it. The night is always darkest before the dawn, but no matter how dark it gets, the light WILL come. Plus, the darks not as scary with friends."

* * *

Much later, after class, Sayaka and I approached Hitomi to beg off our usual post school hang and chat due to reasons of Magical Girl training. I was tagging along with the intention of getting to see a genuine veterine in action. While it was true that Kyubey's type and Ruby's type of Magical Girls were fundamentally different, the fact remained that a skilled fighter is a skilled fighter and I'd be a fool to turn down the opportunity.

* * *

After Hitomi had completely got the wrong idea and Sayaka had stopped blushing, we headed out to meet Mami and headed back to the shopping center where we'd first met. Mainly because it was the only place that three middle school girls wouldn't get funny looks for hanging around.

"Well, time to start lesson one of the Magical Girl Experience," said Mami as she put her cup down, "Well, thats what I'm calling it anyway. I hope your ready."

I tapped Ruby, who I had hidden in my lap, and the Kaleidostick dutifully started recording.

"I don't know if it'll help, but I brought this!" said Sayaka, pulling out a wrapped baseball bat and holding it proudly aloft, "I mean, its better than not having anything, right?"

Mami looked rather amused, even under her ever present smile.

"Lets just say I'm glad your going in with that spirit," she said.

"What about you Madoka?" asked Sayaka, "What did you bring?"

"I didn't know we were supposed to bring anything," I said, "Although if your interested, I did do these."

I dropped my notebook on the table, opened at a page that was full of sketches of me in my Magical Girl outfit, along with Homura, Mami and Sayaka's, along with a sketch of Homura with Sapphire. What? All Magical Girls need a best friend/totally not lesbian lover, right?

"I got bored," I said by way of explanation.

* * *

After that, the three of us headed out and, in the interest of brevity, I won't cover the trip. It wasn't that different from how it went down in canon anyway. Not like theres much that COULD change without me whipping out Ruby and blasting some Witches with Prana cannons, something I wasn't about to do until I had some training and at least one Class Card. Or until the fight with Charlotte. No matter what, Mami would NOT be dying in this timeline.

* * *

"So, did you get it all?" I asked once we arrived back home.

"I did," said Ruby, "And I have to say, I fully agree that that rodent needs to die. To twist a Soul like that...even the most deranged of Magus would pale at such a thing!"

"Nice to know that even amoral pricks consider eldritch horrors to be untenable," I said, "But thats for later. For now, we need to find somewhere to train and you need to locate us some Cards to find."

"Oh very well," said Ruby, waving her shaft at me, "Come on, lets get you suited up!"

I grabbed her and, in a flash of light, I was back in my Magical Girl costume. I opened my window, stepped out and floated up towards the clouds.

"W-wha...how did you do that?!" spluttered Ruby.

I blinked and looked at my staff.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Fly!" yelled Ruby, "Its an incredibly advanced spell and you know it!"

"True, but you also run on belief," I said, "And I believe that all Magical Girls can fly, so take your complex spell and shove it."

"I...oh, fine, lets just go!" grumbled Ruby, "I have a feeling that you're going to be causing me a few headaches…"

"Consider it payback," I said as I swooped down towards an abandoned stretch of beach no one would mind gaining a few craters, "Now, lets see, how does this work…"

I lifted Ruby and waved her in the general direction of the ocean. I wasn't expecting a beam of Prana the size of a bus to come shooting out though and, by her startled yelp, neither had she. I quickly cut of the Prana flow and watched with wide eyes as the water crashed back into place to fill the deep trench my attack had carved into the waters surface.

"Ruby...what was that?" I asked weakly.

"That was what happens when you use your power without preparation," said Ruby, "It seems that you have a set of high quality Magic Circuits, enough that I'd never had believed that you were from a non-Magus family if I had not scanned them to be sure. I'm not sure where they've come from, but I imagine it has something to do with your Soul's nature and whatever it was that the Akemi girl did to make you so damn important."

"How many's an absurd number?" I asked.

Ruby sighed.

"You have a total of 20 Circuits," she said, "Thats average for a Magus, but what isn't average is the fact that, with those 20, you could channel over 1000 units of Mana."

My eyes went round.

"Holy shit!"

"Holy shit indeed," said Ruby, "Still, on the upside, your not hurting for power."

"No, but controls gonna be a bitch," I grumbled, "And I was hoping to learn Reinforcement as well…"

"Oh, don't worry about that!" said Ruby, "I can handle control, I just wasn't expecting you to output that much power. As for Reinforcement, I can teach you it. It'll take some work, but its doable."

I stared at the Kaleidostick, not entirely sure if I should trust her to teach me something that could seriously mess up my body if I fucked it up.

"Oh don't worry," said Ruby, apparently catching my expression, "I would never do anything to harm my Master! Humiliate and embarrass, yes, hurt, no."

I blinked.

"Um, thanks?" I said, "I think?"

"Oh don't worry about it dear!" said Ruby, "Now, I believe you were planning to train, yes? I believe that we should start by putting up a Bounded Field. It wouldn't do to be interrupted after all."

I sighed, before smiling and raising Ruby again. I spent the next two hours firing off Prana cannons of varying sizes to get used to how the Kalido-stick actually worked, before heading home and letting Ruby walk me through the basics of using Magecraft.

* * *

That would be the pattern of events for the next week, by which point I'd finally figured out how to channel my Prana though my body and achieve the most basic level of Reinforcement, a feat that astounded Ruby, but I attributed to getting experience channeling my Prana through Ruby herself. On the Friday after the whole thing kicked off, I found myself on my own as Hitomi had one of her classes and Sayaka had gone to visit Kyousuke. That wasn't a problem though because I had plans of my own. Ruby had finally located the first Class Card and it was time to go and collect it!

* * *

"So, this Card is located in the next city over?" I asked as I flew above the clouds, my invisible barrier serving to keep me toasty, "They're not all going to be like this, are they?"

"No, I doubt that they'll be to spread out," said Ruby, "They are focused around you after all."

"Hmm, then I wonder why this one is outside of the city?" I asked.

"Perhaps there's something here attracting it?" suggested Ruby.

"Hmm, nothing I can think of," I said, "I think the only time I've been out here is on a trip to the aquarium."

"Hmm, strange…" said Ruby, "Oh, its down there."

I followed her directions and swooped down to land in a decent sized park.

"Ahh yes, this is definitely the place," she said, "Now, lets get started."

I took a deep breath and readied myself as a circle of endless, twisting lights within an infinite nether appeared at my feet.

"Adding imaginary axis to the fifth instrumental variable," said Ruby as the Magic surrounding me began to rise, causing my hair and clothes to billow out as if in a powerful wind, "Beginning inversion process. Confirming that complex space exists."

The world around us began to blur and distort as Ruby began to glow brightly.

"Central coordinates established."

A magic circle in the same pink as my outfit appeared in the void bellow my feet.

"Establishing mirror road with a two-meter radius. Beginning partial inversion of mirror world circuits."

Then, with a feeling of everything being flipped, the light and magic faded, leaving me standing in the exact same spot with the only sign that anything had changed being the skys transformation into countless shards of twisting either.

"Well, that was interesting," I said as I looked around carefully.

I didn't really want to be blindsided by the Servant.

"Yes, wasn't it jus...DUCK!"

Without thinking, I did so, just in time to avoid a massive beam of pink energy that passed close enough to scorch the tips of my hair off.

"What the fuck was that?!" I spluttered as I spun around, looking around wildly for my attacker.

"I-I don't know!" said Ruby, "It looked like a Prana Cannon, but the make up was different!"

"Different how?" I asked.

"I don't know exactly, but it was like they used a similar, but different source," said Ruby, "However, we can consider it later, for now, we need to find the Card and take it down!"

I nodded, before letting out a yelp and stumbling forwards a few steps as a number of small shots hit my back. They didn't penetrate Ruby's barrier, but they sure stung. I spun around and looked up, only to freeze in shock as I beheld the corrupted Servant.

"Um, Ruby, please tell me I'm seeing things!" I said.

"Ah...I think that you might have had more of an affect than we thought," said Ruby, "On the other hand, at least we know why the Prana Cannon had a different composition now! And having her will make befriending people SO much easier!"

"Your really not helping Ruby," I grumbled as I shifted into a ready stance, already prepping the strongest barrier I could.

I'd need it to because, despite this Servant being a Caster class and not even all that old, I still knew that she'd be as hard to beat as Midea, if only because I'd have to avoid being 'befriended'. Yep, for those not keeping up, the Class Card was the White Devil herself, Nanoha Takamachi!

 **And done. Next time (if indeed there is one), Madoka vs Nanoha! I see no way this can go badly.**

 **On a completely unrelated note, Nanoha isn't even the craziest Servant I have in mind because not one of them is Canon and they are all from different franchises. I have no intention of spilling who they are, but I will give some hints. Those who guess correctly get to suggest Noble Phantasms for them! Here we go!**

 **Archer: A lonely girl who changes her entire world.**

 **Assassin: A beautiful Goddess with a love for naps and milk.**

 **Rider: A tortured girl whos soul was shattered by a world to cruel for her simple wish.**

 **Saber: A man torn apart by war and loyalty to his family and his code.**

 **Berserker: A girl cursed to be a monster filled with so much rage, her body simply creates new flesh when injured.**

 **Lancer: An innocent, honest soul forced into war with an all devouring Darkness.**

 **Caster: Nanoha Takamachi.**

 **Some are obvious, some less so. I'll be surprised if anyone gets Berserker though. I currently plan to have Madoka get the cards from the bottom of the list up, mainly because her Archer card is OP as hell. No, its not Gil.**

 **I like the look of Illiya's outfit, so thats what Madoka gets.**

 **Is Madoka OP? Ehhh, not really. Shes not actually any more powerful than Illiya is at the start, with the soul exception being that she knows what shes doing...sort of.**

 **Anyway, time to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	136. To Kill a God chapter 1

To Kill a God

I thought I was lucky when I found a cool little piece in a convention, but I should have known better. Now I'm a teenager again, female and stuck in a world that can chew the average schmuck up and spit them out with ease. This is gonna hurt.

 **I...probably shouldn't be doing this, but I can't resist. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning my Madoka story, I just need some time to figure out how to do the conversation. I found the Magical Girl CYOA thanks to another writer on Spacebattles. Since I'm on a bit of a Magical Girl kick at the moment because...reasons, I figured I might as well go for it. Also, yes, this is a Worm story because if theres ever a world that needs love and friendship, its that one. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The day my life was turned upside down started out rather well. I'd finally managed to get some time off to attend a convention and even found the time to put together a simple costume. It wouldn't be winning me any awards, but honestly, I wasn't the type who was either good at or that interested in cosplay or conventions for that matter. I was only going to this one because it was nearby and there were some events that looked really interesting. I tended to get bored at events like this, so I disliked attending when they weren't within walking distance of a train station or bus stop. Unfortunately, this was, so I decided to attend. I really shouldn't have.

I was wondering around the stalls, considering whether or not I should be heading home yet or if it was worth hanging around a little longer to watch the cosplay competition when I spotted a stall I had not visited yet. It was tucked away at the back of the hall in a shadowy corner that I honestly wouldn't have expected to house any stall looking to sell their wares. They looked pretty damn good to, a variety of stuff either from or inspired by Magical Girl anime, from copies of the Soul Gems from Nanoha to a few weapons I didn't recognize. It was all good quality as well, some of it even looked real.

"See anything you like?" asked the woman sat on the other side of the table.

She was wearing a smart looking suit and fedora that honestly looked a bit out of place when compared with the stuff she was selling, but to each their own I guess.

"Hmm, it all looks great, but I didn't have much money left," I said.

"Oh, I'm sure we can find something for you," she said, "Lets see...how about this?"

She picked up a recurve bow that looked like it was designed for a child with arms designed to look similar to Cinders bow from RWBY, it it was made for Zelda as the Bow of Light or based on Sabers Excalibur. The arms were painted gold with blue rune-like patterns, with the outside sections silver to create the image of a razor sharp edge.

I let out an impressed whistle.

"Now thats cool," I said, "But I really don't think I can…"

"£10," said the woman.

I blinked.

"Thats it?" I asked.

It looked like it was worth five times that, if just for the effort involved in making it!

"Thats it," said the woman, "So, interested?"

I hesitated. I already had a couple of bags of stuff I'd picked up and only had £10 left. If I bought that, I wouldn't have enough for a bite on the way home unless I stopped at the cash machine. However, the bow was amazing quality, incredibly cheap and would look great on my wall…

"What the hell, I might as well," I said, "Sure, why not?"

The woman smiled and turned away. A moment later, she came back with the bow wrapped in thick paper and handed it to me in exchange for a note. To my surprise, as I took it, my arms actually dipped a little. It wasn't heavy exactly, but it was a lot heavier than most props would be, made of paper, foam and a little plastic as they usually were.

"I use some heavy duty stuff in my work," said the woman, "It makes them last longer."

"I see," I said, "Thank you."

I stuck the package in the bag that wasn't full and started heading through the convention hall in the direction of the exit. Now I was out of spending money, there was little point in sticking around.

* * *

One trip on the train later and I was back home in my recently acquired apartment. It wasn't a very big place and the hot water didn't work very well, but the Wifi was included in the price of the rent and it was perfect for me. I dropped my bags in the living room and made a beeline for the kitchen. Once I had my tea, I dropped onto the couch and started going through my loot. Five Bleach volumes to increase my collection, a couple of the MHA volumes I didn't have, a Madoka poster, a notebook and pen I picked up because I needed one, a couple of prop weapons I'd found relatively cheap I could use for another cosplay later (if I ever got around to it) and finally, the wrapped bow I'd bought last.

I set it down on the coffee table and frowned as it made a dull clunk.

"What material used in props clunks like that?" I muttered as I unwrapped the prop, "OW!"

I snatched my hand back and sucked on the tip I'd cut...somehow. I looked at my finger and was surprised to see that the cut was deep enough to draw blood. Not a paper cut then, so where…? It was at that point that I realized that something was reflecting the light from the lamps in the room and looked down. It took a moment to figure out what I was seeing, but when I did, my eyes widened in shock.

"Wha...how did…?" I spluttered as I reached down and pushed aside the wrapping to reveal a very real and very sharp bladed bow.

A bow that I'm very, VERY sure had been made of foam when I'd handled it at the Convention hall.

"Whats going on?" I muttered as I slowly closed my fingers around the grip of the bow.

My hands weren't exactly massive, but they were still a little to large for the grip. It had clearly been designed for someone a lot smaller and dantier than me.

"Fucking FINALLY!"

"HOLY…!" I yelped at the unexpected voice.

I tried to jump up and spun around at the same time, only to get my legs tangled and go down in a heap. The bladed bow landed about an inch in front of my nose with a thump, sinking into the floorboards, I gulped as I slowly backed up and sat up.

"I was starting to think I'd never find someone capable of picking up that thing!" said the voice and I looked up to see…

Well, I think the best thing I can say is that it was a creature. It looked like someone had taken elements from all the creatures considered 'cute' and mashed them together to create something disgustingly adorable. It was small, white, fluffy and looked like a cross between a squirrel, a fluffy dog and a rabbit.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, more than a little bewildered.

The creature ignored me as it hopped off the back of the sofa and padded up to sit beside the bow.

"Sorry about this mate, but I'm desperate at this point," it said, "I need someone, anyone, to step in or I'm gonna get chopped up and fed to the Monsters for screwing up the timeline. On the plus side, you'll get to use Magic!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, my eyes going wide.

Instead of an answer, the creature just stood on its hind legs and touched my forehead with one paw and the bow with the other, before saying something in a language that somehow both rang in my ears and didn't enter my brain at the same time. Then, my world was PAIN!

* * *

It felt like my entire body was melting, from my bones outwards. I could feel my skeleton, my organs, my muscles and skin, all melting, bubbling and reshaping themselves into something new. The pain was indescribable, made worse because I couldn't scream because my vocal cords were undergoing the exact same treatment. At the same time, whatever was left of my body was infused with a burning light that sank into the slurry that used to be my body and wrapped around...something, before there was the feeling of something being pulled free. It wasn't a physical thing, but I felt it nonetheless and the pain of my body being melted became slightly muted. Or maybe it was fading as the goo began to pull itself back together into a new form.

It was a lot smaller than my previous body, both in terms of height and general size, with slight, developing curves that had my mental panic increasing as I realized just what was forming. Golden blond hair that fell to the small butt was next, followed by green eyes. Finally, the light around the newly formed body began to wrap around her, transforming into a cream dress that almost resembled a lily with a white underskirt and a collar around her throat with a black bow, white gloves, black stockings and shoes and a black bow that pulled her hair into a ponytail. Finally, a golden coloured gem appeared on the bow at her neck and I found myself inside the body. No, not the body, MY new body. I could feel my new muscles moves as I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, before my fingers closed around the grip of the bow and…

* * *

I found myself stood on a roof in the middle of the night. I blinked. Then blinked again as I tried to properly take in the abrupt change from glowing world of pain to the dark of night. Then I looked down and saw that I was indeed now a girl. A Magical Girl. A 13 year old Magical Girl if you want to be precise. I...have no idea how to take this. I mean, I could scream, break down and cry, faint or have any number of reactions, but I honestly just felt numb. I don't know if it was because of the new body not working properly yet, the fact my Soul was located in the gem on my collar or if it was simply because my mind simply didn't know what to do, but the only thing I could do was look around at the city below me helplessly.

It was a rather large city, built around a large bay that seemed to be blocked by a large object at the entrance. Across the bay, I could see the shapes of tall buildings, many of which still had lights on. Looking down off the roof netted me the sight of very run down buildings that mostly seemed to be warehouses and the like. I did spot a few rusty street signs and a paper discarded at the side of the road that was in English. At least it wasn't Japan and I could speak the language, not that speaking the language would do me much good. I was a 13 year old girl who had, quite literally, nothing but the magic flowing through me. I was fucked…

I sighed and returned my attention to the bay. As I did, I spotted something out near the middle I'd somehow missed when I'd first looked. It looked like an oil rig, lit up against the black water below it. I frowned and narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what was so of about the rig. Then, my eyes widened as I realized that it was floating and seemed to be surrounded by a very faint bubble. I went white and started shaking.

"Oh...oh no," I whimpered, "Thats...not good."

NOW I was feeling an emotion and that emotion was sheer, bowl loosening terror. Not only was I now in the body of a 13 year old Magical Girl, but I wasn't in a nice safe world like Madoka where I'd only have to worry about monsters being a danger to me. Oh no, in this world, the PEOPLE were the monsters. There would be no power of friendship or love to help me, only the encroaching darkness of a world on life support. I was in Worm with none of the safety nets that came with doing a CYOA and getting ROBed. I. Was. Fucked.

I'm not at all ashamed to admit that it took me a while to pull myself together from my minor panic attack. I'd honestly like to see any of you lot do better. After all, its one thing to be dropped into Worm with the powers of a Servant or some of the stupidly strong powers that came from the Wildcard option, but its quite another to be a Magical Girl in the same world. Oh, I had no doubt I'd be able to hold my own, but it would be against enemies who'd happily gut me, 13 year old or not.

Another big problem was the complete lack of anything like a support structure. No one in their right mind would be willing to hire a little girl, even if she was a 'Cape' and even if I could get money, they definitely wouldn't be willing to rent an apartment to a lone child. In short, I had three options. Option one, find someone to take me in. Option two, find somewhere to squat, or, option 3, join the Wards. To be quite honest, none of them sounded that appealing, although I had to imagine that Glenn would happily sacrifice his firstborn for the chance to work with a literal Magical Girl.

Why the Wards and not the Protectorate you ask? Well, while I was mentally an adult, theres not a chance in hell I'd ever be able to convince anyone else that, with the possible exception of a Thinker. Plus, I kinda like the idea of being a kid again. I mean, it came with a whole host of downsides and I definitely wasn't looking forwards to trying to get people to take me seriously with the likes of Myrddin running around, but I could deal with it…

BOOM!

I spun around at the unexpected explosion and quickly spotted a cloud of smoke rising from an area of the Docks a short distance away.

"Hmm, if I know my cliche, and I do, that'll be Taylor's fight with Lung," I said, shifting into a thinking pose without thinking.

Then, I realized what I was doing and dropped my hands.

"Oh hell, I think I've been given some 'cutesy habits," I grumbled, "Whatever, ONWARDS!"

I took off across the rooftops...and immediately realized that I was a lot faster than an admittedly short 13 year old should be. It took less than a second to cross the roof and I was able to clear the gap between the two buildings with ease.

"Heh, cool," I said, a grin crawling across my face.

Then, I poured on the speed with a whoop of joy. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all!

* * *

You don't properly appreciate what superhuman strength means until you see someone leap from the sidewalk to the second floor of a building on the far side of the street. For Taylor Hebert, neophyte and yet unnamed hero, that realization unfortunately came when the infamous Villain known as Lung managed to jump two stories up from the other side of the street. True, he didn't quite manage to make it, but that just meant she had to watch the flaming, steel scaled monster claw his way up towards her like a demon out of hell.

Still, as scary as the rage dragon was, she'd started this fight and by god, she was going to at least give him a fight to remember! She reached into her costumes pouch and pulled out a small can of pepper spray her dad had given her when she'd started going out on runs and readied herself.

Lung's hands, still on fire, were the first thing to show up, gripping the edge of the roof hard enough to bend the material that covered the roof's raised lip. His hands were quickly followed by his head and torso as he hauled himself up. He looked like he was made of overlapping knives or spades, smouldering yellow-orange with the low temperature flame. There was no skin to be seen, and he was easily seven or eight feet tall, judging by the length of his arms and torso. His shoulders alone were three feet across at the very least. Even the one eye that he had open looked metallic, a glowing, almond shaped pool of liquid-hot metal. Taylor swallowed and took aim with the spray...only for a streak of golden light to suddenly shoot out of nowhere and slam into Lungs side.

Everything seemed to slow down as the force of the shot knocked Lung off the building and sent him flying with shards of metallic scales and blood trailing behind him. A moment later, the blast exploded into a small, short lived sun that managed to blow an even larger hole in Lungs side, slamming him into the ground in the process. It didn't seem to really bother the Dragon however and he was soon back on his feet, angrier than ever as his glare and Taylor's gaze turned in the direction the blast had come from. Both were rather stumped at what they saw, for completely different reasons.

Stood on the roof of a nearby building, holding a recurve bow that was glowing brightly, was a girl who looked the same age as Vista wearing a pale pink dress that looked about as impractical for fighting in as could be. She had long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail with a black ribbon and faintly glowing green eyes. Strangely enough, she wasn't wearing a mask or indeed anything to hide her identity. Despite that, her 'costume' was clearly well made, even if it did remind Taylor of something from one of those old Japanese cartoons Zoe Barnes had loved so much.

"'At 'er 'uk?!" snarled Lung, "oo R oo?"

The girl grinned and spun her bow around her fingers in a rather impressive display of dexterity and struck a pose.

"I'm the Warrior of Light, Magical Lily!" she chirped.

There was a moment of complete silence and Taylor was sure she heard the wind whistling across the rooftop as the girls expression slowly changed from a smile to one of mortification.

"OH GOD, NOT THAT!" she suddenly screamed, clutching at her head and nearly taking her eye out with an arm of her bow, "I DON'T WANNA BE A JOKE CHARACTER!"

Taylor gaped at the girl, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Lungs reaction was more...explosive.

"R OO MOCKIN E!" he roared and, without waiting for a response, pounced, this time easily clearing the gap to land on the girl.

"LOOK OUT!" shouted Taylor, but she might as well have saved her breath.

The moment Lung had jumped, Magical Lily had spun around, drawn back on her bow, and released the string. This time, instead of an arrow, the attack was a beam of light that was nearly big enough to cover Lung completely. The Gang Leader roared in pain as the beam exploded, slamming him into the ground again. Before he could try and stand up, the girl jumped off the roof and aimed her bow directly at him as she drew another light arrow.

This time, instead of a beam or single bolt, when Lily released the string, a huge number of arrows shot out and converged on Lung, each one exploded into a small but bright and, if the way Lungs scales reacted was anything to go by, very hot ball of light. By the time the barrage was done, the Gang leader was laying in a shallow puddle of molten road, unconousus and rapidly shrinking back down to Human form.

"YATTA, IT WORKED!" cheered the girl as she landed on the roof a short distance from Taylor and flung her arms in the air.

The Bug controller could only gape as she looked between the infamous Lung and the little girl who had taken him down without trouble. True, he was full of bug venom, but still…

A small hand waving in front of her mask made her jolt back in surprise.

"Hey, are you OK?" asked the girl, "Your not hurt are you?"

"Ah, no, I'm not," said Taylor, her eyes flicking to Lungs smoking body again.

"Well, thats good," said the girl, "I'm Lily by the way."

"I...um, don't have a name yet," said Taylor, feeling a little uncomfortable for some reason.

Lily shrugged.

"Eh, fair enough," she said, "Hey, are you gonna keep hiding over there or are you going to come out and say hello?"

There was a scuffling sound from over the edge of the roof, before something massive scrambled over the edge of the roof. They looked like an unholy cross between lizard and rhino and two of them had people riding on them, two guys and two girls, all obviously Capes from their costumes. The newcomers slid off their mounts and three approaches, leaving the fourth girl to ignore the two female Heroes in favour of checking the monsters, who seemed a little out of breath. For a moment, there was silence, before the apparent leader, a tall man in motorcycle leathers and helmet with a skull painted on the front, spoke up.

"You really saved us a lot of trouble," he said, extending a hand towards Taylor.

Long experience of being a bullying victim had Taylor keeping her mouth shut and leaning back. Fortunately, Lily wasn't as shy.

"No problem!" she chirped.

Then, she let go of the mans hand and skipped over to where the other girl was tending to the monsters and said something to her. The girl looked surprised, but nodded slowly, prompting the little blonde to somehow stick her bow to her back and start petting the gigantic monsters with no apparent fear at all. The girls teammates seemed surprised, but the apparent leader quickly shook it off and turned back to Taylor.

"When we got word Lung was aiming to come after us tonight, we were pretty freaked," he said, "We were arguing strategy for the better part of the day. We eventually decided, fuck it, we'd meet him halfway. Wing it. Not my usual way of doing things, but yeah. Wouldn't you know, his flunky Lee is there with a half dozen guys, but Lung and the rest of his gang are nowhere to be found."

He laughed, a surprisingly normal sound for someone wearing a mask with a skull on it.

"Lee's no slouch in a fight, but there's a reason he's not leader of the ABB. He got spooked without his boss there and ran. I guess you're responsible for that?" Skull-mask waited for a response from me. When I didn't offer one, he ventured towards the edge of the roof and looked down, then spoke without turning to look at me, "Lung is getting creamed. The fuck you do to him?"

"Pepper spray, wasp and bee stings, fire ants and spider bites," the second of the girls said, answering the question for Taylor, "Plus whatever the kid did to him somehow overwhelmed his healing factor. I have no idea how though."

She grinned.

"Hes gonna be feeling this beating for a while!"

"Thats...a little scary," muttered the black clad man.

He shook his head and snapped his fingers.

"Introductions. That's Tattletale. I'm Grue. The girl with the dogs..."

he pointed to the other girl, the one who had whistled and directed the monsters, who was talking to Lily.

"...We call her Bitch, her preference, but in the interests of being P.G., the good guys and media decided to call her Hellhound instead. Last and certainly least, we have Regent."

"Fuck you Grue," retorted Regent.

A moment later, a spark of light hit him in the back of the head, making him jump.

"LANGUAGE!" shouted Lily.

Regent rubbed the back of his head, glaring at the little girl, who went back to ignoring him in favour of petting the mutated dog she'd somehow reduced to a drooling puddle.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Grue suddenly, "You hurt?"

"The reason she's not introducing herself isn't because she's hurt," said Tattletale, not taking her eyes off Lily, "It's because she's shy."

Then, she blinked and looked around, the slightly confused look on her face being replaced by a look of annoyance.

"Heads up. We've gotta scram."

"Awww," said Lily as Bitch whistled and the dogs snapped back to attention.

Grue turned back to Taylor.

"Hey, want a ride?" he asked.

Taylor glanced at the mutated dogs, shuddered and shook her head. Grue shrugged and headed over to mount up.

"Hey," said Tattletale, looking at Taylor for the first time from where she was seated just behind Bitch, "What's your name?"

"I don't… I haven't picked one yet," said Taylor.

Tattletale nodded.

"Well, Bug, a cape is gonna show up in less than a minute," She said, "You did us a solid by dealing with Lung, so take my advice. Someone from the Protectorate shows up, finds two bad guys duking it out, they're not going to let one walk away. You should get out of here."

She shot a glance at Lily, who seemed to be giving the dogs a goodbye pets.

"I doubt shes got anything to worry about."

Tattletale flashed Taylor a vulpine grin, before the dogs jumped away, disappearing with impressive speed.

* * *

Alright, I'm now certain that my transformation has affected me mentally. There is no way in hell that I'd ever have done something that embarrassing otherwise! Seriously, I know I'm a Magical Girl, but that didn't mean I needed to ham it up! Then there was the thing with Bitches dogs. I'll freely admit that most of my antics around Taylor were deliberate, albeit came a lot easier than I thought they would, but the moment I saw the dogs, the only thing I could think was PUPPIES! and the desire to pet them. This would require some thought.

But first, I needed to deal with Armsy!

I peaked over the edge of the roof as the Tinker pulled up and hopped of his bike. He marched over to Lung and, after examining him and the melted road for a moment, did something that made a syringe pop out of his halberd.

"Hey mister, I wouldn't recommend you do that!" I called down, making the Tinker jump and spin around, "Not unless you want the guy dead at least!"

Armsmaster glanced between me and Lung, before he put the needle away and instead transferred the unconscious Gangster to a cage that emerged from the back of his bike. Then, he pointed his halberd at the building and grappled up to the roof, landing with a loud thud.

"What did you mean by that?" he asked in a clipped tone.

"Well, my attack overwhelmed his healing factor and she'd already pumped him full of bug venom," I said, jabbing a thumb at Taylor, "If you'd tranqued him, his body would probably have shut down or undergone necrosis at the very least."

Armsmaster stared at me for a moment, before his lips tightened slightly.

"Your telling the truth," he said, "Thank you Miss…?"

"Magical Lily," I said with a slight curtsy, "Nice ta meet ya Armsey!"

Yes, I was playing it up a little, no I don't care. If I have to me a Magical Girl, I'm going to enjoy myself damnit! I ruthlessly squashed the manic grin that threatened to surface when Armsmaster's jaw tightened even more. Rather than address my 'eccentricity' that he'd probably put down to my youth, he turned to Taylor and eyed her up and down.

"You don't look like a hero," he said bluntly.

Jesus christ, this guy wouldn't know sublty if it came up and smacked him with a fish! Taylor winced slightly.

"That's… not intentional,"she said, "I was more than halfway done putting the costume together when I realized it was already looking more edgy than I'd intended, and I couldn't do anything about it by then."

There was a long pause, before Armsmaster spoke up again.

"You're telling the truth," he said.

He looked us both over, apparently noting the scorch marks on the back of Taylors costume.

"You need a hospital?"

"No," said Taylor, "Don't think so. I'm as surprised as you are."

"He didn't even touch me," I said, not bothering to keep the pride out of my voice.

"Your both new faces," said Armsmaster.

"I haven't even come up with a name yet," said Taylor, "You know how hard it is to come up with a bug-themed name that doesn't make me sound like a supervillain or a complete dork?"

Armsmaster chuckled, a surprisingly warm and normal sound for such a stiff and robotic fellow.

"I wouldn't know," he said, "I got into the game early enough that I didn't have to worry about missing out on all of the good names."

He looked between the two of us again.

"You two did a good job here," he said, "Are you working together?"

We shook our heads.

"I see," he said, "Well, good job or not, you should consider joining the Wards, espesually you Lily. The life of a Hero is not a safe one and I'd rather not see such a young girl die on my watch."

I blinked. That was...a little unexpected. I wonder if Dragon was listening in?

"I'll think about it," I said.

"Thats all I ask," said Armsmaster, "The offer goes to you as well."

Taylor nodded, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

"Now, onto more pressing business," said Armsmaster, "Who gets the credit for Lung?"

Ah, now that was more expected. To bad I had no intention of allowing him to take credit. I tilted my head and plastered an expression of confusion on my face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, "We're the ones who took him down."

The corner of Armsmasters mouth twitched slightly.

"True, and that was a spectacular feat," he said, "But you need to consider the consequences. Lung has an extensive gang throughout Brockton Bay and neighboring cities. More than that, he has two superpowered flunkies. Oni Lee and Bakuda."

"I know about Oni Lee, and Grue mentioned fighting him," said Taylor, "I've never heard of Bakuda."

"Not surprising," said Armsmaster, "She's new. What we know about her is limited. She made her first appearance and demonstration of her powers by way of a drawn out terrorism campaign against Cornell University. Lung apparently recruited her and brought her to Brockton Bay after her plans were foiled by the New York Protectorate. This is… something of a concern."

"What are her powers?" asked Taylor.

"Shes a bomb Tinker," I said, "I keep up with the news when I can."

"Exactly," said Armsmaster, "Now I want you to consider the danger involved in taking the credit for Lung's capture. Without a doubt, Oni Lee and Bakuda will be looking to accomplish two

goals. Freeing their boss and getting vengeance on the one responsible. I suspect you're now aware… these are scary people. Scarier in some ways than their boss."

"You're saying we shouldn't take the credit," said Taylor.

"I'm saying you have two options. Option one is to join the Wards, where you'll have support and protection in the event of an altercation. Option two is to keep your head down. Don't take the credit. Fly under the radar."

"Or," I said, cutting across Taylors response, "We take credit _as we should_ and become known as the girls who beat Lung on our first nights out. That will be MORE than enough to make anyone hesitate before trying anything. And if they do, my arrows are light and burn with the heat of the sun. Do not assume that my name makes me a fragile flower Armsmaster, I can take care of myself."

Taylor and Armsmaster stared at me in obvious surprise. I don't think they were expecting me to be able to sound so serious after the cutsy act I'd been putting on. Taylor was the first to recover and took a deep breath.

"Shes right," she said, "I want to take the credit."

Armsmaster was silent for a moment, a muscle jumping in his cheek.

"Understood," he said, his voice a little tight, "If you'll excuse me."

He turned away and jumped off the roof. A moment later, his bike roared away with the caged Lung on the back. Once he was out of sight, Taylor let out a gasp and dropped onto the roof with a sigh.

"I...can't believe I just did that," she said.

I tilted my head on one side.

"Did what?" I asked, "All we did was took what was ours."

I could see Taylor's incredulous look through her mask.

"We just turned down Armsmaster!" she squeaked.

"So?"

Taylor groaned and dropped her face into her hands.

"You know what? I'm done," she said, "I'll see you...later I guess."

She turned to leave, but before she could, I hurried forwards and grabbed the back of her suit. I'm not sure why, but somehow I knew that I needed to go with Taylor.

"Um, before you do, I need to ask you something," I said in a small voice.

Taylor looked down at me, apparently surprised.

"What?" she asked.

"I...I don't have anywhere to go," I said, looking down and feeling tears prick at my eyes, "I don't know where I am or even what my name is. I need help."

WIth that, I gave into the urge and burst into tears.

 **Done. Well, that was certainly an experience. Fun though. I plan to continue this AFTER I'm done with my Madoka story for...reasons I won't go into here.**

 **There IS a reason why Lily decided to go and help Taylor and no, its not just because its the 'done thing'. Its the same reason that she broke down and asked Taylor for help.**

 **Incidentally, if you haven't figured it out yet, Lily is basically a 13 year old version of Saber Lily in her F/GO stage three outfit. I might have her gain an the armoured version of the dress later as a powerup.**

 **Heres a question, should I add more Magical Girls to the world? I mean, obviously Lily's presence will cause things to go a little bit campy and likely attract Mouse Protector to the bay, but you can never have too much POWER OF FRIENDSHIP! and adding more Magical Girls will do just that. If you think I should, give me some ideas for who they should be and what powers they should have. No one over 18 though and anyone older than 15 will need a bloody good reason.**

 **Anyway, this is done, so don't forget to leave a review!**


	137. To Kill a God chapter 2

To Kill a God

I thought I was lucky when I found a cool little piece in a convention, but I should have known better. Now I'm a teenager again, female and stuck in a world that can chew the average schmuck up and spit them out with ease. This is gonna hurt.

 **And we're back! Before we begin, due to issues of timing, I'm altering the timeline very slightly. All of the events after the weekend will be unchained, but I'm shifting Taylor's fight with Lung to early in the morning on the Saturday. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

When Danny Hebert went to bed on Friday evening, he expected to wake up to the sound of his alarm for a normal day at home, recharging. Instead, he was woken by his Daughter at three in the morning to find out that she was apparently a Cape and had somehow picked up a stray. Said stray was a little girl who was currently sat on the couch with Taylor, cuddled up to his Daughters side and snuffling as she scrubbed at her tearstained face with a handful of tissues.

"So let me get this straight," said Danny, "You Triggered in...that place and have been hiding your powers for the past three months as you prepared to go out and be a Hero?"

Taylor nodded.

"And tonight, you decided to go out and decided to take down LUNG with a mix of spiders, hornets and ants?"

Another nod.

"In the process, this girl decided to step in and helped beat him, before turning down an offer to the Wards and asked if she could go with you?"

A third nod. Danny took a deep breath. He was far from a stupid man and knew very well that, had Taylor not met the poor girl, he wouldn't have heard about this for a VERY long time, if ever. He was also well aware that it was more than partly his fault considering how he'd been acting since Annettes death.

"Alright," he said, "We'll table the discussion about taking on Lung for later."

He fixed his daughter with a glare, which made her shift awkwardly, before turning his attention to the girl clinging to her side.

"Your names Lily, right?" he asked.

Lily nodded.

"Alright then Lily, why haven't you gone to the Police or PRT?" he asked, "Surely they'd be able to help you better than someone you just met?"

Lily shook her head.

"No, wouldn't work," she said, "My powers let me see through falsehoods and I know that the PRT is compromised. I don't wanna put myself under their control. And...I don't want to go into foster care either..."

Danny sighed. It was unfortunate, but she wasn't wrong. The PRT information security was worse than a sieve when it came to keeping things in, which was the main reason that so few of the Villains were kept of the streets for long. As for the other issue, she wasn't wrong to not want to go into that mess. Thanks to the likes of the Nine, Endbringers and the sheer number of Villains, the system was groaning under the weight of far to many orphans. As a result, foster parents tended to be able to get away with more than they should. He'd heard more than a few horror stories about Villains and the Fallen using the system to get their hands on the orphans and then doing unspeakable things to them. He wasn't sure whether there was any truth to them, but he didn't want to risk it.

"Alright, I can understand that," said Danny, "But why did you ask Taylor to take you in?"

Lily shrugged.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time?" she said, "Like I said, I can see lies and that allows me to get an idea of a persons character. Besides, someone willing to take on Lung for some kids she doesn't know can't be bad, right?"

Well, Danny couldn't argue with that logic, although the fact it was possible was...worrying. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Dad, she needs help," said Taylor, "She has noone. She doesn't even know her own name!"

"I understand that Taylor, but its not that simple," said Danny, "Look, she can stay here for now, but I don't think we can look after her forever. Why don't you call Emma tomorrow and see if the Barnes can do something? Alan might know some way to help…"

He trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he saw Taylor flinch at the mention of Emma.

"Taylor, has something happened between you and Emma?" he asked.

Taylor squirmed, not meeting his eyes, before Lily poked the older girl in the side. Taylor looked down at the girl, who was now looking rather sleepy, but her eyes were still alert.

"Secrets only make things worse," she said.

Then, she lay her head down in Taylors lap and closed her eyes. A moment later, her breathing evened out and, to the surprise of the two Hebert's, her dress dissolved into golden motes of light, leaving her wearing a dirty and tattered looking pink pullover, skirt, stockings and shoes that were scuffed and dirty. Taylor slowly lifted her hand and placed it on the girls blonde locks, making her mou and shift closer to the soft touch. Once again, neither Hebert could stop the smile that appeared at the adorable sight. Then, Taylor's smile vanished and she took a deep breath.

"Dad...I need to tell you something," she said.

Danny sat in silence as his Daughter spoke about how Emma was one of the leaders of the bullies at school, bullies who hadn't been stopped after the Locker incident, despite assurances of the school that they'd crack down on it. All through the story, Danny's fists were tightening and his legendary temper began to flare. The entire story took nearly an hour to finish and once Taylor was done, Danny sat completely still. His face was blank, but his fists were clenched so tightly that they were nearly white.

He wanted to explode. He wanted to storm down to the school, to Alan, to the police, to anyone and demand that they do something about the... _monsters_ that nearly killed his little girl and apparently got off scot free. However, he couldn't do that. In his youth, he would have, but years of being married, raising his child and working as the face of the DWA had taught him that control was much more effective and dealing with those that angered him calmly and concisely resulted in better and MUCH more satisfying results.

"Dad?" said Taylor, looking a little scared.

Danny took a deep breath and let it out as he released his hands.

"Alright, this is what we're going to do," he said, "First of all, your not going back to that school."

He held up a hand before she could say anything.

"I don't want you to think of this as 'losing' to them or something," he said, "Theres no shame in admitting defeat...so long as you turn around and deal a finishing blow later."

He grinned and Taylor hesitantly smiled back.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to go talk to Zoe about what Emma's been up to. Do you have any proof?"

Taylor frowned.

"Yeah, I took notes and recorded every incident," she said, "But why Mrs Barnes?"

"Because I know that Alan will always take Emmas side," said Danny, "Hes a good lawyer, but when it comes to family, he'll do anything to keep them safe and won't hear a bad word said about them. However, Zoe will listen and get through to Alan. They'll set Emma straight. I don't think we can do anything about the others I'm afraid, but since your not going back to Winslow, thats fine."

He sighed.

"I'll see if theres something we can do later," he said, "For now, lets move onto more pressing matters. Like picking a fight with Lung."

Taylor flinched.

"It was reckless and foolish," said Danny, "Even the entire Protectorate working together can't beat him. While you did manage to do so, you could have easily been killed. Now, I don't intend to try and stop you being a Hero, lord knows your too much like your Mother for that, but I want you to think long and hard about how you can do better. I admit, I would like you to join the Wards, but I won't force you to. However, if your going to go out on patrol, you need a way to contact me and the Police or PRT, which means getting a...cell phone."

Danny grimoused at the last two words. He didn't like the devices after Annette had been killed in an accident while using one, but he wasn't stupid enough to dismiss their usefulness for an independent Hero. Taylor didn't look pleased with the idea either, but nodded.

"Alright," she said.

"You can get one tomorrow," said Danny, "Lily's going to need clothes and toiletries and your a much better choice for helping her get them than I would be."

Taylor glanced down at the little girl asleep in her lap and nodded.

"I can do that," she said.

Danny smiled.

"Alright, now lets get to bed," he said, "I'm sure you're exhausted, I know I am."

Taylor nodded and Danny stood, gently picking up Lily to let Taylor stand. He carried the little girl upstairs and into the spare room. It had not been used for a while, but it was clean. He put her on the bed as Taylor came in with some of her old PJs and turned to leave the room. Danny paused at the door and glanced back as Taylor gently lifted the younger girl to change her clothes. The look on her face as she did was almost identical to the one Annette wore while tucking Taylor into bed when she was a baby.

Danny left the room and stood there for a moment. It had been less than three hours since Taylor had met Lily and already the small girl had changed so much. Even asleep as she had been for most of the conversation, her presence had been enough to allow the Father and Daughter to start to reconnect after so long. It was clear that Taylor was rather taken with the girl if nothing else.

Danny let out a huff and headed back to bed. He'd think about this when the sun rose.

* * *

The next morning, I was woken by the light of dawn streaming right through my windows and landing on my face. I tried to keep hold of my sleep, draping an arm over my eyes, but it was useless. I was now awake thanks to that fucking sun.

"Urrg, how did I forget to close the curtains last night?" I grumbled as I shifted in bed, reaching with one arm for my glasses, "And what was with that fucked up dream? Turning into a Magical Girl? Finding myself in Worm? Why would I…?"

I opened my eyes since I couldn't find my glasses, only to be met with perfect vision and an arm that was definitely too small to be mine. Well, my old one at least. I sighed and let my arm drop back to the bed. I lay still for a moment as I went over my memories of the night before before I fell asleep. Then, I sat up and looked around.

The room I was in lacked any kind of personalization, suggesting that it wasn't in regular use. There was a chest of draws, a closet and a mirror on one wall, but other than that, it was bare. I hopped out of bed and padded over to the mirror. I had some idea of what I looked like, but it'd be nice to see myself when I wasn't in agony.

The girl looking back at me was pretty much exactly what you'd expect for a Magical Girl. I was slightly shorter than average, with wide, green eyes, long blonde hair and pretty features that hinted at future beauty, but was now just cute. It didn't help that the pale pink pajamas I was wearing were slightly to large and made me look even smaller which, combined with my sleep mussed hair, only added to the cuteness factor. Other than that, the only other thing of note was the silver ring with a golden coloured gem set into it on my left ring finger, which also had an golden mark that resembled a flower on the fingernail. I stared at it.

"Yes, that is your Soul Gem," said a familiar voice.

I jumped and spun around to see the little white creature who was responsible for my predicament sat on the dresser.

"Don't worry though, you won't be turning into a Witch anytime soon," he said.

"Wha...who are you?" I asked.

The creature yawned.

"I've had a few names," he said, "My real one is…"

He made a sound that didn't even sound like a Human throat could replicate.

"...but I've also been known as Cath Palug, Prometheus, Rodin, Sans, Agent and Abaddon. You may call me the latter."

I blinked.

"Abaddon?" I repeated, "As in the third Entity?"

Abaddon sighed.

"Yes, that was me," he said, "I had hoped to take down both of them, but...well, you know the answer to that."

"But...your not an Entity?" I asked, now extremely confused.

"No, I am not," said Abaddon, "I am one of many beings who recruit Magical Girls for many reasons."

"Alright, but why destroy the Entities?" I asked.

"Because if they aren't stopped, the Earth and many of its alternates will be destroyed," said Abaddon, "You know that."

"I do," I said, "But I don't get the significance. Surely your not limited to just Earth?"

"No, but Earth is something of a lynchpin," said Abaddon, "If it goes, my kind lose a great deal of our powers and that will allow those we fight to gain a foothold, which would be...bad."

"I can imagine," I said, "So, why pick me? I mean, I'm...was a man in my 20s. Surely you could have found someone younger and with the right genitals without doing...this to me?"

Abaddon growled.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't," he said, "Because of how my kinds laws work, I have access to very few weapons and those I do have tend to be rather picky. You were the first person in 30 years and over a hundred realities who could touch the bow without getting burnt. I was desperate, to the point that I couldn't afford to wait any longer. I am sorry I was forced to use you, but I'm not sorry I did."

"Thats all very well and good, but what if I don't want to fight Zion?" I asked.

"Then you'll die with everyone else," said Abaddon bluntly, "However, because of how I turned you into a Magical Girl, you won't pass on. You'll be stuck as a spirit, floating in the void, alone and unable to die as your body constantly reforms and dies, over and over again."

I blanched.

"Thats...not nice!" I squeaked.

"No, but I don't have a choice," said Abaddon, "Normally, the Magical Girls we recruit have at least the illusion of choice and, to be fair, so do you. I can't force you to fight Zion, all I can do is tell you the facts."

I stared down at my hands for a moment.

"But how can I fight him?" I asked in a small voice, "I mean, I know I'm powerful, but Zion is practically a god!"

"While its true you don't stand a chance as you are now, I'm not asking you to go out and hunt him down as you are," said Abaddon, "A Magical Girls power is drawn from belief. The belief of the girl herself, of her friends, her family and everyone else in the world. The more people believe in you, the stronger you become. All you need to do is be a Hero and eventually, your powers will be strong enough to win. You also won't have to fight alone. You can, and will, make friends to fight alongside you. Then theres also...HER."

I tilted my head on ones side.

"Who her?" I asked.

Abaddon looked like he'd rather not say, but eventually responded.

"You're..not the only Magical Girl on Bet," he said, "The other ones been...around for a while and, while powerful, isnt one of mine, so I can't actively recruit her. Chances are, she'll show up once you start making waves, if shes not to busy slaughtering her way through the many, many issues in Asia, Europe and Africa."

I frowned.

"Whats her name?" I asked.

"Not important," said Abaddon, "Suffice to say, you'll know her when you meet her."

Well, thats not ominous at all.

"Well, I've said what I need to," said Abaddon, getting to his feet, "I'll be taking my leave. You probably won't see me again for a while, but I'll be there."

He flashed a quick grin.

"Good luck."

Then, he vanished. There was no flash of light or sound, he was just gone, leaving me staring at the empty spot on the dresser. I...wasn't entirely sure how to take all this. The idea that I was basically chosen because I was the only person capable of even picking up my bow was...an odd one to say the least and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. I did know how I felt about having the fate of the world dropped on my shoulders though! Pissed off! I knew that being a Magical Girl meant that I'd end up fighting something, but not Zion. I'd just have to hope that my presence would turn the world from Superhero deconstruction to Magical Girl. While they could be surprisingly dark, it was rare for them not to end, if not happily, at least with everyone alive and in one piece. Even Madoka had a...sort of happy ending with the birth of the New World.

I was also a little worried by Abaddon's mention of the other Magical Girl. From the sound of things, she wasn't exactly the Sailor Moon type of sparkly, love and justice Magical Girl, although considering the world, that wasn't entirely surprising. I had to wonder what she was like and what would happen if...when we met. Knowing my luck, it'll probably involve a lot of violence.

A knock on the door drew me out of my thoughts as the door opened and Taylor stuck her head in. When she saw I was up, she opened the door fully and entered with a tray balanced on one hand. Almost immediately, I started drooling as my nose picked up the smell of breakfast and my tummy decided to remind me that I'd yet to feed it. I blushed as Taylor smiled at the loud sound.

"Morning," she said, "How did you sleep?"

"Very well thank you," I said, "Thank you for the PJs."

"No problem," said Taylor as she put the tray on the bed and indicated for me to eat, "There a little big, but we'll get you some of your own when we go shopping today."

I looked up from the tray I was attacking with no small amount of vigor.

"Shopping?" I asked.

"Well, you don't have anything other than your clothes, so Dad said I should take you shopping today," she said.

"OK," I said and went back to the food.

As I ate, Taylor sat down on the bed beside me and hugged her legs to her chest.

"Thank you," she said suddenly.

I paused, a strip of bacon hanging out of my mouth.

"For what?" I asked.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," said Taylor, "But I wanted to thank you for helping me talk to Dad."

She sighed.

"Things have been hard since...since my Mom died. If I hadn't met you, I don't think I'd have ever told him about my powers or the bullying."

I swallowed and crawled across the bed to hug the 'older' girl. She looked surprised, but hugged me back anyway.

"You don't need to thank me Taylor," I said, "I didn't do anything. It was all you."

Taylor smiled.

"But you helped," she said, "So thank you."

She gave me a squeeze and stood up.

"Finish your breakfast," she said, "I'll see if I can find some of my old clothes for you to wear."

"K!"

* * *

By the time I was done, Taylor had returned with some clothes and I quickly found myself wearing a blue top, checkered skirt and white socks. They fit rather well, although were clearly old as the colours had faded slightly. That said, they looked good on me, although wearing a skirt would take some getting used to.

"Huh, they fit better than I thought they would," said Taylor.

"Thank you for this," I said as I twisted my body, trying to get used to the feeling of the skirt brushing against my thighs.

"Eh, its no trouble," said Taylor.

She frowned slightly.

"By the way, what should I call you?" she asked.

I glanced at her.

"Whats wrong with Lily?" I asked.

"Well, thats your Cape name," she said, "And I don't think there are many preteen heroes with blonde hair running around calling themselves Lily…"

She trailed off, before her face took on a look of horror.

"Wait, you weren't wearing a mask last night!" she gasped.

I giggled.

"You just noticed that?" I asked.

"B-but your identity…"

"I'm a Magical Girl," I said, "I don't need a mask to hide my identity. Unless I intentionally reveal myself to someone, its impossible to connect Magical Lily to me. I could even transform in front of a crowd with cameras and they still wouldn't be able to connect Lily the normal girl with Magical Lily, the hero unless I wanted them to."

"But theres no such thing as Magic," said Taylor automatically.

I smiled and turned to face her.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," I said, "But if you can't accept that, think of it as a Stranger effect."

Taylor frowned, but seemed to accept that.

"Alright, Lily it is," she said, "Come on, lets go get you some stuff."

* * *

Brockton Bay Mall was the go to location in the city for stuff for the inhabitants of the city. The Market was also good, but most of the shops for things like clothes, electronics and so on were located in the mall. It was definitely one of the better ones I'd been to and seemed to have a bit of everything. As a result, it didn't take long to find some suitable clothes. I also came across another change that proved that I wasn't the same person as I had been.

My past self would have spent maybe five minutes looking through stuff, before settling on jeans and short sleeve shirts and I honestly expected to end up doing just that. However, just like with Bitches dogs, I found myself drawn towards the exact clothes that you'd expect and adorable Magical Girl to wear in her civilian identity. Bright colours, mostly pinks and blues, skirts rather than pants and so on. I also managed to find a shirt with a sailor colour and a lolita style dress, although Taylor gave the latter a hard no for some reason. I mostly tried it on for a joke anyway, although it did look surprisingly good. Bit expensive though.

* * *

With clothes shopping done, Taylor and I headed to the food court where I proceeded to demolish a massive plate of burger and frys, a large milkshake and a sundae with all the manners you'd expect from a starving 13 year old.

"How can you eat that much?" asked Taylor, looking rather surprised that I managed to finish off the massive meal.

I shrugged.

"I'm hungry," I said.

Taylor snorted.

"I aught to take you to Fugly Bobs," she said, "I wonder if you could manage the Challenger?"

There was a loud snort from the next table across and I turned to see a statuesque blonde sitting with a mousy brunette.

"Now that I'd like to see," said the blonde with a grin, "If just to see the looks on everyone's faces when a kid manages to finish it!"

"Vicky, don't be rude," said the other girl.

I blinked. It couldn't be… I glanced at Taylor and saw that she seemed to have frozen like a deer in the headlights at the sight of the two older girls. Yep, I'd say that confirms it.

"Aww, lighten up Ames, I'm only joking," said Victoria Dallon (because who else would it be).

The older blonde turned back to us with her grin firmly in place.

"Hi, I'm Victoria," she said, "And this is Amy."

I turned so I was kneeling on my chair.

"Hi, I'm Lily!" I chirped, "And this is Taylor."

I pointed at Taylor, who looked like she was having a minor case of Blue Screen of Death. Deciding to play up my innocent little girl persona, I tilted my head on one side and poked my guide in the shoulder.

"Taylor? You OK?"

She blinked and looked from the two Heroes to be and back again. Then, she seemed to realize what she was doing and paled.

"Oh god, I'm sorry!" she said, "I just…"

Victoria cut her off by bursting out laughing.

"Aww, don't worry about it," she said, "We're used to it. Right Ames?"

Amy made a sound that vaguely sounded like agreement.

"I like your shirt by the way," said Victoria, indicating to the new shirt I was wearing.

I'd been rather surprised to find it, but I couldn't resist. Taylor's old stuff had fit me fine, but after buying the new shirt, I couldn't resist changing into it. What was so special about it? It was a Sailor Moon shirt.

"Thanks," I said, "You like Sailor Moon?"

Victorias grin only widened.

"Hell yeah, Magical Girls are awesome!" she said.

Taylor nearly choked behind me as Amy rolled her eyes. I just grinned wider as well. I opened my mouth to ask if she'd seen any I hadn't, but paused when a strange smell entered my nose and attracted my attention. I frowned and looked around.

"Whats wrong?" asked Amy, apparently noticing my confusion.

"I don't know, I can just…" I started, before I snapped my head around, just in time to see the front wall of the shopping mall get crushed under the massive wheels and armoured front of a frankly hideous vehicle that looked like the mutated love child of a big rig and a monster truck. Naturally, the patrons immediately started screaming and running for cover as a hatch popped open and a man with dark skin in a rather naff looking costume jumped out and started waving an SMG around.

"BEEP BEEP MOTHERFUCKERS!" screamed the man as more hatches opened and a horde of clearly drugged up people emerged and started running around, correling people and darting into shops to get more of the shoppers and drove them into the middle of the floor.

Quick as a flash, the two Heroes were on their feet and quickly hustled Taylor and I, along with the other people in the food court (which wasn't many since it had been a while since lunch) out of sight.

"What the hell are the Merchants doing here?" growled Victoria.

"Who knows what those idiots are thinking half the time," said Amy, "Skidmark probably got high and thought that taking advantage of Lungs capture last night to make a quick buck."

I felt Taylor tense beside me and took her hand.

"Tch, your probably right," said Victoria, before turning her attention to the terrified bystanders, "Stay here and someone call the cops and PRT. I'll go see if I can hold them off until they get here."

"Wha...wait Vicky!" shouted Amy, but the Alexandria Package was already gone, "Oh, god damn it!"

I looked up at Taylor and saw that she had a look of guilt on her face. I smiled at her, before ducking around a corner and pulling her with me.

"This is our fault," she whispered.

"No its not," I said, "We might have taken Lung down, but it was Skidmark who decided to cause trouble."

Taylor bit her lip.

"I guess…" she said, "I...I don't like just sitting here though. I want to be a Hero, but…"

I grinned.

"Fortunately, your power makes fighting from the shadows easy," I said, "Just set some bugs on them while staying out of sight. I'll handle the spotlight."

"Wait, what?" said Taylor, eyes widening, "You don't mean…"

"I can handle them," I said, "Trust me."

I smiled, then took a deep breath and clasped my hands as if in prayer.

"Awaken, Lily of Light," I whispered and my ring lit up like the sun.

* * *

 _The light washed away the world, leaving me stood in a field of white flowers under a sky so blue it looked unreal. I opened my eyes and threw my arms wide, sending the petals flying skyward, each one glowing like a golden star._

 _As they danced around me, the petals started to twist around me, first around my torso and forming my dress, then my arms to form my gloves, my legs to form my stockings and shoes, then twisting themselves into my hair to form my bow that tied my hair up and finally around my neck to form the bow there, topped with my Soul Gem._

 _I opened my eyes and held up a hand as the remaining lights spun and took the shape of my bow, the weapon glowing like the sun as my fingers closed around the grip. I grinned, turned on my heel and struck a pose._

 _ **MAGICAL LILY!**_

* * *

I couldn't stop the wide smile that appeared as I felt my power flow through me. I hadn't noticed before, but in my Civilian form, I was no different from a normal girl. Now though, I was strong enough to take on nearly any Villain in the city if it came to it. Skidmark and his goons didn't stand a chance!

 **And I think I'll leave this here. That was...a lot of fun actually. Anyway, onto the quips.**

 **I'm still on the fence about whether or not I should include more Magical Girls to team up with Lily since, although there is another, she won't actually be part of Lily's team since shes both a lot older and more violent than most. She will be showing up at some point though. Probably to fight Levi and possibly the Nine.**

 **If I do decide to add more Magical Girls though, I'll base their names of flowers since a guest made a comment about a Magical Rose with fire powers and I find myself liking the idea. However, I also like the idea of keeping the Magic limited to Lily. Thoughts and opinions?**

 **Wow, Danny's smart enough to not run off and start screaming at people. How will this affect the future?**

 **I admit, I'm not entirely sure why I had the Dallon sisters be there, other than the fact I really want to have Amy and Taylor make friends. I also had a plan for them to run into the Bitches Three, but it'll have more impact if I wait a bit. So instead, the Merchants got coked up and decided to drop by. That won't end well.**

 **What do you think of the transformation sequence? I hope I did a good job at it!**

 **Well, this is done now. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	138. A Sword and a Vampire Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: A Sword and a Vampire

You know, when I died, I wasn't expecting to get reincarnated as a wimpy harem protagonist. I also wasn't expecting to end up in the same position as said wimpy protagonist. On the up side, I don't think I'll have to worry about dying anytime soon. Not to the Yokai at least.

 **Rosario Vampire and DXD. What could possibly go wrong? Several things actually. That said, for once I can safely say that the entire plot of one side won't be completely derailed simply because of what Sacred Gear I give Tsukune because theres confirmed multiple versions of it. No, I'm just busting it because of some of Tsukune's relationships. For the purposes of this story, unless I state otherwise, Rosario Vampire monster types takes precedence. In short, Yuki-onna don't turn into gorillas as they mature and you can consider Moka's family to be a sort of offshoot of Vampires thanks to them being of Shinso blood, which puts them on a completely different level to most Vampires. Also, Succubi have nothing to do with Devils. With that done, lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know, I always knew Religion was bad for your health. Why do I say that? Well, the last time I went into a Church, I was killed by a massive crucifix falling on my head. Oh yes, I'm dead as a doornail. How can I be telling this story if I'm dead? Well, I have been reincarnated. Yep, reborn as a baby for a new life with my old one intact. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that I wasn't quite as lucky as I thought. Why? Well, I had apparently been reborn as everyone's favorite wuss who is somehow irresistible to monsters, Tsukune Aono. Well, this is going to be a fun existence…

* * *

Growing up was...oddly normal. I mean, what else can I say when I just went to school and acted like a normal kid? Sure, I had an extra life knocking about in my skull, but all that really did was make me very annoyed at my time as a baby and gave me a leg up at school. Still, thanks to that, I'd probably end up not having to go to Yokai…

Eh, guess only time will tell. For now, I just had to enjoy my childhood. Admittedly, I probably should have been paying better attention or I might not have ended up getting dragged into the world of Monsters. What do I mean by that? Well, it all started on a family trip to Kyoto when I was ten. We were doing a tour of the various shrines in the city (which was boring the other kids in the tour group but really interesting to me) and had stopped for lunch and a rather nice park that, as seemed to be typical of the city, was frankly gorgeous. My Parents had long adapted to having a Son who was more responsible than most teenagers, so were happy to let me wonder on my own, so long as I didn't stray to far. I decided to take advantage of that to find some peace and quiet from the numerous loud brats in the group we were with who were letting out all the pent up energy by running around and squealing and found a large tree a distance from the group picnic that was still within shouting distance of said picnic, climbed into the branches, and settled in to watch the clouds.

I wasn't expecting an eyeful of red clad bottom to suddenly land on me though.

CRASH!

"Owee, that hurt!"

"I second that," I groaned, rubbing my head as I sat up and looked at the girl who'd just landed on me and knocked me out of the tree.

She looked a little bit younger than me, maybe a year at most, with golden blonde hair tied in a ponytail and full of sticks and leaves, golden eyes and was wearing a Miko uniform. She also looked strangely familiar, although for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why.

I got to my feet and brushed off my clothes, before offering the girl my hand.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Huh?"

She looked up and cocked her head on one side.

"Who are you?" she asked.

I smiled.

"I'm Tsukune," I said, "Do you need some help?"

The girl looked from my face to my hand and back, before she smiled and took the offered hand.

"Thanks," she said.

I pulled her to her feet.

"I'm Kunou," she said.

I smiled again.

"Nice to meet you Kunou," I said, "So what was a cute Miko like you doing up a tree anyway?"

Kunou's smile was rapidly replaced with a pout. For some reason, I expected her to have drooping ears as well. How odd.

"Mama won't play with me," she said, "Shes stuck in meetings with the Old Man and I'm bored!"

She looked at me with big, wide eyes and I immediately knew I'd say yes to whatever she asked.

"Will you play with me?"

* * *

And with that, I found myself doing just that until the sun set. I have no idea what it was that made my Parents leave me with Kunou (although I have a feeling it may have something to do with Youjutsu and possibly a certain gourd headed old man), but the day seemed to fly by and before I knew it, the sun was turning red as it kissed the horizon and Kunou's mother arrived to 'pick her up', alongside my own Parents.

Kunou's mother (who introduced herself as Yasaka) was a frankly gorgeous woman with a large bust (shut it) that was barely constrained by her Shrine Maiden's uniform. She had delicate features, long blonde hair tied in a loose ponytail that reached below her knees, golden eyes and eyebrows that had been cut short in the traditional Japanese symbol of nobility. She was gorgeous enough that my Dad needed a hard stomp on the foot from Mum to get him to stop gawking.

She was accompanied by an elderly man in traditional robes with short, black hair and a small mustache who was smoking a large cigar who looked oddly familiar.

"Thank you for keeping Kunou company," said Yasaka after she was dragged over by her very enthusiastic daughter to meet me, "I'm sure you had other things to do."

"Oh, it was no trouble," I said, "Honestly, the tour's been kinda boring since I already knew most of the stuff the guides told us, although it was nice to see the places in person. Still, I had fun, so…"

I trailed off as I realized I was babbling and blushed.

"Um, sorry," I said, looking down.

Yasaka chuckled.

"Hey, can we play again tomorrow?" asked Kunou, looking as eager as a nine year old can be.

I twitched slightly. I...honestly would have liked to, but…

"I'm going home tomorrow," I said, "I really wish I could but…"

The change from eager to disappointed was utterly heartbreaking as Kunou's brilliant smile vanished and was replaced with a look of sorrow.

"Oh…" she said.

Yasaka looked between us, before glancing over at the old man. He nodded slightly and Yasaka reached into her uniform and pulled out a card.

"Here," she said, "Kunou doesn't have many friends her age, so it'd be a shame to lose this one, even if it is just as a penpal."

I blinked as I realized the card was an address and phone number. I wasn't entirely sure why a Shrine Maiden had cards with that on it, but if it made Kunou smile again, I'd accept it. And smile she did. Perhaps not as brightly as before, but it was better than seeing her sad at least. Jeez, how attached did I become to this girl after just one day? Oh whatever, I wasn't about to complain. My adult mind and child body made making friends a chore, so I was willing to ignore a few odd things if it meant keeping in contact with an adorable girl like Kunou.

"Sure, I'll write," I said with a smile.

Yasaka smiled and Kunou glomped me, before the two Shrine Maidens walked away.

" **Hehehe, good choice kid,"** said the old man, **"I look forwards to seeing where this goes. Until we meet again."**

He nodded and followed the two women, leaving me to head over to rejoin my confused parents.

* * *

I never did figure out why Kunou and her mother seemed so familiar to me until much later, although I personally blame that on a case of tunnel vision and assuming that it would be JUST Rosario Vampire I had to worry about, although why I didn't figure out the Old Geezer was the Bus Driver, I've no idea. Still, it got me a pen pal and a good friend to visit on occasion (Mum and Dad were confused, but happily took the free holidays to Kyoto when offered).

Other than that, I spent most of my time making damn sure that I wouldn't flunk the entrance exams for high school. Don't get me wrong, the idea of going to Youkai was...interesting, but I just wasn't willing to put my neck on the line for it. I'm not that kinda person. On the other hand, considering who I was dealing with, I also made it a point to learn some self defence, both in terms of fisticuffs and going to a kenjutsu dojo Kunou recommended to me in a letter for...reasons. I should have smelt a rat.

Oh well, moving on.

* * *

"Ahhhh...you...have...got...TO BE KIDDING MEEEEEE!"

"Ohh, I'm so ashamed!" wailed Mum in the background as I stared down at the letter in my hands, completely unable to comprehend what I was seeing, "My baby's going to be a useless bum without a High School education!"

I gritted my teeth as I slowly crushed the official looking letter into a ball and tossed it onto a pile of other letters that got progressively more crushed as they went up. There were a total of 15 high school within the area and I'd put in applications for some outside the area as well that offered students places to stay. I'd attended the entrance exams of every single one and I know for a fact that I should have at least got a passing grade in at least one. Instead, I'd failed them all. That was simply not possible, especially when you consider that a few of them had grade boundaries so low that a lobotomized monkey could get in.

"I'm going to KILL that fucking priest!" I snarled under my breath as my Dad came in looking very pleased with himself and waving around a flyer with Youkai Academies information on the front.

* * *

A week later saw me waiting for the bus to Youkai, glaring at the flyer in my hand with enough fury that I'm surprised it didn't combust. I HATED being manipulated, even if it was for a good cause in the end. I looked up as the bus stopped and the door opened.

" **Hehe, nice to see you again kid,"** said the Driver with a smile.

I paused, my glare switching to a look of confusion.

"Wait, we've met?" I asked.

" **Yep, when you and Miss Princess first met,"** said Nurari, **"I was in my off time gear, but even so..."**

I blinked and mouthed the nickname, right before my mind finally managed to put two and two together and get four. The Bus Driver was the Nurarihyon, Yasaka was meeting with the guy for political reasons and she called Kunou Miss Princess, which all together meant…

"Holy crap!" I yelped.

I...how the fuck had I missed that? Yasaka was the Nine Tailed fox in charge of the Western Yokai. On the up side, I can only imagine what being friends with the Princess of the Yokai would do to my social standing once it came out, on the down side, it'd also paint a massive target on my back. Wait…

"Let me guess, Kunou's coming next year?" I asked.

" **I will neither confirm nor deny that,"** said Nurari, **"Now hop on. We've got a fair ways to go."**

I growled under my breath as I stomped on to the bus. Welp, that basically clinched it. I have no idea WHY Mikogami chose Tsukune in the original timeline, but I think that he now has Yasaka as a partner in crime to make sure that her daughter has a friend at school. Why do I get the feeling that Moka won't be the only one biting me next year?

" **Don't worry kid, you'll be fine,"** said Nurari, **"You got power of your own. You just need to figure out how to draw it out."**

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked.

The Nurarihyon just cackled as we entered the tunnel and everything went black. A few moments later, we emerged on the other side into the creepy world that was the inside of the Barrier around the school. I sighed and stood, grabbing my bags.

" **Before you go kid, a word of advice,"** said Nurari, **"Your power has the potential to make you among the strongest in the school, but its currently a lump of raw ore. You must draw it out and shape it into something useful."**

He grinned.

" **Good luck and make sure you survive. I'd hate to have to tell Miss Princess you got eaten."**

He tipped his hat and shut the door in my face. I took a few steps back as the bus turned around and drove away, leaving me staring after it.

"Very helpful," I muttered, "Oh whatever, I'll think on it later. For now, I've got a Vampire to meet."

I started walking, before pausing.

"Huh, I wonder which worlds gonna be prime?" I mused, "Should be interesting if nothing else…"

* * *

I made my way through the trees, keeping an ear open for Moka's bike. It didn't take long for the sound of a bike reached my ears, followed by a cry of alarm. I took a neat step to the side...only to get beaned in the side of the head as the bike came flying out of the woods and slammed into me, knocking me flying.

"Ow, that hurt," I groaned as I opened my eyes, only to see a pair of emerald eyes staring back.

I blinked, before letting out a low groan as I realized that I'd stepped in front of Moka instead of avoiding her.

"Oh my gosh, are you OK?" gasped Moka as she pushed herself up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"I'm sorry, I just came over faint because of my anemia," said Moka.

"Again, not a problem," I said, probing my throbbing nose where shed kneed me.

When I pulled my fingers away they came away bloody.

"Aw crap," I muttered.

"O-oh, your bleeding!" gasped Moka, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket.

She leaned forwards, only for her eyes to glaze slightly as she did.

"Oh, that smell…" she breathed as she leaned in closer, "I can't resist it…you see...I'm a Vampire!"

" _Oh crap!"_

CHOMP!

"OW!" I yelped as Moka bit down on my neck.

My yelp snapped Moka out of of her blood drunk state, making her snap back.

"O-oh, I'm sorry!" she gasped.

I gently probed the bite mark, only to find that it was barely a bruise.

"No harm done," I said, "So, Vampire?"

"A-ah, yes," she said, blushing, "Um…"

She looked down, eyeing me from between her bangs.

"Y-you don't hate Vampires, do you?" she asked.

" _Cute!"_ I thought.

Seriously, I knew Outer Moka was adorable, but seeing it in person and in real life rather than an Anime was so much better! I could see why the original Tsukune fell for her.

"N-not at all!" I said, rubbing the back of my head as I blushed, "I don't have any problem with Vampires."

Moka's nercus look immediately changed to a blinding smile.

"Thats great!" she squealed, "In that case, would you mind being my friend?"

I smiled.

"Sure, no problem," I said, "I don't know anyone here anyway."

I got to my feet and held out my hand.

"My names Tsukune Aono," I said.

Moka accepted my hand with a smile and let me pull her to her feet.

"Moka Akashiya," she said happily.

And with that, we headed into school.

* * *

The next few hours were pretty normal for the first day of school, with orientation, meeting new classmates and so on. Then, I found myself in my new classroom listening to Nekonome explain about Yokai Acadamy being a School for Monsters and the rules about never revealing your Monster identity to anyone, any Humans found being slaughtered and so on. Oh, and Saizou's announcement of how he thought Monsters should just eat or rape any Human they found. I made a mental note to kick him in the nuts later. I was broken from my distraction when the door opened and a familiar voice reached my ears.

"S-sorry I'm late Miss!" said Moka, "I-I got lost."

"Oh, its no problem," said Nekonome, "Take a seat."

Moka nodded and turned to the class, prompting the expected barrage of yelling from lustful Monsters. She was apparently oblivious to it however as she scanned the room for a seat. Then, she spotted me and her face lit up with a vibrant smile.

"Aw shit," I thought.

"TSUKUNE!" she squealed, leaping across the classroom (literally) and grabbing me in a tight hug, much to the ire of everyone else.

* * *

"Urrrg, someone shoot me," I thought as I was dragged through the halls by an excited Moka.

Now, being dragged by a pretty girl wasn't the problem, oh no, that would be the glares and Killing Intent being leveled at me by the male population of the school. It was getting rather uncomfortable.

"Hmm, such a pretty one."

We stopped as the owner of the voice stepped out in front of us. I scowled when I saw that it was the bastard known as Saizou Komiya.

"Your Moka Akashiya, correct?" he asked, "I'm your classmate, Saizou Komiya. By the way…"

He suddenly grabbed me by the collar and lifted me bodily off the ground.

"Whats a beauty like you doing hanging out with scum like this?"

I scowled and grabbed his wrist, digging my fingers into his tendons. While he may be much stronger than I am, his body was still Humanoid, so he probably shared the same weak points as Humans. I was proven correct when the pressure forced his fist to open.

"Huh, maybe you're not as weak as you look," growled the Monstrel as he let us go, "Even so Moka, you should be with a real Monster, like me."

He gave what he probably thought was a charming smile, but was actually a leer and swaggered off.

"Prick," I muttered.

"Are you alright?" asked Moka, "That big lug didn't hurt you did he?"

"Nope, I think he was going for scare rather than hurt," I said.

"I'm glad," said Moka, "I'd hate for you to get hurt because of me."

I shrugged.

"He seems like the type who'd target those weaker than him, so I'd probably end up in his sights anyway," I said, "But thanks, its nice to know you care."

"Of course I care!" said Moka, "We're friends! Besides…"

She blushed cutely.

"We're on bloodsucking terms!" she said happily, "And you should be proud. Your blood is sooo delicious, much better than any I've had from transfusion packs!"

"Glad to hear it?" I said hesitantly, unsure as to if I should take that as a complement.

"Also…" she blushed again and looked at me shyly, "You were my first… and a girl never forgets her first time."

I blinked and blushed brightly.

"A-ah, Moka, I really think you should have worded that differently," I said.

Moka blinked at me innocently.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I blushed brighter and looked away.

"W-well, it sounds like we did...that," I said.

Moka looked confused for a moment, before realization crossed her face and it lit up like a christmas tree.

"O-oh, I-I'm s-sorry!" she stuttered, "I-I-I…"

I chuckled at her embarrassment as my own faded.

"Its OK, I know you didn't mean it like that," I said.

Moka's blush increased and she looked away. I chuckled again and took her hand.

"Come on, lets go explore some more," I said.

Moka looked up at me and nodded, her blush now reduced to a slight reddening on her cheeks that only made her look cuter.

* * *

Our next stop was the dorms that, although they looked horrible on the outside, were actually rather comfortable on the inside.

"By the way, what kind of monsters are you?" asked Moka suddenly.

I jumped at the unexpected (sort of) question.

"O-oh, well I'm…" I started, not sure what to say.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot we're not supposed to tell other people that," said Moka.

" _OH THANK GOD!"_ I thought.

"You know, you don't seem much like a Vampire," I said, more to get the conversation away from me than anything, "Other than the bloodsucking thing that is."

"Well, I may look Human now, but if I were to take of my Rosary, I'd transform," said Moka, indicating to her cross, "Its a seal meant to keep my powers suppressed."

She shuffled closer.

"But, it does not seal my weaknesses," she said.

I sighed and tilted my head on one side.

"Go ahead, just don't take to much," I said.

Moka looked surprised before she smiled and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you Tsukune!" she squealed, before biting into my neck.

* * *

Later, I was laying back in my room, thinking hard about what Nurari had told me and the revelation that DXD was a thing around here. Honestly, there was only one conclusion I could come to considering what I knew about DXD and the advice Nurari had given me. I had a Sacred Gear. Which one I didn't know, but any Gear would help keep me alive. Even if it was Twilight Healing, I'd hope that the Yokai wouldn't be dumb enough to kill a powerful Healer. I didn't think that was likely though. Nurari had called it a 'lump of raw ore' and told me that I'd need to shape it, which suggested it was a Creation type. I could be completely off base of course, but for some reason I didn't think so.

I took a deep breath and sat up. Knowing (or suspecting rather) I had a Sacred Gear was one thing, but if I wanted to actually use the damn thing, I needed to figure out how to activate it. I cast my mind back to the half buried memories of DXD and, after a few minutes of trying to remember what Rias had said, thought I had an idea to start from. I closed my eyes and focused inwards, picturing the power inside me as a ball of light in my chest. Then, I imagine the light expanding out to fill my entire body and emerge into the world. Nothing happened.

I frowned slightly. Something felt...off, like I was missing something. I had a feeling I was on the right track, but there was something I needed to do. I thought about exactly what Nurari had said and smiled. I had just the thing.

"Trace on," I muttered.

The light pulsed and I felt a spark of warmth appear in my chest.

"Judging the Concept of Creation."

Another pulse and another spark appeared.

"Hypothesizing the basic structure."

Another pulse. The warmth increased to a low burn.

"Duplicating the composition material."

Yet another pulse and more sparks appeared, dancing together as something slowly began to take shape.

"Imitating the skill of its making. Sympathizing with the experience of its growth. Reproducing the accumulated years. Excelling every manufacturing process."

With every line, more sparks appeared and the heat began to build until I was sure I must be steaming. I opened my eyes, barely noticing the power radiating off me and tugging at my hair and clothes as I held out my hands and released the built up energy.

There was a pulse of black and red light and I was surrounded by a thicket of swords of all shapes and sizes. A moment later, they all shattered, leaving me panting, sweating and grinning like a maniac. My Sacred Gear was Sword Birth. I could work with this. I held out my hand and focused for a moment, my smile widening even more as a large, black sword appeared. Fittingly enough for my activation chant, it was a copy of Kanshou, the black blade used by Archer in Fate. I put the sword down and created Bakuya as well, my smile only growing. I knew that the weapons had all the attributes associated with the Noble Phantasm used by Archer, including the bonus against Monsters, which I hoped would include my fellow students.

I dismissed the two swords and refocused. My hand lit up for a moment and within a couple of seconds, I was holding a copy of Caliburn. I frowned as I looked the weapon over. It was...well, it was weak. It technically had the abilities of the Noble Phantasm, but the blast it could create wouldn't be even close to the original. That wasn't surprising of course, I wasn't even expecting to be able to create it in the first place considering it was a Holy Sword and my Sacred Gear was Sword Birth. Hmm…

I focused and Caliburn vanished, replaced by Excalibur Morgan. I barely had enough time to grin before the blade shattered and I was slammed painfully back into the floor with blood pouring from my nose.

"Alright, bad idea!" I groaned as I sat up and groped for my tissue box.

I sighed as I pinched my nose shut and tipped my head back. It was a shame I couldn't create something like Excalibur Morgen, just so I could use it against the Three Factions and see Rias' face when I pulled it out (I wasn't dumb enough to believe I'd never meet them). Still, it'd be interesting to see what the limits were for what swords I could replicate or create. It'd be a fun project and could only help in the future. I grinned at the thought. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

 **And done. Well, that was fun. I admit, I only decided that he'd have Sword Birth over Blade Blacksmith as I reached that point, mainly because it doesn't actually matter that much for now.**

 **Yes, he will indeed be pulling an Archer, although it would be prudent to point out that most of the Noble Phantasms he pulls out can't hold a candle to the original. I'll come up with some more original weapons as well, but what do you expect a geek to do when given a power like Sword Birth? Incidentally, suggestions are welcome for swords he could pull out of his arse in the future.**

 **In case its not obvious, Kunou is older than in DXD canon. And yes, she will be gunning for Tsukune when she arrives and even before then. I'm tempted to have Kuroka and possibly Le Fay show up as well, but I'm not 100% sure about that yet.**

 **I am sure that a Devil will be attending Yokai though. I'm currently split between Sairaorg and Seekvaira with a slight possibility of using Diodora, just so I can have Tsukune kick his arse at some point.**

 **And with that I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	139. Devils Advocate Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Devil's Advocate

Getting reborn as a Devil was unexpected, but I'm certainly not gonna complain! Between being practically immortal, a noble and having the power to make time my bitch, I wasn't even going to complain about being reincarnated into the DXD world...then again, I also wasn't expecting to get order to investigate another world infested by an oversized space worm. This...could be awkward.

 **Yep, its another DXD/Worm story. I admit, I've been wanting to do one of these for a while, but haven't been able to figure out how. Now I have an idea! In this world, Aleph is the world of DXD and Zion is strong enough to give some of the really high level players a hard time...but he has no special resistance to Magic, so although hes powerful, hes still beatable for top level players. Oh, and because I like the idea, our hero this time is Seekvaira's younger brother. Mainly because I like her name. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I like to think I'm a decent person, so when I died, I was understandably a tad confused when I woke up in the Underworld. However, since I woke up as a baby, I wasn't confused for long before I became torn over whether this was a punishment or a reward. Why? Well, I had been reborn as Kervius Agares, the younger brother of Seekvaira. In other words, I'm a high class Devil with the power to control Time. Fuck. The. Hell. Yeah!

* * *

Growing up a Devil was incredibly fun. Sure, the schooling wasn't the best thing ever, but learning how to fight, use magic and the 'true' history of the world was amazing for a mythology nut like me. Plus, Seekvaira was a great big sister (especially when I got her on one of her Mecha rants) and I ended up making friends with most of the other young Devils of my generation, from Rias, to Sona, to Sairaorg, who seemed rather surprised that I also regularly got him to spar with me. Sure, my Magic was powerful, but I didn't intend to neglect my physical strength either. Mainly because I wanted to one day be strong enough to do a Dio and drop a steam roller on someone.

Of course, I had to take the good with the bad and, while I was good friends with most of my contemporary's, I also had to spend time with Diodora, the smarmy prick. I really wanted to kill him from day one, both because of what he'd do (and was already doing) and because he was just a generally unlikable fucktard. Oh, and then there was Riser, who was a stuck up, misogynistic prick who made no secret of the fact he really wanted Rias, even when we were kids. Dick.

* * *

Anyway, time continued its ever constant march, with the only real interesting things occurring being Rias acquiring her Peerage members and me receiving my own Evil Pieces, although I haven't actually recruited anyone yet. Mainly because I still haven't received a territory of my own. Admittedly, that was mostly my doing since I was currently more interested in honing my own skills rather than working with anyone new.

* * *

However, that came to an end when I was 15 and my Father called me to his office. To my surprise, when I arrived, I found my old man talking with Ajuka Beelzebub.

"Father, Lord Beelzebub," I said, bowing politely, "May I ask why you called me here?"

"Actually, I was the one to request you," said the Devil King, "I understand you haven't claimed a territory yet?"

"No, I've been focusing on improving my Magic and skills," I said with a frown, "Why?"

Ajuka reached into his robe and pulled out a sheaf of paper.

"Tell me, have you heard of the incident in America that occurred recently?" he asked.

"You mean the one where a bunch of buildings vanished from Madison?" I asked, "Yes, I have. Its in Sairiorg's territory and he was complaining about it making a mess of his work. Apparently, he lost some useful clients."

"Yes, that one," said Ajuka, "We originally thought that the cause was someone or something playing with Magic that got away from them, but upon closer inspection, it appears that we were wrong."

He dropped a picture in front of me. It wasn't the best quality, but that didn't stop me from realizing exactly what it showed. It looked like it was from a camera phone and clearly showed several buildings vanishing through portals, through one of which I could just make out a female figure with a number of wings. However, she wasn't an Angel. I paled as I suddenly realized where this was likely going.

"Back in 88, a hole was torn in space that led to an alternate world," said Ajuka, "Its a world without Magic, but instead has a large number of superpowered Humans, called Parahumans or Capes by the local populous. The hole was sealed, but a connection remains through which we exchange media like books and films. At the time, I was busy with other projects and dismissed it as unimportant, especially after news of the Tinker responsible was killed. However, this latest incident indicates that we cannot afford to ignore the connection. As such, Lord Lucifer ordered me to develop a method to travel between Earths Bet and Aleph so we can send some people to investigate and, possibly, clean up some of the mess before it really starts to spill over."

He fixed me with an intense look.

"Since you don't have a Territory yet, you are the optimal choice to act as our vanguard."

"I also don't have a Peerage," I said.

"True, however, that simply means that you can recruit from an entirely new crop of powers," said Ajuka, "You also won't be going alone, but you don't need to make arrangements for transferring to a new territory."

I sighed. I could already see that I wasn't getting out of this.

"Alright, fine," I said, "But I get first dibs on territory!"

"Thats acceptable," said Ajuka, "Here, you'll need to read this before you go."

He handed me a package of information.

"Thank you," I said, "May I go?"

Father nodded and I bowed before leaving. I immediately made a beeline for my room and sealed the door with Magic, before stomping over to the punching bag in the corner and punching it hard enough that it went flying, the seam splitting and sending sand everywhere.

"SHIT!" I shouted, not bothering to keep my voice down.

The rooms of all Devil houses were magically soundproofed as standard and a Mansion like the Agrares Family Home had the best spells available. I could set off explosives in here and someone with an ear pressed to the door wouldn't be able to hear it.

Worldbuilding aside, I dropped down into my desk chair with a groan and started rubbing my eyes. This...wasn't good. I mean, I was peripherally aware that some of the stuff I'd watched had two different versions, but I'd mostly brushed it off. That was a mistake apparently. On the up side though, I wouldn't be stuck there and I highly doubt I'd run into anyone truly capable of beating my Magic. On the down side (again) though, once Zion went nuts, my home would be in danger. Then again, that did rely on the fact that he could actually beat the big players over here.

I relaxed my fingers and turned my thoughts away from the problems that came with this revelation and towards the more interesting thoughts. Like what would happen if I were to Reincarnate a Parahuman? Would their power come along for the ride? Or would it disconnect or be destroyed? Would I be visible to Precogs or not? How would my Magic interact with Parahuman Abilities? So many questions I was actually interested in answering. I smiled. Guess I'd be finding out at least some of the answers soon enough. First things first though, I had a briefing to read.

I rolled over to my bed and picked up the package from where I'd dropped it and flipped it open to start reading. It was...actually pretty detailed, with plenty of information about Capes, the Endbringers, the PRT, the general state of the world and some people to watch for, along with a break down of their abilities and theories of how they worked and could be beaten. There was a notation that I should look into possibly taking a look at some of Gray Boy's victims to see if I could do anything about their prisons. Hell, I was interested in having a look anyway to see if I could replicate them. I had to smile when I got onto the information about the PRT and Protectorate and found that whoever had put this together had figured out that Alexandria and the Chief were the same person, although how they got that information I have no idea.

Thanks to my meta knowledge of Worm, it didn't take me long to finish the briefing and I dropped down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking hard. Technically, I could refuse to go since the current generation of Satan's were an alright lot and will generally not force anyone to do anything. That said, refusing a request from one without a damn good reason was generally considered bad form at best and monumentally stupid at worst. It was less of an issue with Beelzebub than Lucifer, but even so, it generally wasn't worth it for the public scorn. Plus, after my initial panic attack, I was actually warming to the idea rather rapidly. If nothing else, it would be interesting. Plus, I wouldn't have to hide my Magic!

Then there was the extra bonus of being able to help some of the people who really REALLY needed it. I might not be a Gremory, but I was still not the type of person who could leave someone to suffer. If I could improve someones life even a little, I'd do it.

I snorted and sat up. I have a feeling that Ajuka knew very well that I wouldn't say no. The man was incredibly sharp and knew a lot about the movers and shakers of the Underworld and, although I wasn't the Clan Heir, I was still very powerful and someone a lot of Devils kept an eye on. Exactly the sort of person Ajuka would want to know all about.

I reached across and picked up the briefing again and activated the Circle on the cover. It glowed faintly for a moment, before there was the sound of a phone being picked up and Clark Richards, Ajuka's Bishop, appeared over the paper.

"You have made your decision?" he asked.

"I have," I said, "I'm in."

* * *

It took a few days to finish finalising things, most of which was spent deciding where I wanted and Ajuka working his magic (literally) to put me in the system with a perfect paper trail that not even Dragon could identify as fake and adding to my Circle so I could transport between dimensions. Naturally, I decided that Brockton Bay was the perfect spot to set up my base, what with the countless desperate people to pray on and it being a good place to be at the centre of things so I could figure out a good way to sort out the worm issue. Plus, I kinda like the idea of having the Queen of Escalation as my Queen and not just because of the irony considering her title or even because she was the MC of Worm.

In addition to being the most powerful member of the Peerage (in theory at least), the Queen was the second in command after the King. As such, they were chosen more for their ability to lead more than power. A good Queen should be able to act as a leader when the King is absent and an advisor for the King when he or she is present. Taylor proved her chops plenty of times over the course of the story and I'd be a fool to ignore that knowledge, even if it meant that I'd have to hold off on recruiting a Queen, which were traditionally the first Piece recruited, although that was mostly due to impatient on the part of the young Devil than anything.

* * *

Eventually though, everything was finished and it was time for me to head to Bet. Ajuka was accompanying me on the first jump to make sure I actually made it and make any modifications to the Cross Dimension Teleportation Circle that may be needed. As it turns out, that was probably a good thing considering we appeared in a blizzard.

"Alright, what the fuck?!" I spluttered, rubbing snow out of my eyes as Ajuka put up a barrier, "I didn't think North America got blizzards like this!"

"We're not in America," said Ajuka, reading the screen of a small device he'd pulled from his robes, "We're in...Russia apparently. Hmm, I guess the Circle needs modifying for accuracy."

"Ya think?" I grumbled.

Beelzebubs lips twitched slightly as he looked around, before pointing at a dark blur in the distance.

"Theres a forest over there," he said, "Lets get under some cover and we can make the needed alterations and send you to your new territory."

I trotted after the taller Devil, grumbling under my breath as we went.

"Are we at least on the right world?" I asked.

"We are," said Ajuka.

"Well, thats something," I said, "So what…"

I was cut off by something slamming into the barrier. The impact was so sudden and surprising that Ajuka stumbled slightly and the barrier momentarily faded, likely because he'd only created it to keep out the snow, not attacks. In the brief moment it was down, the attacker was through, lashing out at us with black tendrils.

"Accel up," I muttered and the world slowed down.

The time abilities my Family was known for weren't that powerful when compared with something like Forbidden Balor View. We couldn't freeze time, only slow it or speed it up, but even so, it was still incredibly useful. My sister could create barriers within which she could make time flow faster or slower, a trick I could also do, but I had spent time experimenting with my powers and had managed to replicate Tracers Blink and Kiritsugu's Accel Magecraft, with the added bonus that my Devil body was much tougher than a Humans and thus wasn't affected as badly by the side effects. I couldn't keep it up forever of course, but it was still very handy.

That was proven as I blurred around our attackers tendrils and quickly found the centre. I shot forwards and slammed my palm into its face, slamming it into the ground at high speed as an icicle dagger appeared in my other hand, hovering over its eye. Instantly, the tendrils froze, although a few twitched in my direction. I frowned slightly as the creature shifted under my grip, making wheezing sounds as my palm became damp with...wait, was this thing crying?

I hesitantly moved my hand, not getting rid of the knife yet, and found myself looking at an impossibly pale face with no ears or even a scalp and an Omega symbol tattooed on the cheek. In fact, it looked rather like a Human who's entire body other than their face had been transformed into thin but very strong tentacles. I blinked as I realized I recognized her. It was Garotte, one of the Case 53's. Guess we'd arrived before she was caught.

"Nice work Kervius," said Ajuka, not looking all that ruffled by the sudden attack.

Probably because he was more durable than Alexandria, but whatever. The Devil King approached, ignoring the tendrils as they twitched menacingly, only to go still when I twitched the dagger still in my hand, and knelt down beside the poor girl.

"Fascinating," he muttered, "I've heard of these...Case 53's I believe they are called, but to see one in person…"

He reached out and gently touched her face, his eyes closed. The mutated girl whimpered slightly, before her body went limp and her eyes closed. Then, Ajuka's expression changed to one of cold anger.

"This is…"

He hissed something in a language I didn't recognize.

"We cannot leave this one," he said, "Her powers are...unstable. Her body is so distorted, I'm surprised she's even still alive, although considering she seems to have no control, that might be moot."

"Alright, what do you want to do?" I asked.

Ajuka was silent for a moment, before he looked at me.

"Would you be willing to Reincarnate her?" he asked.

I blinked in surprise.

"Why?" I asked.

"I think that doing so will help bring her powers under control," said Ajuka.

"And if it doesn't, we'll have a Devil with enough strength to casually crush your average joe in a very small space," I said, "You might not be worried about that, but I'm a LOT more squishy than a Super Devil!"

Ajuka just fixed me with a flat look and I sighed. It was an order, not a request and, while the Underworlds R&D expert was normally fairly good humoured and perfectly happy with being treated like anyone else, he did expect to be obeyed when he gave an order.

"Alright fine," I grumbled.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a Pawn. Theres no way in HELL I'm giving an out of control Garotte any more boosts. She might be a nice girl, but at the moment, her body is completely out of her control and I'm not certain this would do much to help. Still, orders were orders, so I pressed the Piece against her forehead and activated it. The Pawn glowed a faint sepia colour as it sank into her body and I felt the connection between Master and Servant snap into place. Then, something...odd happened. Through the connection, I felt another presence momentarily resist the changes brought on by the Evil Piece, before it was overwhelmed. There was the feeling of something snapping, before Garottes body exploded.

Ajuka wasn't even remotely phased by the sudden eruption of light and force, but I was knocked back on my arse in the snow.

"Son of a bitch!" I snarled, wiping snow out of my eyes and hair as I got to my feet, "What...happened?!"

The last word was squeaked in surprise when I saw what had come from the little experiment. Rather than a mass of tendrils with a Human face, Garotte was now, well, Human. She looked about 14, with features that indicated slavic descent, pale skin with large bruises under her eyes and a thin, emaciated body that indicated it had been a very long time since she'd had a good meal or sleep. Her hair was long enough to pool around her feet if she was standing and looked like it was still the same tendrils it had been in her Deviant form. Oh, and she was completely naked. Not surprising I guess, both because DXD and because she'd been stuck out here for who knows how long.

"Hmm, interesting," muttered Ajuka, touching a finger to her forehead and closing his eyes.

"Whats interesting?" I asked.

"Her power...the Evil Piece has...changed it somehow," he said, "I'm not sure how, but she'll have full control over it."

"Great, now can we PLEASE get out of this snowscape?" I asked.

Devils weren't as bothered by extreme temperatures as Humans, but it was COLD here and I wasn't exactly dressed for the weather. Ajuka smiled slightly, conjure a blanket to cover Garotte with and stood. I picked up Garotte in a bridle carry as he summoned a new Circle, absently noting that her 'hair' had a texture similar to snake scales. A moment later, there was a flash of light and the icy wastes of northern Russia were once again Devil free.

* * *

The nameless girl groaned softly as consciousness returned to her, burrowing into the soft surface she was laying on. She literally couldn't remember the last time she'd slept that well and had no real desire to let it end. Not only that, but she was warm and dry and she could smell something extremely tasty that made her mouth water and her stomach growl like a dragon. Still, she didn't want to leave her warm, soft cocoon yet. She sighed. Warmth and sleep or find out what that smell was? She curled up further, hugging the soft object in her arms closer.

Wait…

The girls eyes shot open, all thoughts of sleep vanishing as she suddenly realized that her barely controllable body was, not only under her control, but completely different than what she was 'used' to. She sat up and looked down and nearly choked when she found herself looking at an apparently normal, if extremely thin, Human body, clad in an oversized T-shirt and shorts. The only odd thing about it was the fact that her hair was still the same tendrils she remembered, only now she had full control over them. That more than anything was enough to make her break down. She might not have any memories from before she woke up in that snow covered forest, but that didn't mean she didn't feel horrible about the people her body had killed without her control. Well, mostly. A couple of them had attacker her, so she didn't feel as bad about killing them.

It took a while to get it out of her system, but once she'd stopped crying, she wiped her eyes on the pillow she was still holding and, for the first time, looked around. She was in a rather large bed in an equally large room that was decorated with high quality and expensive, but not ostentatious furniture. The walls were a pleasant cream colour, as was the carpet and the wood of the dresser, wardrobe and bedside tables was a cheery reddish colour. A large window with a pair of dark blue curtains dominated one wall. The bed was almost sinfully soft, with well stuffed feather pillows, a thick and very soft comforter and silk sheets.

"Where am I?" she croaked, only slightly surprised she could now speak.

As if in response to her question, there was a knock at the door, before it opened and a teenager walked in. He was tall and looked to be in his mid teens, with messy, pale blonde hair and, strangely enough, light purple eyes. He was wearing jeans and a shirt with a logo she didn't recognize on it and was barefoot.

"Oh good, you're awake," said the teenager as he walked over to the window and threw the curtains open, letting in a large amount of sunlight, "Thats a relief. So, how do you feel?"

The girl frowned slightly.

"Confused," she croaked.

"Understandable I suppose," said the teen, "Amnasia does tend to do that and I doubt your lack of control helped."

He caught her look and elaborated.

"I did some research. The so called 'Monstrous Capes' like you come with the tattoo and a lack of memories and Ajuka concluded that you lacked control by examining your power."

He sighed.

"Look, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but it would be best if you ate something first," he said, "For now, know that you're completely safe here. No one will hurt you."

At the mention of food, the girls stomach growled loudly, making her blush and the teen smirk. A moment later, the door opened and a young woman in a maid uniform entered pushing a trolly with a plate of bacon, eggs, sausages and fried mushrooms, as well as a glass of orange juice and a few other breakfast food items on it entered the room.

"Thank you Sella," said the teen.

The maid bowed and left.

"Eat and then get dressed," he said, "There are clothes in the wardrobe and Sella will help if you need it. Once your ready, come see me. We have a lot to talk about and I'd rather do it while your comfortable."

He smiled and turned to leave.

"Wait," croaked the girl, "Who are you?"

He paused at the door.

"My name is Kervius Agares," he said.

Then he shut the door. The girl stared at the door for a moment, before turning her attention to the food. Almost immediately, her mouth started watering and her stomach growled. The food smelt delicious and she was starving. She hesitated for barely a moment before digging in, using her hair as well as her hands without thinking about it. Despite everything, she couldn't help but hope that her life would only look up from here.

* * *

I dropped into the chair behind the desk in what was now my study with a sigh. It had been 12 hours since I arrived here in this mansion on the outskirts of the Bay (my Parents spared no expense here) and things had been a bit hectic. Magic meant that fixing the place, which had been more than a little run down, a piece of cake and the only thing remaining to do was unpack, which the maids my Parents insisted on having tag along were doing. Frankly, I'd have been happy with an apartment in the city, but my Family were the second highest rank amongst the 72 Pillars, so certain standards had to be kept. According to my Mother at least. Whatever, I could deal with it. Plus, it made a ready made base for my future Peerage.

Speaking of which, it was hard to believe that I'd met someone I had honestly wanted to help so quickly and dramatically. Whats next, I'd end up saving Lisa from Coils thugs? Not impossible now that I think about it considering that I'd be getting Sveta (or whatever name she decided to go by) and my Familiar start handing out Flyers as soon as we were settled in.

Truthfully, I still wasn't sure whether or not I'd end up doing everything I'd like to do, mainly because a good chunk of that was recruiting people into my Peerage who desperately needed help. I wasn't a Gremory, but that didn't mean I couldn't offer a hand to those in need. I wouldn't be forcing any of them to join me though and I was honestly against doing it to Sveta, although I highly doubt she'd be that bothered.

Is something wrong Master?" asked the young woman stood inside the door.

"No, nothing," I said, "Just...thinking."

I sighed.

"Maybe I should have thought this through better," I muttered, "Coming here seemed like a good idea, but now I have no idea where to start."

"Don't worry Master, I'm sure you'll figure it all out," said the maid, "You usually do."

I smiled slightly.

"Thank you Leysritt," I said.

Leysritt bowed.

"Its no trouble Master," she said, "Should I go and put some tea on?"

"Yes, thank you," I said.

The Maid turned and left, leaving me with my thoughts. I smiled despite myself.

"Screw it, I'll do what I can," I muttered, "I already know that the Golden Morning won't be as bad as in canon, if only because there's no way Sirzechs, Azazel and Michal won't let it get that bad. Everything else can be done when the opportunity arises."

I looked down at the chessboard set up on my desk. The black side was lacking a pawn and made of glowing brown crystal. I smiled again.

"I'm looking forwards to when thats empty," I muttered, "Hopefully, it'll mean that 15 people have a better life than they would."

I picked up the Queen and rolled it in my fingers.

"It'll be interesting if nothing else," I mused, "I wonder if I should also play the role of Cape…?"

I smirked. Now THAT sounded fun. Who knows, maybe it'd make recruiting my targets easier? I snorted at the idea and put the Piece down. That was something to consider later. For now, I had a conversation with my first Pawn to have. I had a feeling it was going to be...interesting.

 **And that'll do. Well, that was actually more interesting than I was expecting. If you're interested, its currently in early January of 2010.**

 **I already have a Peerage planned out, although its not entirely set in stone yet, other than Sveta (for obvious reasons) and Taylor (again, for obvious reasons). If your interested, here it is:**

 **Queen: Taylor Hebert**

 **Rook: Purity**

 **Rook: Dinah**

 **Knight: Rune**

 **Knight: Foil/Fletcher**

 **Bishop: Pairen**

 **Bishop: Panacea**

 **Pawn: Vista**

 **Pawn: Riley**

 **Pawn: Sveta**

 **Pawn: Tattletale**

 **Pawn: Dragon (x2)**

 **Pawn: Noelle (x2)**

 **I made Dinah a Rook because I like the idea of a loli punting idiots across the city and casually shrugging off blows that would worry Glory Girl. I may swap her for Vista though.**

 **Oh, and just to be clear, even though the entire thing are girls, he won't be sleeping with them all. I know its not important, but DXD.**

 **I'll keep the exact nature of the changes to Shards upon Reincarnation to myself for now, but rest assured that they are significant.**

 **Speaking of Shards, in terms of power, Zion is up there with the strongest. However, he has no special resistance to magic like he does physical threats and he lacks the creative abilities that come with true sentence, so he wouldn't actually stand much of a chance against the Leaders. He is a legit threat though**

 **I got Kervius' name from the Silver Tribe's Nodos from Heroic Age. I liked how it sounds and thought it fit in quite well with the other names of the DXD characters.**

 **Yes, his Maids are the two who looked after Illya in Fate. I originally planned to use some of the Pleiades from Overlord, but I like those two better. Their Lower class Devils, although not Reincarnated or part of anyones Peerage, just normal, work-a-day Devils who happen to work for the Agares Clan.**

 **Anyway, this is done, so I'm gonna sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	140. Devils Advocate Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Devil's Advocate

Getting reborn as a Devil was unexpected, but I'm certainly not gonna complain! Between being practically immortal, a noble and having the power to make time my bitch, I wasn't even going to complain about being reincarnated into the DXD world...then again, I also wasn't expecting to get order to investigate another world infested by an oversized space worm. This...could be awkward.

 **Well...this got a lot more attention than I was expecting. I might have to continue it now...eh, could be fun if nothing else. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"Master, our guest is here," said Sella, making me look up from the paper I was reading.

"Alright, show her in," I said, tucking the paper away.

Sella nodded and vanished out the door, returning a moment later with a very nervous looking Sveta, who was now wearing a...I turned my head slightly and fixed Sella with a glare. The maid simply smiled demurely as if she had nothing to do with Sveta wearing a gothic lolita dress, complete with headband and stockings. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"Thank you Sella," I said, "Do you mind going and helping Leysritt with the refreshments?"

"Of course sir," said Sella with a bow.

She left the room, leaving Sveta and I alone. I indicated for the girl to sit in the seat across the desk from me, which she did, nervously twisting one of the lacy frills of her dress between her fingers.

"T-thank you," said Sveta suddenly, her voice no longer quite as rough, but still very soft and carried a hint of a slavic accent.

I raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" I asked.

"F-for giving me control," said the girl, "L-like your...friend told you, I completely lacked control over my own body. It was like a nightmare, waking up in that snowfield without any idea how I got there or even who I was and with little to no control over my own body. I-I'd already killed a few people before you found me and my...my power, well...lets just say it wouldn't let me starve."

She shivered violently and burst into tears. I quickly rounded the desk and hesitated. I wasn't exactly the best at comforting crying girls, mainly because the ones in my acquaintance weren't exactly...typical.

Sona and Rias both had overprotective siblings who tended to pop up out of nowhere when something upset them (I strongly suspect that they somehow attached monitoring spells to them) and my own sister wasn't the type to cry, not when she could take her aggression out by being cold, sarcastic and rip apart whoever annoyed her with a razor sharp tongue which had once genuinely made Grayfia give her a standing ovation once she was done with one particularly dim witted Devil who couldn't take no for an answer. And when that wasn't enough, a quick application of mecha anime was always enough to cheer her up. Something told me that that wouldn't work here though.

After a second, I put a comforting hand on her shoulder, reasoning that she probably wouldn't appreciate me hugging her out of the blue and, control or not, I didn't fancy risking those tendrils of hers. What I wasn't expecting was to end up with an armful of Case 53 sobbing into my chest. Then again, maybe I should have considering what she'd just told me. I didn't say anything and just stood and carried her over to the sofa where I sat down with her in my lap and held her as she sobbed into my chest, running my fingers through her hair as she cried herself out.

* * *

Eventually, she stopped crying, although she didn't seem like she really wanted to let me go and considering that her tendrils were also wrapped around me, I wouldn't be going anywhere. She wasn't holding me hard, but I could still feel the strength behind them.

"You should thank Ajuka, not me," I said, "I...wasn't exactly enthused about the idea of the method we used. Not that I regret it since it worked, but I didn't know it would and if it hadn't, we'd have had an out of control Devil with stupid strength stuck with us in an extremely enclosed space."

Sveta looked at me with large, watery eyes for a moment, before she shook her head.

"You still did it though," she said, "A-and you've given me food and clothes and a place to stay..."

She shivered.

"You have no idea how much it means to me," she whispered.

She frowned.

"Wait, Devil? I...I know that word…"

She whined as she clutched at her head as if she had a sudden, painful headache. A moment later, she yelped as her wings suddenly snapped out. She stared at the bat-like limbs for a moment, before looking back at me. I sighed.

"This is going to be a rather long explanation," I muttered.

I was completely correct. Sveta's lack of memories meant that I had to give some background, as well as explain that, despite our negative reputation among Humans, Devils aren't evil, the nature of Parahumans (not including Scion or the fact she was the victim of the Cauldron. I currently had no idea how Magic would affect Precogs and I didn't fancy fighting Contessa or whoever the Cauldron would send if they did see me), Evil Pieces and the fact that, despite appearances, she was now less Human than she was as a 'normal' Case 53. By the time I was done, she'd got off my lap and Sella and Leysritt had returned with the refreshments and agreed to help me fill her in.

* * *

Eventually, we wound down and silence fell. I sat back in my chair, having moved from the sofa to an armchair partway through the talk, and steepled my fingers as I watched Sveta, who was staring down at her hands. It was for this very reason that I disapproved of Reincarnating the deceased or those who didn't agree willingly. Oh, I'd Reincarnate someone who had died if they Summoned me with a wish to live, but otherwise, I wouldn't do it, even if it meant losing a potentially powerful Servant. It was better to have willing Servants than those who only served due to having no choice. The Agares Clan didn't have the same reputation of the Gremory's for treating their Peerages like family (although my sister did and I planned to), but as the ones responsible for dealing with traitors and Strays, we knew better than anyone what drove said Traitors to flee.

As it was, despite her obvious gratitude, I had no idea how Sveta would react to learning she was now bound to me. I had my doubts that she'd do anything foolish, but I didn't want the poor girl to resent me. She deserved better than that.

"I'm...not Human," she muttered.

"Not anymore," I said, "Does that bother you?"

"You weren't Human before if what I've heard is anything to go by," muttered Leysritt.

I ignored her as Sella drove a sharp elbow into her sisters side. Sveta apparently didn't hear her though as she kept staring at her hands for a moment, then looked up at me.

"You saved me," she said eventually, "Even if I remembered being Human, that would be enough. Human or not, I don't care. I'll serve you happily Master."

I stared at her for a moment as she bowed as best she could sitting down, before letting my head drop back with a groan.

"Damn it Sveta, I don't need slavishly loyal Servants!" I groaned, "Some Devils might get off on it, but I don't!"

I sighed.

"I appreciate the thought, but I'd much rather have a you as a friend and colleague than a slave, even a willing one."

Sveta looked up, a strange look on her face.

"What did you call me?" she asked.

I blinked and thought back over what I'd said and...oh crap, I'd called her by name without thinking! I shoved down a moments panic and shrugged.

"You need a name, right?" I said, "And Sveta seems to fit for some reason."

Sveta looked thoughtful, mouthing the name, before she smiled.

"Yes, I like it," she said, "Thank you Master."

I grumbled under my breath. Something told me she wouldn't stop calling me that and I could already see that it would cause me trouble.

"Master, with your permission, I'd like to make use of the Time Compression Chamber you created," said Sella.

I blinked and looked at my 'head' maid (although that was mostly just because Leysritt was to lazy to argue).

"Why?" I asked.

"I'd like to try and get her up to speed on the world and possibly see if we can get her up to the correct level of education," she said, "You know that your Father doesn't want you attending school without a bodyguard and Sveta would be a good choice without having to empoy Magic like we would have to with Len."

I scowled. My Parents were incredibly over protective, although they did at least put enough faith in Seek and I that they trusted our Peerages to be able to keep us safe, completely ignoring our own abilities. As I didn't have a Peerage, Father had insisted that I take my Familiar, Len, with me when I went to school, but that was a massive problem because few schools would allow a cat to follow students around and her Human form was way too young. And yes, she was indeed a shapeshifting Succubus with the form of a cat and Human girl.

"Alright fine," I grumbled, "How long do you need?"

Sella looked thoughtful.

"Can you give us about two months?" she asked, "That'll give us time to see how much is left hidden in her memories and we can always go in again later."

I nodded.

"Two hours for two months," I said, "Just...don't teach her anything weird, OK?"

Sella just smiled innocently.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked.

I just glared at her and waved her off. She bowed and guided Sveta out of the room.

"You might regret that," said Leysritt.

I sighed.

"Probably, but shes not wrong," I said, "Still, I can't help but think that attending school with a Case 53 who calls me Master will bring the PRT sniffing around."

"We can handle them," said Leysritt.

"I know, but I'd rather not have to get into a war with the PRT," I said, "It'll make doing my job...rather difficult."

I sighed.

"You'll manage Master," said Leysritt, "You always do."

I smiled slightly.

"Thanks Leys," I said.

The Maid just bowed and excused herself, leaving me to think deep thoughts about the inevitable fallout that would come from some of the people I planned to recruit suddenly gaining new powers. I had a nasty feeling I was going to get labeled a Master/Trump if I wasn't careful…

* * *

Two hours later, I was finishing up some paperwork relating to recruiting new Peerage Members (because of course there was paperwork for that!) when there was a knock at the door.

"Come," I called and the door opened to emit a very smug looking Sella.

I narrowed my eyes at the Maid.

"I don't like that look on your face," I said, "What have you done?"

"Nooooothing~," said Sella in a tone that told me that the truth was the exact opposite, "Although I am pleased to say that Sveta will have no problems getting into Arcadia with you."

"Thats good," I said, "Now why do you look like Len after Leysritt gets done with a round of baking?"

Sella didn't say anything and just stepped to the side to reveal a blushing Sella looking absolutely adorable in the same uniform as Sella. Her tendrils were tied up in a high ponytail that still reached her feet I stared at her for a moment, before turning a basilisk glare on Sella.

"It wasn't me," she said, "She was the one who suggested it, I just provided the uniform."

"You've given me everything Master," said Sveta, "I owe you more than I can ever repay, but this is at least a start."

I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"You don't owe me anything Sveta," I said, "But if this is what you want to do, I guess its fine."

Sveta gave a radiant smile and bowed.

"Thank you Master," she said, "I look forwards to serving you."

I sighed as the two females left the room and glanced at the black cat with a large bow around its neck who was curled up on my desk.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a thing?" I asked.

Len just opened one eye and flicked an ear at me before going back to sleep.

* * *

A week later, the paperwork for Sveta and I to transfer into Arcadia was done (with a bit of money and Magic to grease the wheels) and Sella was dropping the two of us off at the school.

"Have a good day you two," said the Maid, leaning out her car window, "And be good."

I rolled my eyes.

"You of all people have no business saying that," I said.

Sella just grinned and put the car in gear as Sveta and I waved goodbye. I sighed and shifted my bag on my shoulders.

"Well, lets go I guess," I said, "Oh, and please don't call me Master in school, K?"

"Yes Ma...Kervius," said Sveta, ducking her head slightly in embarrassment at her near slip.

I sighed and patted her on the head, which got another blush from the girl. We headed up the steps into the school, with me pointedly ignoring the looks we were getting and Sveta shifting slightly closer as the stares focused on her, particularly her hair and the tattoo on her cheek. I had offered to remove it, but Sveta had decided not to do so or even cover it up. Her hair would get enough attention anyway and the obvious tattoo would (hopefully) get people to avoid asking any sticky questions.

* * *

Amy Dallon sighed as she dropped into her seat and started getting out her books for class. It was a sigh that conveyed many emotions. Boredom, exhaustion and just the slightest amount of depression, not all of which came from teenage angst. She hated to admit it, but after a year of being Panacea, the Greatest Healer in the World, she was bored. At first, it was exciting and interesting, to know that she finally had a way to help people like her family and the Human body was a truly amazing thing.

Unfortunately, the excitement and glamour of being a Hero quickly faded, especially after she first attended an Endbringer fight. That had...not been fun and she'd had nightmares about it for weeks afterwards. It certainly didn't help that, once the initial excitement had faded and she realized just how her power actually worked, she got scared. Biotinkers and Biokinetics had an (admittedly well earned) bad reputation with the public and PRT and her powers had the potential to make Nilbog look like a child with playdoh. That realization certainly hadn't helped her nightmares, which now featured the PRT breaking down her door and dragging her off to the Birdcage.

As a result, she'd stopped all the experimentation she'd done with her powers (mostly on her own gut fauna and the bacteria on her skin) and limited herself to healing. The problem was that, no matter how interesting it was, after a year of healing, she'd basically seen everything. Oh, occasionally something odd turned up, like the Case 53 Weld from Boston who was basically made of living metal, and she'd yet to see a case of Lupus, but theres only so many cases of cancer, broken bones and various forms of organ failure you can see before you get utterly sick of it. The problem now was that by this point she'd developed her reputation to much and now she felt guilty whenever she wasn't healing people, so she still found herself going to the hospital whenever she was free and even late at night when she couldn't sleep.

It certainly didn't help that Carol often went on about their responsibilities as Capes.

She sighed again, before shaking herself and smacking her cheeks to refocus as the teacher came in.

"Good morning class," he said as he set his bag on the desk, "Before we begin, it seems that we have a new student joining us today. Shes...ah, a little unusual, but I ask that you try not to stare or bombard her with questions."

A low buzz of confused chatter erupted for a moment as Amy lent forwards slightly. What could be so different about the new girl that would warrant a warning like that? A moment later, she got her answer as the teacher called the new girl in. She looked normal enough at first, albeit with what appeared to be insanely long dreadlocks that reached her feet, despite being tied up in a high ponytail. She was pale, with dark eyes and features that suggested northern european descent and was rather short, with a thin frame that suggested that she was recovering from a long bout of malnutrition, if her experienced medical eye was anything to go by. She was wearing a high quality white shirt with a symbol she didn't recognize on the sleeves in gray, a black skirt and flat shoes. Then, she reached the front and turned, revealing the small C shape tattooed on her cheek, standing out rather starkly against her skin.

The sight of the well known sign of a Case 53 made the class start up into a low level muttering of surprise and curiosity, before the teacher silenced them with a glare. Amy however, kept her mouth shut in favour of examining the apparent Cape with interest. She didn't look entirely comfortable, shifting under the gazes of her new classmates as her hair moved unnaturally. No, not hair. Amy's eyes widened as she realized that what she thought were dreadlocks were actually pencil thin tendrils.

"Everyone, this is Sveta Tian," said the teacher, "Please make her feel welcome and help if she needs it."

There was a general mumble of ascent as the teacher looked around and pointed to a seat next to Amy.

"That seats empty," he said, "Take a seat Sveta and we'll begin."

"Yes sir," said the girl and took the indicated seat, everyone's eyes following her as she crossed the room.

The eyes all snapped back to the front however when the teacher cleared his throat and started Homeroom. Amy however kept one eye on Sveta, more than a little curious as to why she was here. She didn't recognize the Case 53, so she clearly wasn't affiliated with the Protectorate and the fact she was here indicated that she wasn't affiliated with any Villains or Faultlines Crew. It also suggested that whoever was helping her (because someone HAD to be considering the amnesia all Case 53's suffered from) was well connected and had the resources necessary to get her up to a high school level, despite the aforementioned amnesia.

Sveta noticed her looking and smiled at her.

"Hi, I'm Sveta," she said, offering one of her tendrils that could apparently move independently.

"Um, hi," said Amy, slowly reaching out to politely shake 'hands', "I'm AmYEEP!?"

The moment she came in contact with the Case 53, she went rigid, her eyes going round as her power gave her an excellent view of the other girls biology.

One of the more esoteric parts of her power was the fact that it always gave her the exact species of whatever living thing she touched and even some dead ones. It generally wasn't that useful, but it did ping all of the other Case 53's she'd examined in the past as Human, including Weld who was otherwise completely immune to her power. However, Sveta gave her complete gibberish, almost as if her power had no idea what she was. She looked Human, but there were a few differences. Her muscles, bones and organs were all stronger, as were her senses and her tendrils were so even stronger, to the point that they could probably crush steel without difficulty. There was also something rather strange about the language center in her brain and, unless Amy was completely off base, she had retractable wings. Finally, and strangest of all, was the object deep in her chest made of some kind of crystal that was glowing with a faint, brown light while somehow not interfering with any of her organs, despite the fact it should have destroyed her Heart. As if that wasn't enough, it looked almost like a…

"Why do you have a chess piece in your chest?" she asked without thinking.

Sveta went still and her tendril tightened slightly, making Amy stiffen and gulp. Those things would be able to completely crush her with no trouble at all and it was rather apparent that she'd noticed something Sveta didn't want becoming common knowledge for some reason. After a very tense moment, Sveta relaxed and smiled.

"I have no idea what your talking about," she said.

She was lying of course, but Amy more than got the point.

"Huh, I must be imagining things," she said quickly.

"Hmm."

Sveta let her hand go and Amy snatched it back and returned her attention to the front as the teacher started reading out some notices, her mind spinning. It was just her luck that the first interesting thing to happen in what felt like forever happened to involve a girl who could, and likely would if it came to it, break her in half, Rules and her reputation or not, if she pushed to far. That said, she was just as stubborn as her sister when she found something that interested her, so she wasn't about to give up quite yet. She'd just have to be careful not to annoy the obviously strong Case 53 with her inquiries.

She smiled slightly. Maybe things were looking up a little.

* * *

Victoria Dallon let out a sigh as she slumped in her seat. The day hasn't even started yet and she was already bored, largely because she'd been grounded for a week after her latest little screw up and hadn't been able to go out on patrol. Still, she'd be going out tonight, so if she could just get through today she could work out some tension on some idiots.

She shook her head and sat up straight as the teacher entered the room with her usual severe expression on her face. The low buzz of chatter vanished immediately as she reached her desk and scanned the room.

"Good morning class," she said, "Before we begin, we have a new student joining us. Please refrain from asking him anything too intrusive."

She glared at a few people who were known to do just that, mostly in an attempt to figure out if the new kids were Wards or not, before turning to the door.

"You can come in now!" she called.

The door opened and a young man walked in. Despite the rather formal title, Vicky found that she was unable to think of any other description. He certainly didn't look much like most of the boys in the school, although exactly why she thought that she wasn't sure. He looked like a normal teenager at first glance, with the only unusual thing about him being his nearly white blonde hair and light purple eyes. He was wearing a white button down shirt and black slacks under a black long coat that had a crest of some kind on the back.

"Hi everyone," he said with a pure white smile, "I'm Kervius Agares. I hope we can all get along."

There was a low buzz of chatter, both at the teens rather odd eye colour and his equally unusual name, before they all shut up as the teacher glared.

"Thank you Mr Agares," she said, "Please take a seat next to Miss Dallon."

She pointed at the window seat next to Vicky. Kervius nodded and took the seat, smirking ever so slightly for reasons Vicky couldn't destern, although she did get the feeling that he was the type to smirk a lot. Or glare. His eyes looked like they were good at glaring.

* * *

I couldn't help but smirk as I took the seat beside the window on the second to last row to the back. You know, the seat virtually all Anime characters sat in for some ill defined reason. Maybe it was so they could stare out the window longingly without immediately getting caught? Not that I'd be doing that since this teacher looked about as strict as could be.

I was also more than a little amused that I was sat next to Glory Girl. While she wasn't really someone I planned to recruit (although I certainly would if the situation presented itself), she was still someone I'd very much like to get to know, if only because it would give me an in with Panacea, who I DID plan to recruit. What? I needed a good healer and Asia wasn't really an option.

I grinned at Vicky, who was eyeing me in a way that made me feel like a slide of beef, before turning my attention back to the front of the room before the teacher could throw her chalk at me or something.

* * *

Later, after class broke up for lunch, I found a table and got out the lunch Leysritt had prepared for me. The silver haired Maid was lazy, sarcastic and blunt to the point that she could casually insult the Devil Kings without realizing, but she was also an incredible cook. I was just about to start eating when Sveta arrived, bowed slightly and sat down when I glared at her and nodded to the seat across from me.

"Please try not to act like that when we're in school," I said.

"Sorry Ma...Kervius," she said as I glared at her again, "Force of habit."

"A habit you've had for all of a week," I grumbled, "Nevermind, not important."

I glanced at my Pawn and frowned. She had an odd expression on her face and looked worried about something.

"Whats wrong?" I asked.

Sveta twitched slightly and looked a little uncomfortable.

"Well, I was sat next to Amy Dallon in my first class and, well…"

"Ah, you touched her, right?" I asked, "Did she faint or something?"

"No, but she clearly saw something," said Sveta, "I think she should brush it off as me being a Case 53, but...she somehow saw my Evil Piece."

I paused, my fork near my mouth, before I slowly put it back on my lunch box.

"She did did she?" I muttered, "Interesting...I was honestly expecting you to no-sell her powers completely, although you did used to be Human so that could be why…"

I trailed off, tapping a finger on my chin in thought.

"What should we do about it Master?" she asked.

"Nothing for now," I said, "Honestly, I highly doubt she'd ever jump to the conclusion of 'Devil' and even if she did, its not like she'd catch the attention of anyone dangerous to us. More likely, she'll assume its a strange effect of your mutation."

I smiled a little evilly.

"Plus, it'll make her curious and that will only help bring her closer."

Sveta eyed me worriedly.

"What are you planning Master?" she asked, "That smiles scary…"

I snorted and switched to a more normal grin.

"Don't worry, I only intend to try and recruit her," I said, "See if you can get a Summoning Flyer into her possession once we get some made."

"Yes Master," said Sveta, ducking her head.

"And stop calling me Master!"

 **And that'll do. Hoo boy, I see no way that a Case 53 calling someone Master won't cause trouble further down the line! Possibly leading to someone getting beaten up by a Maid…**

 **I...honestly have no idea exactly HOW I ended up with the idea of Kervius' Servants ending up working for him in a literal way. Not all of them will of course, but some will.**

 **On the subject of his Servants, I'm replacing Riley. I had a better idea for who should be her Master, so now I'm torn between Canary and Aisha as her replacement. Which would you prefer? Ideas welcome, but I might have a better idea in the future.**

 **Amy is a way's from the damaged girl on the path into hell she was in Canon, although shes starting on her way down it. Fortunately, the introduction of the mystery that is Sveta will derail that. As will Kervius Reincarnating her at a later date.**

 **The reason Sveta didn't no-sell Amy's power is because Devils are descended from Humans. My understanding is that the Devils were originally Humans who were modified by the original Satans, resulting them technically being a separate species of Humans. Scanning their DNA would result in some odd results, but they would register as being a branch of Homo Sapiens. As a result, powers can scan them...to a degree. Magic is completely outside the Shards field of experience, so they simply cannot modal it. As a result, Precogs will start getting some very odd results when the Devils really start messing with Earth Bet.**

 **That said, Sacred Gears, Angels, Gods and those who have nothing to do with Humanity will completely no-sell any power that isn't modified by an Evil Piece/Brave Saint.**

 **I'm...not sure what I'm going to do with Vicky yet. I don't really want to add her to Kervius Peerage, but its not impossible that I'll change my mind or give her to someone else. Possibly Seekvaira. Not sure yet.**

 **Why did I use Len as his Familiar? No idea. My original idea used Papi the Harpy, but I thought I might as well continue with the Fate theme.**

 **I'll leave it to you to decide what Sveta's new surname of 'Tian' means. I can assure you that it'll be fun though. The other name I could have used was Carmel.**

 **Before I go, a short Omake based on an idea I've not completely tossed, thats based on a conversation I had with Quatermass, so thanks to him for the idea.**

Alexandria stared at the person in front of her, completely and utterly stumped. On the surface, it was like looking in a mirror...but theres no way in hell that she'd ever be caught dead in pigtails or an outfit like that!

"Who the fuck are you?" she asked, her mind still not fully in gear.

The girl giggled and spun around, flailing her wand and somehow releasing sparkles as she struck a pose right out of a Magical Girl Anime and winked, a pink heart appearing as she did.

"I am MAGICAL GIRL SERA-TAN, AT YOUR SERVICE!"

Alexandria started.

"...What."

'Sera-tan' pouted and fixed her with a cutesy glare.

"Come on, Alexy-chan, smile, sparkle, strike a pose!" she yelled.

Alexandria stared.

"...You can't be me," she said, still not convinced this wasn't a dream, "No version of me would ever be that insane."

Sera-tan blinked and tilted her head on one side.

"Umm, this coming from the one working for a worldwide conspiracy?" she asked, "Hello Miss Pot, I'm Miss Kettle, did I mention how black you are today?"

Alexandria stared for a moment, before opening her mouth. Then she closed it again and stomped away in search of alcohol.

 **Considering what my muse is like, there is a very strong possibility that that will become canon in one way or another. At the moment its not, but still...**

 **Anyway, I'm done and its late, so I'm gonna sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	141. Fate of the World

Fate of the World

The world of Worm is engulfed in chaos, so naturally I thought it would be a good idea to do a story with a Lord of Order added to the melting pot. I wasn't expecting a ROB to think that was a good idea and literally drop me in it though!

 **So I've been toying with this idea for a while, ever since the Strange/Fate Death Battle actually. The original idea was to give him both of them, but then I remembered that they were both OP as hell, so I decided to use Dr Fate and MCU Stephen Strange since hes slightly less stupidly powerful. It's not like Bet doesn't need a good dose of Fate. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

When I went to bed after staying up way to late working on a new story idea, I was expecting to wake up the next morning to the sound of my phone greeting me for another day at work. Instead, I was woken by the early morning light landing on my face and the fact my soft bed seemed to have turned into solid wood.

"What the...wuzgoinon?" I slurred as I opened my eyes, quickly throwing up my hand to stop the sunlight from burning my eyes out.

It took a moment to realize what was wrong with the image. My curtains were thick and I always closed them before I went to bed, so there was no way that sunlight should be getting into my room. I slowly lowered my hand and looked around the room, taking in the grimy walls that were covered in dark red stains, shattered furniture and the floor that had the rotten remains of a carpet that looked like it had been clawed to pieces. By claws that were strong enough to damage the hardwood floor.

"What the hel…" I started, before I suddenly realized that my voice sounded...odd.

I looked down and found that my voice wasn't the only thing that had changed. Instead of my thin body in nothing but the pants I went to sleep in, I found myself looking at a much more muscled body in my PJ pants.

"Huh...thats interesting," I muttered as I examined my new hands, absently running a finger over where I'd had a small scar on the back of my left one, "What the hell is going on?"

A loud crunch from outside made me jump and look up, just in time to see a twisted monstrosity I could only refer to as a troll stump past the window. I quickly scrambled to my feet and darted to the window, peeking out and down onto the street below. Just one glance made me realize that I might be in trouble. The town I was in was a complete wreck, with not a single house intact, although plenty of them seemed to have been patched up with wood and colourful bits of cloth and were inhabited by all manner of bizarre creatures that looked like something straight out of a fairy tale for little kids. If said fairytale involved orgies, debauchery and horrific table manners as the goblins gorged themselves on all manner of excess.

I gaped for a moment, before quickly pulling my head back before any of them could see me. I sat under the window for a moment, eyes wide as I tried to figure out what the actual FUCK was going on, before I suddenly remembered just what I'd been working on the night before.

"FUCK, I'VE BEEN ROB-ED!" I yelled without thinking.

I immediately clapped both hands over my mouth, but it was apparent that I was to late as the sounds filtering in from down below cut out. A moment later, they were replaced with chattering and the sounds of a number of footsteps moving towards the building I was in.

"Oh bollocks," I muttered, "This is gonna suck...I really hope I can figure out how to…"

"INTRUDER!"

I spun around, instinctively throwing out a hand and blasting the Goblin with a bolt of orange energy that turned him into chunky salsa. I blinked. That was...interesting. How did I…?

Then, it felt like my mind opened and I _knew._ I had so much knowledge in my head it was a wonder it didn't burst. All the knowledge of Kent Nelson, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and holder of the Helmet of Fate, and that of Dr Steven Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of a completely different Earth. Yeahhhh, this is going to be an...interesting new life.

Speaking of which, I bent down and picked up the golden helmet that had just appeared at my feet, ignoring the Goblins who had just burst into the room and froze at the sight of the red puddle that used to be the Goblin.

"SEIZE HIM!" screamed the leader, "TAKE HIM TO THE KING!"

I ignored him and put on the helmet.

* * *

The man once known as Jamie Rinke was many things. Delusional madman, S class threat, a King of Monsters and perfectly content. Oh sure, sometimes it became necessary to send his children out so he could restock on biomass to keep them from dying permanently and food was occasionally an issue, but generally he was perfectly happy to remain behind the walls in his little kingdom. Fortunately, it seemed that the peasants outside had learnt to keep away from his lands and his darling children. Occasionally there was an attack, but they were always dealt with and added to his reserves of Biomass and the retaliation served as a reminder that Nilbog suffered the Outside World because it was beneath his notice.

Unfortunately for the Would Be King, his little delusion was about to come crashing down.

The first indication was when one of his children was abruptly and very messily destroyed, prompting him to send a battalion to find the intruder. The next was when one of the buildings exploded with golden light, destroying the battalion he sent and a good chunk of the Goblins who were surrounding the building in question. There wasn't even enough left for him to convert back into biomass!

The column of light faded, leaving a glowing, golden figure floating in the air above Ellisburg and for a moment, Nilbog thought that the False God Scion had attacked him until he saw that the figure was clad in blue and gold with a golden cloak and helmet rather than actually being the golden man. The figure looked around, before he vanished into a golden ankh that appeared out of thin air. A bright glow from behind Nilbog made him jump and turn, just in time to see the glowing figure appear in his underground sanctuary, apparently completely unaffected by the miasma of poison and disease in the air that should have seen him collapsing with dissolving lungs within seconds.

" **Jamie Rinke, your fate is here,"** said the figure in a voice that sounded like many people talking as one, **"For the murder and desecration of countless Souls, I will banish you from this world."**

Nilbog opened his mouth, but before he could get out more than a syllable, his world was engulfed in golden light for about three seconds before it cleared and he found himself stood on a rocky plateau, smack bang in the middle of a swarm of dog sized insectoid creatures.

He barely had time to scream before the Gaunts tore him to shreds.

* * *

The streak of blue light known as Legend came to a screeching halt a few miles from Ellisburg and slowly flew towards the walled off city, staring at the enormous firestorm that was engulfing the city, burning blood red and forming into the shapes of snakes, lions, dragons, chimeras and other creatures from both reality and myth, apparently being directed by the golden figure floating nearby, waving his hands like a conductor.

He glanced to the side as Alexandria and Eidolon came to a stop beside him, both silently watching the flames as their movements seemed to reach a crescendo and they began to shrink, leaving nothing but black ash behind as they did. Within moments, the flames had compressed down to a small ball the size of a softball between the strangers hands, before he brought his palms together and snuffed it out. Then he turned his gaze on the Triumvirate and all three went rigid.

There was a fair distance between the three of them and the new Cape and his helmet made seeing his eyes difficult, even with the golden glow emerging from within the metal, but even so, all of them could feel the weight of his gaze. It felt like he was studying them right down to the core...and finding them wanting. Even Eidolon, battle happy as he was, suddenly got the feeling that picking a fight with this new Golden Hero would be a tremendously stupid thing to do. Like, right up there with picking a fight with all three Endbringers and Scion at the same time levels of stupid.

He floated towards them slowly, making all three tense, before stopping within hearing distance.

" **Good afternoon,"** he said, **"You'll have to forgive my distraction, but Fiendfyre can be difficult to control and I'm here to fix things, not burn the world to ash."**

The Triumvirate looked at each other, before Legend floated forwards slightly.

"Its fine," he said, "Might I ask who you are?"

" **Ah, of course,"** said the golden man, **"I am Dr Fate. And the three of you need no introduction of course. So, did you like my grand entrance?"**

"It was certainly impressive," said Alexandria, "What did you do to Nilbog? Was he burnt as well?"

Dr Fate tilted his head slightly and clapped his hands together. He pulled them apart, creating what looked like a golden bubble between them that quickly formed into a screen that showed a very familiar crazy killer getting torn apart by a pack of what looked like mutated dogs.

" **I sent him to a world where he could experience something similar to what he put others through,"** said Dr Fate, **"Tyranids use biomass harvested from those they consume to reproduce and create more of their kind, so I felt it was fitting for him to go out that way."**

"I...see," said Alexandria as the screen vanished, "Might I ask what you plan to do now?"

Dr Fate tilted his head slightly.

" **I am...unsure,"** he said, **"I need to clean up the mess this world has become, but Magic alone will not be enough, even with the power of Nabu."**

He refocused and fixed the three with another intense look.

" **I will not be joining your rotten organization, but I will aid you as needed,"** he said, **"Should you need me, simply call. I shall be around."**

He turned to leave, before pausing and looking at Alexandria.

" **But before I go, a token of my...esteem."**

He pointed at her and a thin beam of golden light shot out of his finger tip to strike the legendary Brute directly in her missing eye before any of them could react. Alexandria rocked back in the air as Legend and Eidolon jumped between her and Dr Fate, only to be completely ignored as he vanished through a golden portal. Apparent threat gone, they whipped around to check on their friend.

"Are you OK Becca?" asked Legend, catching her as she swayed drunkenly in the air.

"Y-yes, I think so," she said, "But…"

She reached up and probed at her helmet, before slowly digging in her fingers and pulling a small piece away, revealing what had been a mass of white scar tissue. Instead, it revealed unblemished skin and a perfectly whole eye.

"Wha...how did he…?!" spluttered Eidolon at the sight of the healed injury.

"I...don't know, but it works," said Alexandria, looking around and blinking her restored eye, "Who was that guy?!"

"I...don't know," said Legend, looking over at where the other Cape had vanished, "But...I think we need to find out."

* * *

I stumbled through the portal into a plush sitting room, wrenching the Helmet off as the portal vanished. The Vestments of Fate vanished as the Helmet left my head, leaving me in my Pyjama pants and gasping for breath as the last remnants of Dr Fate faded from my mind. That had been INTENSE.

The power held inside the golden helmet was immense, much more than the Human body was meant to contain and my body, while optimised for Magic by whatever had pulled me here, wasn't ready to handle it. Oh, I could manage for a time, but if I had kept the Helmet on much longer, I'd probably have been burnt to ashes. That more than anything was why I wasn't about to just fly around the world and blow all the threats to bits, although another part was that that would cause more problems than it would solve. I'd hit some of them once I recovered, but until I could handle Dr Fates power better, I was somewhat limited in terms of Godly Powers. On the other hand, I had access to all of Stephen Strange's powers without the helmet on, so maybe I should keep my gob shut.

Oh yeah, I had the powers of both DC's and Marvels Sorcerer Supremes, although I could only use one at a time and the latter was the slightly less stupidly powerful MCU version of Dr Strange. Still, it did mean I had the memories of two extremely intelligent and powerful men at my disposal, which would be extremely useful.

I finally caught my breath and got my burning muscles to stop shaking enough to get to my feet and take in my new surroundings. I was in a rather plush looking study with lots of dark wood, leather and bookshelves groaning under the weight of the tomes contained within. The room was dark, lit mostly by lamps and the fireplace, despite the open curtains and sunlight come in. Despite that, I found myself rather liking the room. It had a lot of class and looked like the perfect place for a Wizard to sit around brooding. Because all good Wizards should brood.

I put the Helmet on the plinth that was clearly designed for it and wondered out of the study to explore the rest of the house. It was fairly large, although not to the point where it was to much for one person, and mostly decorated in the same style of my new study, with the exception of the kitchen which was ultra modern. There was a decent sized basement with a training room, gym, ritual room and a portal room that would allow me to teleport all over the world in an instant, without the need of a Sling Ring, while the attic was a combination of store room and museum for a huge number of Mystical Artefacts, including the Cloak of Levitation, which turned out to be just as sentient and affectionate as its MCU counterpart when it came crashing through its case and wrapped itself around me in a way that reminded me of a big dog happily greeting its master.

* * *

After getting the oddly affectionate clothing to calm down, I headed back downstairs and into the master bedroom where I found that the contents of my wardrobe, my computer and my consol had crossed over with me, which was nice, iif a bit odd considering that both were from 2018 and thus, about seven years more advanced...probably. I have no idea what Dragon might have done with Tinkertech computers after all. Whatever, it was nice to still have access to my games, although I doubted I'd have chance to play them much. That feeling was made stronger as I scanned the package I found on my bedside table which contained all the paperwork to make me an actual person on Bet. Whether it was the ROB who dumped me here or the Resources perk, something had a sense of humor because I was now called Stephen Strange and was a fully qualified doctor with a medical licence and everything. Considering I didn't have any medical knowledge at all yesterday, it was a bit strange to consider that I could now perform even the most complex of brain surgeries with my eyes closed. Probably best not to though.

My stomach chose that moment to remind me that I hadn't had breakfast yet and using Magic to destroy crazy megalomaniacs was excellent at working up an appetite. With that in mind, I got to my feet and headed downstairs in search of food.

Unfortunately, Resources had not thought to stock the kitchen with much more than a box of weetabix and a small bottle of milk, which was barely enough for breakfast and, to make matters worse, I quickly discovered that, while my wardrobe had come through, very little of the stuff inside fit me very well any more.

"Well, on the plus side, Magic will make getting it all home a lot easier," I grumbled as I got dressed in some of my slightly larger clothes that vaguely fit me, "On the down side, I need to visit the bank first. This is gonna be a pain in the arse."

I headed for the door, absently grabbing the Cloak as I went, which wrapped around me and transformed into a very nice red trench coat. I paused and looked down in surprise.

"I didn't know you could do that," I said.

The tails of my new coat flapped and the collar tilted down in a way that made me think of a big dog preening at being praised. I shook my head, grabbed my keys and walked out the door, pausing to look back at the small townhouse that was my new home, noting the circular window in the roof that looked into the Artifact Room and had a design similar to the Greenwich Sanctum in the Dr Strange Movie. Considering that it WAS America's Sanctum in this world, thats not all that surprising.

I made a mental note to double check the protections to make sure they weren't weakening considering that they were supposed to keep out extra-dimensional threats like Scion and walked off in the direction of downtown. It was unlikely there'd be a Demonic incursion in the few hours I'd be busy if there hadn't been one yet. And if there was, I could just grab the Helmet and boot them out with Nabu's power before fixing the hole in the protection net.

* * *

It didn't take me long to arrive at the bank where I was quickly assured into a meeting with a very excited looking manager. Considering my bank account had more zeros than I'd ever seen outside of a Harry Potter fanfic, I'm not to surprised by that. Nor was I surprised by the stupid amount of paperwork I had to fill out to get access to my money.

* * *

We were just finishing up (much to my relief) when a loud crash echoed from the main hall of the Bank, followed by a lot of screaming, the sound of a massive dog barking. I had just enough time to let out a 'oh you have got to be…' before a cloud of black smoke came billowing into the office, cutting both me and the manager off from everything, and someone grabbed me roughly by the shoulder and frogmarched me back into the main hall where I was shoved down with the rest of the hostages.

I ignored Tattletales little speech and I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to elevate the headache I was feeling. Of all the days to arrive, I was expecting to end up having to fight Lung. Instead, I arrived in time for the bank job. Oh well, this just meant I needed to be quick so I could keep Coil from nabbing Dinah.

I sighed, put my palms together and twisted. A white smog erupted out of me and covered the hostages, killing the spiders Skitter had planted on us. A second twist of my hands caused a glowing barrier to form around the hostages as I stood and allowed the Cloak to lift me into the air, converting my clothes into black robes as my coat morphed back into its cloak form. I smiled at the looks of utter shock on the Undersiders faces, especially Tattletales, as I floated down and landed lightly between them and the doors.

"Sorry to interrupt your no doubt well planned heist, but I have a lot to do today and I don't fancy having to put it off more than I have to," I said.

I felt a slight tickle in the back of my head and my arm jumped slightly. I responded by conjuring a disk of firy energy and throwing it at Regent. It smacked into his head with a loud gonging sound and exploded, knocking him on his ass.

"Try that again and I'll lock you in a Hell dimension full of tentacle monsters," I said mildly, "Now, you lot have a choice. You can either leave and consider the ramifications of working for a two headed snake like Coil…"

I twisted my wrist and conjured a blazing sword of eldritch energy.

"Or I can kick your asses and hand you over to the PRT and Wards who just arrived."

Tattletale narrowed her eyes.

"You'd let us go?" she asked, "Why? Your a hero."

I snorted.

"I'm here to deal with the big problems that are tearing this city apart," I said, "Your boss might be one of them, but throwing a bunch of kids who made bad choices or have no choice in the matter at the mercy of the courts is not on my purview. Your plan was good and would result in no casualties, your small time thieves who mostly target other Villains and, if it wasn't for the fact that Coil is a greedy dick, you wouldn't even be here."

Grue twitched slightly.

"Wait, Coil?" he asked, "Our boss is Coil?"

His skull helmet turned on Tattletale, who winced. Before he could start an argument though, I clapped my hands, drawing their attention back to me.

"Argue later, for now, make your choice," I said, "Leave or get tossed in the slammer."

I smirked and flicked a hand, summoning a portal to the Mirror Dimension. The Undersiders stiffened at the sight of the shattered fabric of reality, but Tattletales eyes went so wide I'm surprised they didn't fall out.

"Or I can just lock you in my little prison," I said smugly.

"We're going!" yelped Tattletale, grabbing Bitch and Regent by the collars and dragging them in the direction of the back exit.

I hid a smirk as the Undersiders booked it amid confused protests from Regent, which earned him a smack and hissed scolding from Tattletale, who seemed scared out of her wits. Not that I blame her. I have no idea what information her power had fed her about the Mirror Dimension, but it was probably enough to give her nightmares for a while.

Once they were gone, I closed the portal and dispelled the barrier that had been keeping the bystanders safe and unable to hear the conversation. I ignored the looks I was getting as I turned my clothes and Cloak back to their civilian form. I glanced over at the manager who had helped me.

"We are done, right?" I asked.

She blinked and nodded slowly.

"Good, in that case, someone tell the PRT that if they want to talk to me, they can do so another time," I said, pulling out my Sling Ring and summoning a portal into existence, "I've still got a lot of stuff to do today and I don't fancy being stuck talking to them for hours."

"Wait!"

I paused, one foot through the hole of horrifically tortured special fabric, and glanced over my shoulder at the girl who had spoken up. Judging from the freckles, frizzy hair and the fact she had the guts to stop an unknown 'Cape' who apparently didn't give a shit about a secret identity, it was probably Panacea.

"Who are you?" she asked.

I smirked.

"My name is Dr Strange," I said and stepped through the portal, allowing it to close behind me.

 **Right, this is all for the…'official' for want of a better word part of the chapter, but I'm going to keep going for a little longer. See, I had an idea for this that would result in a lot of craziness. I probably won't continue with either version, but I still wanted to get it down, just for the absurdity of it all. Enjoy!**

I sighed deeply as I dropped the bulging bags of groceries on my kitchen table and started unpacking, dropping the paper I'd picked up off to the side for now. I'd been lucky enough that my little debut with the Undersiders had taken long enough to get out that I'd been able to get all my required food without getting mobbed, but I had no idea that I'd be having the PRT drop by soon enough. However, I'd hopefully have enough time for a cup of tea, some lunch and to read the paper. With that in mind, I made a sandwich, a cup of tea and headed to the sitting room where I lit the fire and sat down beside it. I took a sip of tea, shook the paper open…

And immediately sprayed the former across the room when I was met with a large image of one of Dragons suits stood beside Iron Man with three people tied up at their feet and a pile of shattered metal and sparking wires behind them.

 **IRON MAN AND DRAGON CAPTURE DRAGONSLAYERS!**

Proclaimed the headline, with a slightly smaller one underneath it announcing that Dragon had come out as an AI created by Richter, backed up by Tony Stark. I ripped the paper open and scanned the articles, quickly finding information on Spider Man assisting in the take down of some Villain in NYC, the Hulk being spotted somewhere in Nevada having a tussle with the Nine (and winning) and a hammer being found in New Mexico.

Not only that, but apparently Matt Murdock was making waves by getting Canary off scott free, a survey team had managed to dredge the remains of a bomber from the arctic and found the still living body of Captain America inside and the nation of Wakanda was busy showing the Parahuman Warlords of Africa WHY they were a world superpower with the help of their advanced, Vibranium based technology.

I finished the paper and closed it, setting it aside as I stared into the fire.

"Well...thats interesting," I said eventually, my voice slightly hysterical, "I wonder if Thanos is after the Infinity Stones in this reality?"

Then I remembered what I had in my basement, paled and ran downstairs. Sure enough, in the portal room, there was a pedestal holding the Eye of Agamotto, which, after a quick check over, I determined did indeed hold the Time Stone.

I groaned, scrubbing at my face as I tried to figure out if this was a good thing or a really bad one. On one hand, the Avengers, on the other, Thanos was likely a thing. If that was the case, I'd need the power of Fate even more than I thought I did.

"God, this is going to drive me to drink," I groaned as I stumbled back upstairs, "I need a nap…"

Unfortunately, resting my abused mind would have to wait because at that exact moment, the doorbell rang. I glared at the door, before stomping over and opening it.

"Dr Steven Strange?" asked the man on my doorstep.

"Thats me," I said, "Can I help you?"

I was mildly surprised that the man was both alone and not a Cape. I had honestly expected to open my door to Armsmaster backed up by a squad of Troopers, instead I got a perfectly normal looking man, flanked by only one woman. True, she had the bearing of a skilled assassin, in addition to being a complete...knock...out.

Oh hell, they weren't PRT!

"I'm Agent Coulson and this is Agent Romanov," said the man, "We're with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Not the PRT?" I asked.

Coulson smiled thinly.

"The PRTs purview is over Parahumans," he said, "But you aren't a Parahuman, are you?"

I stared at him for a moment, before smirking.

"Oh, your good," I said, "Alright Agents of SHIELD, you have my attention."

I stepped back.

"Please, come in."

Coulson smiled and stepped inside, followed by Black Widow. I glanced out the door, made a gesture, and closed it as the goon watching my house from across the street fell back with a yelp as his camera exploded in his hands.

 **Like I said, a bit much, mainly because adding the Avengers would utterly break Worm, and I don't just mean because I'm not entirely sure how Zion would react to someone else trying to invade 'his' petri dish. Probably with sheer terror at the thought of facing Thanos. Plus, the existence of the Infinity Stones kinda make him seem like much less of a threat.**

 **Like I said, I won't be continuing with this and if I did, it wouldn't involve any more of a crossover with either Marvel or DC, I just wanted to get it out there. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	142. To do the Impossible

To do the Impossible

I have fought monsters in the darkness, seeking to devour my Light, nanotech viruses, expansionist empires, seeking to steal the Travelers Light and even Time itself, but even in my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined that the Traveler itself would send me on a mission. Or return to me the memories I lost. This...is going to get strange.

 **So last night, in the depths of my sleep deprived mind after rediscovering my love of Destiny, I realized that the Traveler and Darkness have rather a lot in common with the Warrior and Thinker. After that, this idea came to me and I couldn't resist. I probably won't continue with it, but still, I really want to see what the reaction to it is. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I shivered as the cold, winter wind blew through the trees, kicking up eddies of snow and making the skeletal branches rattle. I hated this place at the best of times, but in the middle of winter, it was even worse. It was all I could do not to pull out my gun at every creak of wood or thump of snow as it slipped off the branches.

"Heh, I wonder how all those fanboys back at the City would react to see the legendary Corvius Dis acting so jumpy over some trees and snow?" said the little light floating at my side.

"Shut up Lux," I muttered, "Now could you _please_ tell me why we're back here? As much as I'm grateful that the Shard could restore my Light, this place gives me the creeps."

Lux sighed, his shell fluttering.

"I can't tell you because I don't know myself," he said, "All I know is that I received a message telling us to come out here to receive an important mission."

"From who?" I asked as I clambered over a fallen trunk, "Zavala wouldn't leave the Wall if he was kicked over the edge and last I heard, Ikora was on Mercury with Osiris. All the other usual suspects are accounted for, either back at the Tower or in their usual haunts."

"I don't know Guardian," said Lux, "The message was unsigned and I couldn't trace it."

I paused.

"So we're out here to meet someone we don't know?" I asked, "Thats...rather unlike you Lux."

Lux's shell flared in his version of a blush.

"Oh, like you wouldn't have come anyway," he snarked, "Besides, something about the message was...familiar. Like I knew who sent it and that they mean no harm."

"Is that so?" I mused, "Interesting…"

Lux sighed.

"Oh Traveler, I know that tone," he muttered, "Your planning something dangerous again, aren't you?"

I smirked under my helmet.

"Now where would you get that idea?" I asked.

"Lets see, there was the Black Garden, battling Crota, hunting down Skolas, fighting Oryx on his own Dreadnaught…"

"Alright, you've made your point," I grumbled, "Still, regardless of my habit of jumping into situations with both feet, it'd still be nice to…"

I trailed off as I finally reached the clearing where the Shard of the Traveler rested. To my immense surprise, I wasn't the first to arrive. Someone was stood at the base of the white piece of metal that, with the Travelers reawakening, shone brightly enough that the snow around it looked washed out. However, it was the person that attracted my attention the most.

He had his back to me, but it wasn't hard to recognize his white robes and black hood, despite the impossibility of it. I scowled and pulled out my gun, aiming it at the strangers back.

"You've got some nerve, dragging me out here and dressing like that," I hissed.

The white figure tilted his head slightly and looked over his shoulder, revealing the familiar mask of the deceased Speaker. He didn't seem particularly bothered to have a handgun as powerful as the Ace of Spades aimed squarely at the back of his head by someone with a reputation of being as good a shot as any Hunter, despite being a Warlock.

"Put that away Guardian," he said, turning to face me fully, "It will do you no good here."

I twitched. Even his voice was the same as the Speakers.

"Who are you?" I growled, not shifting my aim.

The faux Speaker sighed and gestured with his fingers. I yelped as my gun was wrenched out of my grip, nearly pulling me off my feet at the same time. He caught the gun by the barrel, looked it over and then tucked it into his robe.

"There, perhaps now we can have a more civilized conversation," he said.  
I swallowed, momentarily considering pulling out Hard-Light, but quickly dismissed the idea. He could likely disarm me of that just as easily and I didn't even consider the idea of trying to use my powers against him.

"Who are you?" I asked again.

He tilted his head slightly in a way I recognized meant that the man behind the mask was smiling.

"I am the Speaker," he said.

"Bullshit, the Speakers dead," I said.

The Speaker sighed and turned back to the Shard behind him.

"Yes, that body did die," he said, "A shame. I had become rather attached to it. However, it wasn't the first and it certainly won't be the last. I very much doubt that this one will be either."

I glanced at Lux, who seemed as confused as me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

The Speaker was silent for a moment, before he turned back to me and removed his mask. I nearly swallowed my tongue as I saw what was underneath. He looked Human, but his hair, skin and eyes were pure white and shining with the same light as the Traveler.

"I am known as the Voice of the Traveler," he said, "However, none but Osiris and Saint-14 knew that that title is in fact literal. I am the Avatar of the being known as the Traveler."

"I...but you were active while the Traveler was dormant!" I protested.

The Speaker smiled thinly.

"Yes, because this body contains a fragment of my total self. In fact, even that is a tiny fragment of my true self," he said, pointing at the orb visible above the horizon, "While the Traveler was dorment, this fragment of me remained active, albeit with access to only a tiny fragment of my full power, barely more than the pieces that grant the Guardians their powers. Now I am restored after my battle with the Darkness, my Shards regenerated and powered and I can begin my work once again."

He sighed.

"Unfortunately, even with the Darkness driven back for now and the invaders on the retreat, another, much greater threat lies on the horizon."

I stiffened.

"What threat?" I asked.

The Speaker turned back to me, a look of pity on his face.

"A threat that you must, once again, face alone," he said, "And one that you already know."

I frowned.

"I...what do you mean I know it?" I asked.

The Speaker, looked surprised for a moment, then a little embarrassed.

"Ah, of course, I sealed those memories," he said, "One moment."

"Memories?" I asked, but before I could ask more, the Speaker reached out and tapped me on the forehead.

I had experienced a lot of pain in my time as a Guardian. I had resisted the take power of Oryx, SHIVA, the Vex attempting to wipe me from existence and had died more times than I cared to remember, to the point that pain was akin to an old friend. However, I had never before had someone reach into my mind and unlock a seal I never even knew was there. True, the memories I gained were barely 30 years, compared with the two centuries I had spent as a Guardian, but even so, it still hurt.

It certainly didn't help that the memories were of a person who was...underwhelming at best, certainly very different from the person I was now, but two pieces of information caught my attention. One was of a game called Destiny that looked suspiciously like everything I had gone through since Lux woke me up in the Cosmodrome, and the other…

My head snapped up to stared at the Speaker, who had a look of mild amusement on his face.

"Your an Entity?!" I spluttered.

"Indeed," he said, "But you don't need to worry. The Warrior and Thinker are very different from me. Indeed, virtually every single one of my Kin have a different way of going about their goals. We all started consuming planets, but others eventually came to the conclusion that such actions were reckless, wasteful and dangerous. Many of us lost our lives due to underestimating the race they fed upon. As a result, different philosophies formed. Some of us became symbiotic with a single race, others discarded most of their Shards to become Mortal and others fell in with the more...metaphysical beings that exist in the depths of reality."

He sighed.

"I was once a part of a pair, but we separated after I came to the conclusion that what we were doing was wrong. I grew sick of simple destruction and wanted to actually build something to last, to see a civilization flourish under our guidance, rather than fall. My partner did NOT take my change of heart well. Hell, it tried to kill me."

My eyes widened again as I put two and two together.

"The Darkness," I breathed.

"Indeed," said the Speaker with a rueful smile, "Many of my kind consider us to be above the three dimensional races, but the truth is, we're just as capable of all of their traits as they are. We love, we hate, we feel pride, hope and fear."

"So basically, we're caught in a lovers quarrel?" I asked dryly.

The Speaker shrugged helplessly.

"When your powerful enough to accidentally planets, small fights are big problems for those smaller than you," he said, "I did not wish to cause so much devastation to the races I helped and I've tried repeatedly to reconcile with the Darkness, but it always was stubborn."

"You could have stopped it," I said.

The Speaker nodded.

"I could," he said, "But ask consider this. For an Entity duo, they are...everything to each other. Mate is to smaller word for the connection. We are lovers, siblings, parents, best friends, two halves of a whole. The Darkness was always unstable, a fact I was willfully ignorant of, and my desire to change our ways was enough to send it over the edge. Despite that however, I never could bring myself to harm it, no matter how many times it attempted to kill me."

"Until you came here," I said, "What changed?"

The Speaker smiled.

"You did," he said, "The Human race."

I blinked.

"Are we really that special?" I asked, "I know thats kinda a thing, but I always assumed its just because we don't have anything to compare it with."

The Speaker laughed.

"Special? No, your not really any different than any other race," he said, "In fact, your among the weakest, most idiotic and immature races I've ever seen and I consider it a genuine miracle that you haven't wiped yourselves out 100 times over by this point."

By the time he was done, I was surprised I didn't end up on my hands and knees under the weight of the insults.

"However, despite everything, you are capable of kindness unlike any other race in any Universe I have ever visited and your will to survive is second to none. I admit, when the Darkness arrived, I was set to leave, to keep on running, but the Humans rallied, despite knowing that they stood no chance. Unlike so many other races, who cowered under the protection of my Light, your ancestors took up weapons and fought. Even when it became obvious that they couldn't win, they refused to give up. That is why I decided to stay and fight. That is why I created the Ghosts, to create those who could actually stand and fight against the Darkness and _win._ And you did."

He turned back to me.

"I brought you here for this moment, knowing that you would become a powerful Guardian in your own right, but I never once imagined that you would also do so much. I knew that there was a high chance of the events playing out as they did, but I failed to foresee that the one responsable would be you."

I frowned.

"Brought me here?" I asked.

Then, my restored memories helpfully provided me with a memory of my own death at the hands of a lunatic with a knife and making a deal with a glowing figure.

"Oh…"

The Speaker smiled tightly.

"I chose you because you were in the right place at the right time...ah, figuratively speaking of course."

"Alright, so what do you need me to do?" I asked.

"You can probably guess," said the Speaker, "I need you to travel across the Dimensional Gap and help destroy the Warrior. Its to far for my Light to reach alone without him simply blocking it, but its still close enough that when...if he finishes his cycle, it will also badly damage this Earth. It won't be destroyed, but I'm not yet strong enough to completely stop it. If that happens, the City will be weakened enough that the Invaders will be able to overwhelm the Guardians."

I stared at him for a moment, then sighed.

"Sure, go save the world," I muttered, "Not like I've not done it and the impossible before. How hard can killing a Godlike being be compared with something that can literally control time?"

"I don't intend to send you as you are," said the Speaker, "I'll unlocked Lux's powers so that he can now generate ammunition from just about anything and you'll still have access to your Vault. Plus, your powers as a Guardian makes you stronger than just about every Host on Earth Bet, with the possible exception of the Triumvirate. Plus, the Warrior lacks the ability to block a Ghosts power, so you won't have to worry about dying."

"That'll be a nice change I suppose," I muttered.

Beside me, Lux sighed.

"Guardian, can we please stop this charade?" he said, "We both know your going, so stop acting so put out and accept the mission!"

I stared at my Ghost for a moment, then snorted and grinned.

"Aww, you know me to well Lux," I said, "Alright Speaker, I'm bored anyway. Doing the impossible sounds like it could be fun. Again."

The Speaker smiled and bowed slightly.

"My thanks Guardian," he said, "I suggest you say any goodbyes you have. You won't be able to return for a while."

I nodded and looked at Lux.

"Patch me through to Ikora," I said.

"Understood," said the Ghost and opened up like a flower.

"Guardian? Do you need something?" said the voice of my mentor and friend.

"Sorry to interrupt you Teacher, but something's come up," I said, "I've received a new mission and it'll take me outside of communications for a while. I don't know how long I'll be gone either, so I need someone to let everyone know I'm still kicking."

There was a moments silence.

"Your doing something dangerous again, aren't you?" said Ikora in a long suffering voice.

I grinned.

"We're Guardians, danger is an old friend," I said.

Ikora snorted and I could hear Osiris and Sagira laughing in the background.

"I suppose you have a point there," she said, "Very well, I shall inform the Vanguard of your location. Best of luck to you Guardian."

"Thank you Ikora," I said, "I'll see you soon."

"Make sure that I do."

With that, the Vanguard disconnected and I turned back to the Speaker, just in time to see my ship come floating down into the clearing.

"You'll need transport," he said.

"Fair enough," I said, "Before I go, is there anything I should know about my powers interacting with the Warriors?"

"Your Light will protect you from Master powers and keep you hidden from Precogs," said the Speaker, "Other than that, rely on your training and trust in your Light. You are a Guardian, impossible has no meaning for you."

I grinned.

"I was bored anyway," I said, "Alright Lux, lets go save the multiverse!"

"Oh lovely, just what I always wanted," grumbled Lux as I jogged over to my ship.

"Ah, before you go Guardian…"

I turned back to the Speaker, who was holding out Ace of Spades.

"You won't get very far without this."

I smiled and took the gun.

* * *

In the space between the Moon and Earth, the Void of space momentarily distorted, before a glowing rift appeared just long enough to allow a small, one man ship through, snapping shut the moment the tail lights were clear.

"Its...so quiet," said Lux as my hands flew over the controls to keep us from slamming into the moon.

"Well what do you expect?" I asked, "The Humanity of this Earth are trapped on the planet."

"I know, but still," said Lux, "I didn't expect it to be this quiet. Even the long abandoned sites have some traffic to and from their systems and the Invaders chatter is always there and...huh, I guess you're right. I should have expected it to be quieter here."

I smirked.

"Now that we've cleared that up, how about you connect to the internet and find us somewhere to make a splash," I said.

Lux rolled his eye and muttered something rude under his breath. I smirked as I activate the stealth system I'd nicked from a Fallen ship and glided down towards the planet.

"Well, theres a lot of chatter about an 'Endbringer' attack," said Lux, nearly making me hit a satellite.

"Which one and where?" I asked.

"Um, the Simurgh and Canberra," said Lux.

"Huh, nearly Canon then," I muttered, "Thats a shame...eh, lets go shoot an angel in the face."

"Wait, what?"

I grinned as I flipped the ship around and dove towards the planet.

* * *

Canberra was a mess. Just like every attack, the Simurgh was using something new to harry the defenders while she built her doomsday device. This time it was a horde of spindly, dead looking creatures that, while easy to put down, were deceptively strong and more than capable of rendering an unsuspecting victim to pieces with sheer numbers and razor sharp claws. Or, in the case of the odd glowing ones, explode in a blast powerful enough to pulp any non-Brute caught in the blast.

They were also very good at sniffing out any hiding civilians, forcing the Heroes to put guards at the Endbringer shelters after they dug their way through solid concrete and steel to get at the people inside the first one they found.

Miss Militia gritted her teeth as she reformed her heavy machine gun to reload it and opened up again on the horde of monstrosities bearing down on her. There seemed to be no end to them, no matter how many were killed and they didn't seem to care that they were losing so many of their kin either. Hell, they didn't even trip on the bodies because they dissolve into dust the moment they hit the ground! Just what hole did that feathered bitch pull these things from?!

She ignored her armband as it continued to rattle of people who were down, mainly because the last time she stopped to listen she nearly lost an arm, and kept on shooting. However, the sheer numbers of her enemy's meant that they were getting closer, simply because they had plenty to soak up her bullets and keep on coming.

Then her gun clicked empty.

"Aww shi…"

" _YEEEEEHHHHAAAWWWWWW!"_

Miss Militia nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice echoing down her communicator. Without thinking, her head snapped up, just as a loud sonic boom shook the area and a streak of pale blue dropped from the clouds and angled towards the Simurgh. For the first time ever, an expression other than serene calmness crossed the Endbringers face as the small craft unleashed twin beams of dark purple energy from under its wings and struck it full in the face. In that moment, the world got to witness the unflappable twister of minds looking completely and utterly shocked. Right up until the lances composed of a mix of superheated plasma and Void energy burned two channels through her head until her bullshit physiology became too hard to penetrate.

The Endbringer stumbled, fragments of her halo of rubble rocketing out in an attempt to destroy the newcomer. However, quite unlike the normally flawless accuracy of the powerful Precog, the fragments went wide, missing everything and even taking out some of her own minions. The little ship didn't slow, blasting the Simurgh a couple more times and firing a rocket into the middle of her creation that exploded into a small sun that reduced a good chunk of it to molten plasma, which did a number on the rest before its creator managed to fling it away with her telekinesis.

The ship spun out of the way of the burning blob and fired another blast of purple energy, before something dropped out of the bottom and the craft rocketed straight back up into the clouds.

Of course, Miss Militia had not seen much of this because she was still being attacked by the Endbringers minions and couldn't really afford to be distracted. Unfortunately, her slight distraction caused by the sudden arrival of the ship had resulted in the horde getting far closer than she would have liked, forcing her to switch to an automatic shotgun to keep them at bay.

That is until a bolt of lightning slammed into the ground, vaporizing those closest, burning the skin of those further out and knocking most of the horde, plus Miss Militia, of their feet from the impact.

The dust cloud from the impact slowly cleared, blue sparks of energy leaping from the ground and around the cloud as a figure slowly straightened from the three point landing. He was tall and clad in black robes with gleaming metal decorating the front and collar, a black and gold helmet that seemed to be mostly glass and full of swirling mist and a pair of claw-like gauntlets. He held a large handcannon in both hands, one normal enough with a spade icon painted on the barral and the other gold, bladed and looking like something a Tinker would come up with. Slung across his back was an assault rifle that also looked rather like Tinkertech.

All three weapons were enough to make her power sit up and take notice, especially when, after a quick look around and a brief emote of surprise, he went on the offencive. Bullets with enough power to pulp flesh and bone and bolts of what looked like pieces of the sun flew, each one scoring a headshot that dropped a monster and caused them to explode, taking more out with every pull of the trigger. The horrific damage didn't seem to phase the monsters however, in fact, his presence only seemed to enrage them as they dove in with horrifying shrieks of rage. He didn't seem bothered though, instead throwing a ball of lightning into the middle of them that blasted even more into steaming chunks. In the same motion, he holsted his guns and drew the rifle on his back, opening up with a barrage of purple energy beams that bounced with every hit and killed at least three of the monsters before dissipating.

Miss Militia shook of her shock at the sudden and dramatic arrival and reformed her machine gun, mowing down the monsters that tried to hit the newcomer from behind. He took a moment to glance her way, nod and then went back to massacring the monsters with an air of someone who had done it so many times before he'd got bored.

Eventually, the flow of corpse creatures slowed and petered out, especially once the newcomer started throwing around lighting and pulled an SMG out of...somewhere that never seemed to run out of ammo and shredded the monsters, and Miss Militia was able to relax a little and approach the newcomer.

"Thanks for the assist," she said.

"Not a problem," he said, "Ah, at risk of sounding like an idiot, these things aren't common around here, right?"

Miss Militia scowled.

"No, the Simurgh brought them through some kind of portal," she said.

"Shes right Guardian," said a voice as a small ball of light appeared next to the man, "I'm detecting some kind of portal connected to a Hive nesting ground. Somehow, its bringing Thralls through, while not permitting any other Morphs."

"So nothing bigger than cannon fodder?" asked Guardian, "Thats a relief. Still, I don't like the idea of leaving something like that open for longer than necessary."

"The portal requires large amounts of energy to remain open," said the ball of light, "If we disrupt the energy, it should close."

"So, break the generator?"

"Or chase of the oversized statue."

Guardian grinned.

"Alright then, since I'm all charged up, lets see how she handles my Stormtrance."

He let out a yell and Miss Militia stumbled back as a bolt of lightning hit him from nowhere, lighting him up like a christmas tree and lifting him a few feet of the ground. The lighting surged around him, gathering in his hands, before he cupped them and released a massive beam of lightning that hit the Simurgh full in the face and plowed straight through her crystalline flesh with impressive ease normally only seen in some of Eidolons more esoteric powers.

The Simurgh recoiled from the attack, arcs of electricity jumping off her body as the excess power surged through her and grounded in the creation that created the portal to the Hive nesting ground, causing it to overload and explode, taking the portal and the Endbringers doomsday device with it. That proved to be to much for the Endbringer and she took of straight up fast enough to leave behind a sonic boom that shattered what windows remained intact in the city and burst the eardrums of most of the defending Capes.

"Think that did it?" asked Guardian.

"More than likely," said the light, "In fact, it might have been overkill."

"Eh, theres no such thing."

The ball of light muttered something about reckless Guardians and disappeared as Guardian turned to Miss Militia.

"So, any chance you could introduce me to your leaders?" he asked.

 **Welp...that didn't go as planned. Somehow, Corvius ended up being a tad more...Hunter than I was expecting. Hes still very much a Warlock though.**

 **Obviously, being unlimited by gameplay limitations, Corvius can use as many Exotics as he wants and can be much more liberal with shaping his Light. He'll still mostly use the standard forms like grenades and increasing his punches with an element, but expect some other uses of it.**

 **Speaking of which, due the Traveler being an Entity, it technically makes him a Parahuman. Technically. He has a connection with a Shard, but his is through his Ghost, which is basically a very very small and weak version of Zions avatar. His powers are also far less limited due to the fact the Guardians are meant to, well guard, not act as test subjects, which means that they technically have access to all of the power within the Shard their linked to.**

 **In reality though, Guardians are limited to how much their bodies can withstand when channeling the limitless power of the Light. Theres also the issue that the Traveler lacks the huge amount of data Zion and Eden have due to it not using the races it hitched onto as lab rats, so lacks the ability to fuck with reality to quite the same degree. This essentially means that Corvius has more raw power than any Cape short of Eidolon (mostly because of the sheer amount of bullshit hes capable of), but lacks the subtleties of Worm powers.**

 **If your wondering, his gear is the Eye of Another World, Claws of Ahamkara, Starfire Protocol and Transversive Steps, simply because they look cool. Its not like the stats and abilities actually matter after all. The weapons used were Ace of Spades, Sunshot, Hard Light and the Huckleberry, which has become my favourite weapon in the game since it lets me mow down hordes of Thralls without having to reload.**

 **I probably need to say some more stuff to make things make sense, but its currently rather late and I highly doubt I'll do much more of this. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	143. Knight of Summer Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Knight of Summer

When I was reborn as a character from a series I hardly knew anything about, I thought I was doomed. Then I met a Devil dressed as a Magical Girl shortly after my Mother died. Welp...this is going to be...interesting?

 **Fair warning, I haven't actually read any of the Magnus Chase books, so I'm actually ignoring 99.99% of them. The ONLY things surviving the change are Magnus' name, his relation to Annabeth and the fact he'll eventually wield Sumarbrander...which is now a Demon Sword on par with Caliburn and isn't sentent. Hell, I'm even ageing him up slightly. I might take a few of the Gods as seen in MC where they don't exist in DXD...which is all of them minus Loki and Odin now that I think about it. So yeah, warning given, lets get started. Enjoy!**

I Meet a Girl in Cosplay

You know, I'd spent a lot of time in my last life writing stories about people getting reincarnated into other worlds, but I never once imagined that I'd be one of them. Hell, most of them even start like this, likely accompanied by a comment about being completely fucked. Unfortunately, they all have the benefit of actually having some idea of what was coming. I...didn't.

True, the world I'd been reborn into was one that I was somewhat familiar with, that being the PJO world, but I had only ever read the Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles books, not the Magnus Chase ones, which is why when I realized I'd been reborn as Magnus himself, I ended up nearly spewing enough verbal filth to make an entire docks worth of sailors blush. Considering I was six at the time, that might have raised some eyebrows.

* * *

Anyway, other than that, I quickly adapted to the knowledge that, unlike most of my creations in my last life, I wouldn't be forewarned about upcoming shit hitting the fan and instead decided to make the most of what time I had. From what I knew, I had about eight years before I had to worry about anything nasty trying to kill me, so I managed to convince my Mother to enroll me in some self defence classes and a fencing club, which I quickly proved to be rather good at. Not sure if that was due to being a Demigod or just a bit of natural talent, but I certainly wasn't going to complain.

Then it happened. What is it you ask? Well, it is the fact that when I was 14, I managed to convince my Mother to let me go to a convention that was going on in town (yep, still just as much of a geek as I used to be) and met someone...interesting.

* * *

At first glance, and indeed, even to me, she didn't look any different from any other overly excited young cosplayer having fun and enjoying the attention that having an amazing costume bought. The fact she was also extremely attractive and didn't seem to be wearing a bra probably helped that. What? I'd started puberty and even before that, I could still appreciate 'ahem' beauty.

Her cosplay was so good, I actually managed to overcome the crippling shyness that (annoyingly) had come over from my last life to get a photo with her, which she happily agreed to. Very happily.

"Thanks for that," I said.

"No problem kiddo," she said, waving off my thanks with her staff, "Your costumes pretty cool to."

I blushed and looked down. It...wasn't really that impressive, but I'd managed to put together a passable costume based on the main character from a Manga that didn't exist in my old world called Run For Helheim, which was based on Norse Mythology with a son of Fray as the main character. I found it more than a little amusing, although I think Mum was less enthused if the look on her face when I told her where the costume was from was anything to go by.

"Thanks," I said as I glanced at the clock on the wall, "Oh crap, I gotta go. Thanks again for the picture!"

The girl just smiled and waved as I started heading in the direction of the event halls doors. The convention was only a block away from my apartment, which was the main reason Mom let me go alone, but she'd still told me to be back before three and I wasn't about to be late and risk not being allowed to do something like this again.

* * *

It didn't take me long to jog home and the fact I was in excellent shape meant that I wasn't even remotely out of breath, even after running up to my apartment on the fifth floor.

"I'm home!" I called as I opened the front door.

No answer. I frowned as I took off my shoes and coat and walked down the hall into the living room.

"Mom? You here?" I called.

Splash.

I cursed as I stepped in something wet and stopped, leaning against the wall to shake out my now damp foot.

"Did you spill something?" I called as I took off my sock and held it up for a closer look…

Only to freeze when I saw the crimson liquid that was staining it. I swallowed and looked down. Sure enough, the formally cream carpet was stained red by the liquid seeping under the closed door and, now that I was paying full attention, I could pick up a definite tang of iron on the air. I swallowed and slowly reached for the door, not really wanting to know what was on the other side, but unable to do anything but push on.

The door opened, revealing a bloodbath on the other side. The living room was completely destroyed and soaked in blood, the source of which was laying in the middle of the room with two massive wolves stood over her.

"MOM!"

The wolves immediately turned and fixed me with two sets of burning eyes. I gulped as the massive mutts turned away from my Mothers mangled corpse and started stalking towards me. I tried to move, to run, but my feet were glued to the floor from fear. I knew this was coming of course, it was one of the few things about Magnus Chase that actually remembered, but I utterly underestimate my ability to handle it. The wolves themselves were bad enough, but seeing my Mothers torn apart body like that…

A moment later, my panic was cut through by pure instinct as one of the wolves lunged. I reacted without thinking, ducking around the colossal canine...and right into the other one as it swiped at me with its paw. I let out a strangled wheeze as the wind was blasted out of me and the beasts claws shredded my top and stomach, sending me flying across the room. I hit the ground and rolled to a stop, groaning in pain as I curled up around the bleeding gashes in my stomach. They were deep, not enough to be fatal anytime soon, but enough that I wouldn't be going anywhere and I certainly wouldn't be fighting, even if I had something to fight with.

I couldn't help the strangled laugh that escaped my throat. I'd prepared for this, hoping to be able to avert it, only to find that the attack had happened while I was away and that I'd vastly underestimated just how dangerous Fenris' mutts would be. Now I was about to get turned into doggy chow and there was nothing I could do about it.

I shifted as I heard the wolves slowly padding towards me and opened my eyes, only to find myself staring down at my Mothers lifeless face. I froze in shock as the look of fear and pain etched onto her face burnt itself into my mind. It looked so alien on her normally bright and smiling face that for a moment I completely forgot about the fact that I was about to go the same way.

Then, the sound of heavy paws approaching reminded me, but instead of fear, the emotion I felt now was rage. Rage at the sheer pointlessness of the death, at Loki and Fenrir for being responsible, at myself for being so weak and powerless to help, at the world in general for being so fucked up as to allow something like this to happen. In that moment, I would have happily set of Ragnarok, just to see the world burn, but since that wasn't possible, I took my rage, shoved it deep into me to power whatever powers I had access to and flung it at the wolves with a scream.

I wasn't expecting the floor to glow for a brief moment before disappearing under a forest of glowing blades, skewering both wolves in multiple places and causing both of them to explode into clouds of dust. A moment later, the blades shattered and vanished, leaving me gaping in shock, my rage banished by sheer confusing.

"What the fuck?" I muttered, "What was...urg."

I tried to get up, but the cuts in my stomach decided to remind me that they were there and I collapsed again, landing face-first in the pool of blood surrounding my Mothers corpse. Apparently, the cuts were worse than I thought, or the act of summoning those blades had taken more out of me than I thought, because I suddenly couldn't move. I struggled to get up so I could call an ambulance, but my limbs were unresponsive. My last thought before I lost consciousness was 'I don't want to die…'

* * *

My eyes snapped open. It took a moment for me to figure out what was wrong with that, before I remembered what had happened in my apartment. I closed my eyes again and sighed.

"Welp, guess I become an Einherjar early," I muttered, "Joy of joys."

I sighed again, before opening my eyes and sitting up. The moment I did, I realized that something was...off. Again, while I hadn't read the Magnus Chase books, I'm pretty damn sure that he didn't wake up after dying in an opulent bedroom covered in Magical Girl paraphernalia, including a massive poster of two girls in matching outfits, one pink and the other blue, hugging and smiling at the camera. I blinked and took a second look. It wasn't a poster, it was a photograph and I'm pretty sure that the girl in blue looked like she'd rather be anywhere else judging from how brittle her smile was. Not only that, but both girls looked somewhat familiar…

"Hmmm, come back plushy…" mumbled a voice from beside me as an arm came from nowhere to drag me back down.

I barely had time to react, before my face was pressed into a pair of very large, very soft and very naked breasts. Now, at any other time, that would be the highlight of my year, but considering that I had no idea where I was, who I was with or how the fuck I'd got there, I reacted rather differently.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I screamed, yanking myself out of the womans grip and leaping across the room.

In one jump. How the fuck did I do that? More to the point, where did this sword in my hand come from? I blinked, before I realized that, yes, I apparently had pulled a sword out of thin air. The realization made me drop the weapon, which immediately shattered into a million pieces and vanished. The fuck? Since when could a child of Frey do something like that?!

"Huh? Wha's goinnon?"

I looked up at the sound of the voice and my jaw dropped as the girl I'd been sharing the bed with sat up and stretched. I will freely admit that my attention was rather...distracted by the movement, although it did make me realize that I was naked as well. What the fuck had happened last night?!

The woman finished her yawn and looked around bleerally, scratching her head as she did, before her gaze fell on me and she smiled.

"Oh good, your awake!" she chirped, perking up in an instant, "Thats good. I was starting to worry that I hadn't got to you in time!"

She hopped out of bed and I immediately blushed brightly as it revealed that she was completely naked. I quickly turned away to hide my erection and nosebleed, but that didn't change the fact that her body had been burnt into my memory forever.

"Fufufu, my my, aren't you quite the gentleman?" said the woman, "I don't mind if you look you know."

I gulped and desperately forced down the urge to turn around.

"I-I'd rather not thanks," I said, inwardly cursing my chivalrous nature.

"Eh, suit yourself," said the woman.

There was a brief flash of light.

"You can look now," she said.

Without thinking, I turned around to see that she was now wearing a very familiar pink shirt and skirt combo and her hair was in pigtails.

"Wha...hey, its you!" I said, "From the Convention!"

The woman grinned and spun her staff around her fingers.

"Yep, thats me," she said.

I started at her for a moment, trying desperately to figure out how in the fuck I'd gone from passing out and likely dying in a pool of my own blood to waking up in the bed of a hot young woman I'd talked to for about five minutes about Anime.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The girl stopped spinning her staff and smiled. I gulped. It wasn't a smile I expected to come out of her. Then, I went rigid, my eyes going wide as a pair of bat-like wings shot out of her back.

"My name is Serafall Leviathan, one of the Four Great Satans of the Underworld," she said, "And you, Magnus Chase, holder of the Blade Blacksmith and Son of Frey, are now my adorable little Servant."

Welp...this is rather different than I was expecting!

 **And done. This is a lot shorter than my more recent works, but this is a good place to stop and I kinda want to get something out before christmas and since the latest chapter of Devils Advocate is fighting me tooth and nail, I figured I might as well give this a try.**

 **Remember, you can basically bin anything from Magnus Chase since, well, its not like Surt will be able to off him that easily after two years of being Serafalls Knight.**

 **On the other hand, PJO and KC are mostly untouched since hardly any of the Gods from them actually appear in DXD and I plan to switch Hades' role in DXD to another personification of Death.**

 **Oh, and one more change, Magnus is actually older than Annabeth in this story because, again, bin everything you know about the story.**

 **Anyway, I need to go since I've gotta get up tomorrow and need some sleep. Until next time, I hope you all have a wonderful christmas and, if I don't get something else up before then, a Happy New Year! Oh, and leave me some reviews while your at it.**


	144. Little Birds of Brockton Bay Chapter 1

Little Birds of Brockton Bay

I don't drink, so when I woke up in an alleyway with a pounding head and no idea where I was, I was understandably very confused. Then, a teenage superhero landed on my head while trying to escape from an oversized rage dragon and I figured out I'd been ROBed. I wasn't expecting to start a flock of little birds though...

 **...I'm bored and feel like doing a Sekirei story. Theres really no other reason I'm doing this. Its technically not a full on crossover since I'll be replacing some Sekirei, their based in the US, the Sekirei plan isn't a thing and Minaka probably got squished by Leviathan or is locked up in the loony bin. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

 _"Theres something wrong with this picture,_ " I thought as I stared up at the starry sky above me.

I was still half asleep, so it took me a moment to register just was was off.

"Wait, what happened to my ceiling?" I muttered.

Then, I sat bolt upright, looking around wildly as what I'd just said sank in. I wasn't in my bedroom, instead I was in a rather grimy alleyway, sitting on a pile of stinking binbags.

"Um...O...K?" I said slowly, "Where am I and how the fuck did I get here?"

I lifted my hand to scratch my beard, only to find my fingers touching bare skin. I blinked and quickly rubbed my cheeks, only to find a small amount of patchy fuzz.

"What the hell?" I muttered, more than a little put out.

I liked my beard damn it! I looked down and my frown deepened as I realized that I seemed to be a little smaller than I remembered. I was never a big guy, but now I looked even thinner and smaller than I had been the day before. Whats more, my clothes (which I thankfully had on since I normally slept in my undies) were a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt I recognized as being from my wardrobe. From about seven years ago. Even if I hadn't grown that much, it still should have been been a little tight.

"What the actual fuck is going on?" I muttered as I scrambled out of the pile of rubbish and made my way to the edge of the alley.

As I did, I walked past a patch of graffiti. Now, that normally wouldn't be enough to make me stop, but for some reason, the defacement made me pause and take a second look. It was a green and red chinese style dragon coiled up and spitting a fireball that formed the letters ABB. I stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out why that was so important. Then, it clicked and I went white.

"Oh fuck!"

I ran for the entrance of the alley and looked out. Across the street from me, the warehouse that had been stood there had collapsed, giving me an excellent view of the city across the massive bay, the large tanker sunk in the entrance and the floating, glowing rig in the very middle of the water. I took a moment to gape, before I pulled my head back and slumped against the wall.

"Shiiiiiit," I breathed, "Thats not good."

So, to take stock, I'm apparently in Worm, may have been de-aged and am likely in the most dangerous part of the city at night. This...won't end well. Fucking ROBs.

I stayed where I was for a moment, before pushing off the wall and starting down the alley away from the bay. I couldn't stay here all night, not unless I wanted to get stumbled on by a Merchant. I'd rather not be another statistic thanks.

I made my way through the maze of dark streets, thinking hard while doing my best to keep an eye out for trouble. I...had no idea what to do now. As far as I could tell, I didn't have any powers, my pockets were empty, not that any money from my pockets would be any use in America anyway, and my knowledge of Worm was spotty at best. I mean, I knew the basics and had a rough idea of the events at the start and the endgame, but it was nowhere near enough to pass as a Precog. If I tried, I'd be fingered as a fake and tossed out on my ear in moments. Or thrown in the loony bin.

The only other thing I could think to try was to get the Cauldrons attention, but that was a...HORRIBLE idea. I couldn't pay for a Vial and I can't help but think that they'd be more likely to put a bullet in me than deal with me. Plus, I did NOT like the idea of being in dept with that bunch of psychos…

BOOM!

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden explosion and looked up, just in time to see a huge pillar of fire erupt from the warehouse across the street and a dark shape falling towards me…

CRASH!

"Owww, that hurt," I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my head.

Then I opened my eyes and found myself face to face with a shocked looking Taylor Hebert. How do I know she looked shocked when she wears a full face mask? Because her mask and costume had been burnt and torn rather badly, to the point where only one eye was covered and most of her face was clearly visible.

Then a sound from above made me look up again, before I was forced to jump up with Taylor in my arms as a very pissed off Lung landed where we had been sitting with a loud crash.

"AH ILL OOO!" roared the rage Dragon.

"MEEP!" I yelped and scarpered.

The part of my mind not busy panicking noted that I shouldn't be able to run as fast as I was unencumbered, let alone with a girl in my arms. Taylor was a lightweight, but so was I. I might be skinny, but I was also an inactive geek with very little in the way of muscle. Guess whatever dropped me here gave me a boost, so that was nice. Not enough to fight, but more than enough to flee like a coward.

Then again, I was running away from a very angry Rage Dragon, so I'm not sure if thats cowardice or just being smart.

What was less smart was the fact I was still carrying Taylor. Not that I thought that I should have left her to die or something, but unlike me, she did actually have powers and had taken Lung down in Canon, so she should have been fine. Then again, she didn't get smacked off the roof or her costume destroyed in canon, so maybe not.

I glanced down at the girl in my arms...and nearly tripped as I saw the expression on her face. Considering we were being chased by one of the scariest Capes in the Bay and she was basically unmasked to a complete stranger, I had expected fear or worry at the very least. Instead, she looked...well, aroused. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes hooded, she was breathing rather heavily and practically radiating heat. The fuck?

A moment later, Taylors eyes widened and she started squirming.

"Whoa, hold still!" I hissed, "Unless you want to...GHU!"

I stumbled as Taylor elbowed me in the gut, making me loosen my grip enough that she could squirm loose and start backing away.

"Y-you...what are you doing to me?" she demanded, although her voice was rather breathy and she seemed to be having trouble standing.

"I'm not doing anything," I wheezed, "Other than saving your ass from Lung that is."

Taylor shook her head as she wavered on her feet.

"Y-you must be doing s-something," she said, "My body feels...so hot...I…"

Without thinking, I jumped forwards as her legs collapsed, catching her in my arms.

"Whoa, are you alright?" I asked, "Are you sick?"

I didn't think she was since, as I previously mentioned, she seemed more aroused than ill. Plus, this reaction was pinging something in my memory, like I knew what was causing it. Why that I was I don't know though.

Taylor squirmed weakly for a moment, before she looked up, met my eyes and relaxed.

"I...don't wanna be Mastered…" she slurred as her eyes clouded over.

Then, before I could react, she lent up and kissed me.

What happened next wasn't even close to being at the top of what I expected to happen after getting beamed into the Worm-verse. The moment Taylors lips touched mine, I felt something warm surge through me and into her, before the alley was lit up by a brilliant rainbow coloured light. Taylor broke the kiss as her back arched and, with a moan that I did NOT expected to come out of her mouth, a pair of massive, butterfly-like wings erupted from her back with a very familiar crest between them. A crest that consisted of a wagtail, four magatama and a yin-yang symbol.

Ahhh, wut?

Unfortunately, the revelation that Taylor was somehow a Sekirei (seriously WHAT?!) would have to wait because the light from the Winging had attracted Lungs attention. The Dragon came crashing around the corner, spotted us, and erupted into even more powerful flames as he started sprinting towards us on all fours.

"BURN!" he roared.

Before I could react, Taylor moved.

" **By the Swarm of my Contract, my Ashikabi's fears will be devoured,"** she said and pointed at Lung, **"Beelzebub."**

Instantly, the darkness around us became alive as a humungus swarm of bugs appeared from nowhere and descended on Lung like a biblical plague. He roared in fury and released a blast of fire that did dick all to the swarm. However, it did allow me to get a glimpse of the insects and I realized that they definitely weren't natural ones. Not when they were scarabs the size of my hand. It didn't take long for Lungs roars of rage to become ones of pain and panic as boiling blood began to flow and the massive bugs began to burrow under his scales. He flailed, swinging his arms in an attempt to get the insects off him, but it did nothing but make him lose his balance and fall into the swarm. Within seconds, he was covered and his screams were cut off as the bugs started crawling down his throat.

I swallowed. This was...this wasn't right. Lung was scum, but he didn't deserve to be eaten alive like something out of the Mummy.

"Hey, thats enough," I said, putting a hand on Taylors shoulder.

No response. I looked at her and saw that her eyes were strangely glazed. That can't be good. I grabbed both shoulders and shook her.

"Hey, can you hear me?" I said, "Thats enough! If you keep going, you'll kill him! TAYLOR!"

At the sound of her name, Taylor snapped out of whatever trance she was in. She blinked as her eyes cleared. She blinked a couple of times, before her gaze focused on my face and she went red.

"EEP!"

She shoved me in the chest and I went flying back into the wall behind me. Right, Sekirei all have superhuman strength. Still, on the up side, now that she wasn't under whatever trance her Winging had put her in, the swarm had vanished, leaving Lung whimpering in a pool of his own blood and looking very worse for wear.

"Y-y-you…" stuttered Taylor, still bright red and pointing at me, "W-what did you do to me?! A-are you a M-master? H-how do you k-know my n-name?! O-oh g-god, t-that was m-my…"

She let out a high pitched whine and sank to the ground, steam billowing from her head she was blushing so hard. Literally. Did this world work on Anime logic or something?

I hesitated a little, not entirely sure what to say. What could I say? It was rather obvious that she had no idea what was going on and, to be fair, neither did I. Was she actually a Sekirei or did I have some extremely weird Master/Trump power that allowed me to turn anyone I kissed into a Sekirei? Not impossible, but a tad unlikely. That said, how the hell was I supposed to convince Taylor of that? I mean, from her point of view it made sense. I appear out of nowhere and save her neck and the next thing she knows shes burning up and full of a desire to kiss me? It certainly sounds like some Heartbreaker shit. God I wish there was someone around who could help with this…

"Well, I wasn't expecting to find this on patrol tonight."

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of the voice and spun around to see a figure clad in black stood over Lung, poking him with a toe.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The person looked up, revealing a slightly unkempt looking Japanese man with brown hair in jeans, a white vest and a jacket with fur around the collar.

"Hnn, I'm just a curious bystander," said the man, "I have to say, I'm impressed. Not many Sekirei are strong enough to go toe to toe with someone like Lung so soon after being Winged."

I blinked, suppressing the urge to gape instead. Welp, there goes the idea that I was some kind of Trump.

"Sekirei?" I asked, "Whats…"

"Hey Seo, you know we're being watched, right?" shouted someone from the roof.

I jumped and looked up to see two identical girls with black hair in what looked like S&M outfits were stood, apparently keeping watch.

"Aww, don't worry about it," said Seo, "Their not close enough to hear us. Besides, someone needs to fill these two in."

Huh...I thought he looked familiar. Oh god, I really hope I wasn't about to find out I was part of the Sekirei Plan or something. That...would not end well.

Seo left Lung alone and approached, his gaze slipping from me to Taylor. At the sight of her, Seo paused, his eyes widening slightly.

"Wait...Taylor, is that you?" he asked.

Taylor looked up, her visible eye widening slightly.

"M-mr Kaoru? W-what are you doing here?" she stuttered.

Seo's expression shifted into a thoughtful one.

"Well...this makes things...awkward," he said, "Does your Dad know your out here?"

Taylor swallowed and shook her head. Her eyes darted to me, before she went red again and hid her face.

"I see," said Seo, "Well, I won't tell Danny you picked a fight with Lung, although he will find out you've been sneaking out."

He sighed.

"Anyway, I need you two to come with me," he said.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Can I ask why?" I asked.

Despite his looks, attitude and the presence of the Lightning Twins, I wasn't willing to risk going with someone who, for all I knew, could work for Coil or something. Seo smiled slightly.

"Because I'm terrible at explaining things and you two need someone to fill you in on your...relationship," he said, "Plus, judging from Taylor's costume, she'll need some new clothes."

I hesitated for a moment, before sighing. Its not like I could do much else, was it? I had nowhere to go. I turned to Taylor, who was looking between the two of us with an unreadable expression.

"Well, I could do with some answers," I said, "What do you say?"

I offered my hand to the apparent Sekirei. Taylor eyed it for a moment, before she hesitantly took it and let me pull her to her feet. She quickly took a couple of steps away, but kept stealing glances at me as we followed Seo and his Sekirei through the docks and her cheeks remained pink the entire time.

* * *

It didn't take long to arrive at our apparent destination, located in the north of the Docks close to the Boardwalk and stood out due to being a Japanese style two floored house. There was a sign on the fence outside which, as you can probably imagine, proclaimed it to be the Izumo Inn. It took all I had not to facepalm.

Seo led the way up to the door and knocked.

"Um, shouldn't we come back tomorrow?" asked Taylor.

"Nah, Miya won't mind," said Seo.

At that moment, the door opened to reveal the woman in question in a sleeping Yukata and a murderous look as she brandished a ladal.

"Do you have any idea what time it is Seo?!" she snarled, although thankfully the Demon Mask didn't make an appearance, "This had better be good!"

Seo grinned as if he wasn't being menaced by a giant spoon.

"You could say that," he said, "A new birds gained her wings."

Miya blinked, before her eyes shifted from Seo to me and Taylor, who had shifted closer to me apparently without noticing. She glanced between us, before sighing and lowering her makeshift weapon. Not that I didn't think for a moment she couldn't beat every Cape in the city with it if it came to that.

"Alright, come in," she said, stepping aside and letting us enter the building.

* * *

Ten minutes later, we were sat around the table in the dining room with hot cups of tea in front of us and Miya (who had introduced herself as Miya Asama), now dressed in her traditional outfit from the Anime, across from us. She'd also taken one look at Taylors tattered costume, tutted and dragged the girl with her to change, leading to the blushing bug user being sat beside me and looking adorable in a butterfly patterned Yukata. Why? No idea, but I'm not arguing with the scariest woman in the city.

"First things first," said Miya after taking a sip of tea, "My name is Miya Asama, the landlady of this Inn, among...other things."

"Taylor Hebert," muttered Taylor.

"Lucas Smith," I said.

"Excellent," said Miya, "Now, onto the explanations. I assume that you know that your adopted Taylor?"

Taylor looked up in surprise, but nodded.

"I...yes, but how did you know that?" she asked.

"Because your a Sekirei," said Miya, "Let me tell you a story…"

Taylor and I listened, more than a little wide eyed, as Miya filled us both in on the past of the Sekirei here on Earth Bet. Apparently, Minaka never found the Ship, but instead Leviathans attack on Kyushu had resulted in the ship waking Miya up instead. Due to the damage done to Japan, she had decided to move the Iwafune ship containing her Flock to America before releasing the Sekirei inside. While the first Nine were born with their powers intact to act as protectors to the rest, the other 99 were modified by Miya so that they were born as Human with their powers sealed until they found their Ashikabi. Then, they were each left at orphanages around the US and Canada where, being naturally adorable children, they were almost universally snapped up for adoption. After that, the Single Digits mostly went their separate ways to find their own Ashikabi and to keep an eye out for the other Baby Birds for when they spread their wings.

* * *

Once she was done, Taylor and I sat in silence for a moment, before a question came to me.

"Wait, but if her powers were sealed, how come Taylor was out as a Cape tonight?" I asked.

"The seal was designed in such a way so it would loosen slightly in the event of a potentially life threatening situation," said Miya, "As a result, its possible for a sealed Sekirei to access a small portion of their full potential in a dire situation."

"So basically, while Sekirei can't Trigger like a Human can, they can go through something similar," said Seo, "Other than Taylor, there are two other unWinged Sekirei in the city who have access to their powers."

"Considering the state of the world, that seems smart," I said.

"Indeed," said Miya, before she glanced at the clock, "I think that will do for now. You know the basics and its late."

Taylor followed her gaze and paled.

"O-oh god, is that the time?" she gasped, "I should go…"

"Nowhere young lady," said Miya, "Powers or not, it is far too late to go gallivanting around the city. Don't worry, I'll let your Father know your here."

"Wait, you know my Dad?" asked Taylor, looking rather surprised.

"Lets just say that your Mother and I used to work together," said Miya with a slightly sad smile, "Besides, you two really need to have a talk."

Taylor shot a glance at me, blushed again and looking away again. That was going to get old quickly. Miya got to her feet and indicated for us to follow her. She led the way upstairs and stopped in front of a room.

"Unfortunately, this is the only room I currently have available," she said, "However, I suspect that you'll want to talk before you turn in. However…"

She turned and smiled at us, making the two of us recoil as a purple aura appeared around her.

"I will not accept any hanky panky under my roof," she said sweetly, "Am I understood?"

The Oni Mask appeared behind her and I swear I heard something chanting in backwards latin.

"G-got it!" I yelped, to scared out of my wits to be embarrassed at the implication.

The aura and mask vanished as Miya's smile became slightly less demonic and more motherly housewife without changing in the slightest.

"Good, in that case, sleep well," she said and headed off downstairs.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Holy fuck, that was scary," I said.

"I guess…" muttered Taylor, although she was as pale as me.

She shot a look at me, blushed again and looked away. I sighed and opened the door, noting that it was a rather nicely furnished room, set up for two people to live comfortably. I glanced around the room, before taking Taylors hand (ignoring her increased blush and yelp of surprise) and dragging her into the room. I shoved her down onto the window seat and grabbed one of the desk chairs before sitting down in front of her.

"Right, we need to talk," I said as Taylor played with the belt of her robe and refused to meet my eyes.

"About what?" she muttered.

I let out a low growl. This was going to be a MASSIVE pain in the rear.

"About the whole Ashikabi and Sekirei thing," I said.

"What about it?" asked Taylor.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"Damn it Taylor, now is not the time for being obtuse!" I said, "You heard what Miya said downstairs! Whether we like it or not, the two of us are bound together."

Taylor scowled.  
"I know what she said, but its a little hard to believe," she snapped, "I mean, an Alien? Really? For all I know, you could be some creepy Master like Heartbreaker!"

"If that was the case, why would I bother with this?" I asked, "I mean, if I was Heartbreaker 2.0, you'd already be so drugged up on my power, you wouldn't be questioning anything! And why such an unbelievable story? If I, or anyone else for that matter, wanted to convince you of something, a believable story is much more likely to work."

"Yeah, but that could be exactly why the story is so unbelievable," said Taylor.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. I was right, this is a pain.

"What about Seo?" I asked, "I gather that you know him?"

Taylor huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, he works with my Dad," she said, "What about him?"

I mentally filed that tidbit away. It'd be interesting to find out just what type of group the DWA is in this world at some point, but for now I'd leave it be.

"He seems to be aware of all this and I'm pretty sure that those twins of his are Sekirei as well," I said, "Can you think of any reason why he'd let anything bad happen to you if he really is friends with your Dad?"

"You could have Mastered him to," muttered Taylor, although I could tell her heart wasn't really in it.

I sighed.

"Do you actually believe that?" I asked.

Taylor was silent for a moment, staring down at her hands, before she took a deep breath and met my eyes.

"No, I don't," she said, "I don't know how, but I feel like I know you."

She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow.

"Its weird, I don't know your name, but I trust you completely. I...I think I can even feel your emotions. Worry...exasperation...fear?"

She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Why are you scared?" she asked.

I shifted slightly as I felt the extremely strange sensation of Taylors emotions seeping across the bond, made all the more odd by the fact that she herself was confused about the emotions she was feeling. Sekirei are creatures of emotion, especially when it comes to their Ashikabi, and its very clear that it takes hardly any time at all for them to become attached, or even fall in love, with said Ashikabi, especially if they react and bond willingly with them. Taylor was apparently no different and, considering that Heartbreaker was a thing, its obvious why it was playing merry hell with her emotions.

Said emotions were a mix of attraction, worry about the aforementioned fear I was feeling left over from finding myself in Worm, and her own fear over possibly being Mastered and the sense she now had of my emotions. Fuck me, this is confusing.

I groaned and lent forwards, resting my head in my hands. How in the actual hell was I supposed to approach this? This wasn't a Taylor who fell for me after I save her neck, or simply became friends with me because of the aforementioned neck saving, she was irreversibly bound to me. Considering I still hadn't got my head around the fact I was in some weird combination of Worm and Sekirei, I wasn't exactly in the best place myself. Could I really get away with telling Taylor that just hours ago I was in a world where she was a fictional character?

On one hand, I don't think telling her that she 'should' have ended up becoming a Villain and was basically single handedly responsible for saving the world was a good idea, on the other, even if I had not appeared, its doubtful that she would have done that in this world. Even if she hadn't met me, she would have found another person to be her Ashikabi at some point.

A pair of warm hands taking mine made me look up in surprise. Taylor had slipped off her seat and was now kneeling in front of me, looking up at my face with worry clear in her eyes.

"Please Lucas, talk to me," she said, "I...I don't know if I really believe all this Sekirei stuff, but seeing you like this hurts. You said it yourself, we need to talk to each other, so talk."

I stared into the girls eyes for a moment, before I sighed. Fuck it, I needed to talk to someone about this anyway, might as well be my Sekirei.

"Alright, but you might find it hard to believe," I said.

 **CLIFFHANGER HOOOOO! Eh, I got another chapter of this to come, so whatever.**

 **I...probably didn't really need to do an insert for this, but whatever. I like the idea. Incidentally, Lucas has Triggered, he just hasn't noticed it and won't until he meets Armsy or Kid Win. Why? Well, thats because his power is a Trump type of a very specific style. Take a guess as to what it is and what that means for a certain agoraphobic Hero.**

 **Lucas might seem to be a jumping the gun a bit when it comes to telling Taylor about being transplanted from another world, but as he mentioned, the very nature of the changes makes it VERY unlikely that the events of Canon Worm would actually go down and if anyone would believe him, its the person with a direct connection with his emotions.**

 **Speaking of which, I have two other characters who I've turned into Sekirei who will end up Winging themselves to Lucas. You might be able to guess one, but the other is a tad unlikely. I also plan to Wing a Single Digit to him, but I'm not sure who to use. Other than Matsu and Mutsu (cus hes a dick and I have plans for him) I'm open to suggestions on that front.**

 **Before we go, a quick Omake based on an idea I had that I won't use but was to funny not to type out.**

* * *

 **OMAKE: Mouse Eared Crow**

There were several things I was expecting when Miya informed me that Number 4 was coming by for dinner. The first thought was that we'd be lucky if the city was still standing by the end of it, but I quickly discarded it when I realized that Miya wouldn't have invited Karasuba if the two of them were prone to fighting. The second was that this was likely going to be a scary meal considering that, rivalry with Miya or no, Karasuba would still be fucking scary as hell.

Thats why, when I was called down to dinner by Miya, I was ready to be glanced at and dismissed by the misanthropic Sekirei.

"Alright, lets do this," I muttered as I walked downstairs.

As I reached the bottom, I paused as I spotted something strange hanging from the coat hooks by the door. I blinked and took a closer look. No, that would indeed be a sword and shield, both of which bore a rather familiar looking and very copyright infringing crest on the front in the case of the shield and as the pommel of the sword.

"Something wrong Lucas?" asked Miya as she paused in the hallway with a large tray of cheese.

"Isn't that Mouse Protectors sword and shield?" I asked, pointing at the weapons.

"They are indeed," said Miya, "Now hurry up before it gets cold."

I blinked. Why the hell was Mouse Protector here? I glanced at the weapons one more time, before shrugging and following the Landlady into the dining room. Maybe having the Hammy Hero present would make Karasuba less scary?

I shook it off and decided to get some answers later as I entered the dining room...and immediately froze as I was met with a sight I would never had expected in a million years. Homura, in her female form, trying to keep Mouse Protector at bay as she tried to cop a feel. That was par for the course for Mouse considering she seemed to take great pride in her many, many trips to the PR department for sensitivity training, but what I wasn't expecting was for the Hammy Hero to be without her helmet and very obviously Karasuba, albeit without the bags under her eyes and a massive grin instead of a sardonic smirk. Maybe dinner wouldn't be so bad after all…

* * *

 **Yeahhh, not doing that. I like the idea of Karasuba slaughtering her way through S-class threats way to much to reduce her to a gag character. I might have Mouse show up later though. I also have an idea involving her somehow getting Winged to Danny, but that ideas more of a possibility than anything.**

 **Anyway, this is now done, so I'm going to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	145. Little Birds of Brockton Bay Chapter 2

Little Birds of Brockton Bay

I don't drink, so when I woke up in an alleyway with a pounding head and no idea where I was, I was understandably very confused. Then, a teenage superhero landed on my head while trying to escape from an oversized rage dragon and I figured out I'd been ROBed. I wasn't expecting to start a flock of little birds though...

 **Here we go for another entry in this idea. Nothing to say, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"I've heard a lot of unbelievable things tonight," said Taylor.

I snorted.

"True enough I suppose," I said, "Alright, lets start with this. I have no idea how I ended up in Brockton Bay. One minute I was going to bed in Britain, the next I found myself waking up in an alleyway in a city that I'm pretty sure doesn't exist back home."

Taylor frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I sighed and rubbed my head. I was extremely tired by this point and not exactly feeling well after all the stress of the night so far.

"While I will admit that I'm not the best at American Geography, I know for a fact that Brockton Bay does not exist back home," I said, "I didn't just get teleported across the Atlantic, I'm not even on the same version of Earth as I was when I went to bed."

"So what, your from Aleph?" asked Taylor.

I shook my head.

"No, that would make a certain amount of sense considering that Bet has an active connection with it," I said, "I know for a fact that Bet doesn't have a connection with my world. Not directly at least."

Taylor scowled and stood up, glaring down at me as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave me that Look all women seem to develop at some point to use on men they think are being idiots.

"Lucas, stop stalling and just tell me whats got you so worked up," she said, "I can tell your keeping something back, so spill!"

I stared up at her for a moment, before I sighed again, sat up straight and, met her eyes.

"Fine," I said, "In my world, you, Lung and Brockton Bay are all entirely fictional."

It was apparent that Taylor wasn't expecting that. Her eyes went wide and she took a step back.

"W-what?" she gasped.

"Earth Bet is the setting of a Superhero web novel written by a guy called Wildbow," I said, "Its pretty good, insanely popular and dark enough that Batman would fit right in. It serves as a deconstruction of the superhero genre...in the same way that a sledgehammer deconstructs a box of puppies. I don't think theres a single happy ending for ANYONE, despite the fact that the hero manages to save every version of Earth from being destroyed. Mainly because the effort costs her everything, from her Humanity to her life from a 9mm lobotomy from a walking Deus Ex Machina."

Taylor was a rather unhealthy shade of gray by this point as she dropped back onto the window seat.

"So your saying I don't exist?" she asked weakly.

I frowned and shook my head.

"No, not at all," I said, "I don't really have the energy to go into the physics, philosophy and theories behind it all, but the fact your a fictional character in one reality is a practical guarantee considering that there is literally an infinite number of possible realities. For every infinite number of realities where you serve as the protagonist of a story, there are an equil infinite number where your just...you."

Taylor's head snapped up.

"Wait, protagonist?" she asked.

" _Whoops,"_ I thought.

I hadnt meant to tell her that she was the main character of Worm just yet. Oh well.

"Yes, you serve as the main protagonist of the web novel," I said.

If anything, Taylor looked more surprised by that than the revelation that she was technically an alien.

"But...why me?" she asked, "I mean, I'm nothing special…"

I blinked, then burst out laughing.

"HEY, whats so funny?" demanded Taylor, "I mean, I know I'm a Sekirei, but my powers just bug control! How can that power save the world and beat something capable of destroying planets?"

"Taylor, with the power to control bugs, you almost single handedly beat Lung fought Leviathan in one on one combat, took over the City with your friends and became one of the most feared Warlords around and even helped destroy the Slaughterhouse Nine. Fuck, you _killed Alexandria!"_

Taylor paled again.

"W-why would I kill her?!" she spluttered, "Shes a hero!"

"That doesnt mean shes a good person," I said, "Shes actually quite the bitch and was threatening to hunt down and kill your friends one by one, on top of having a body bag they told you already had one in. It turned out she was lying, but you snapped and ended up suffocating her with a swarm of bugs. All around very nasty."

"Why would she do that?" asked Taylor in a very small voice.

"You were a Villain at the time," I said, "Your intention had been to infiltrate the Undersiders and turn them over to the authorities, but after becoming very close to them and the Heroes being generally shitty to you, you ended up going native. Plus, the Undersiders are good kids in a bad situation...mostly."

I shook my head.

"Anyway, all of thats irrelevant because it'll never happen."

"What, because your here?" muttered Taylor.

"No, because your a Sekirei," I said.

"Huh?"

I grinned.

"This world could never go the same way as the 'Prime' Worm world for want of a better word," I said, "See, Sekirei weren't a part of that world. They were part of a completely different one, one that was much, much lighter...mainly because it was a love story with big boobed girls fighting it out in the name of True Love. True, it had its dark moments and its fair share of tragedies, but nothing like Worm. Plus, the fact that this world is a bizarre crossover is good for both worlds since I highly doubt that the Single Digits would allow many of the events to happen as they did in Canon and the fact that Minaka never found the Ship means that the Sekirei don't have to fight it out and kill each other for his sick entertainment."

Taylor stared at me, agast.

"Thats horrible!" she said.

"That it is," I said, "But like I said, its irrelevant. There is likely a version of Earth out there where its happening, but there's nothing we can do about that. All we can do is live life as best we can. What knowledge I have about this world is likely useless, but I'll use whatever I can to improve our chances."

Taylor blinked.

"Our chances?" she asked.

"Of course," I said, "I'm your Ashikabi. I might not have any powers, but that doesn't mean I'm about to let you fight without me."

Taylors cheeks pinked slightly as she smiled softly.

"Thats not as cool as you think you know," she said, "But...thanks. Its been...way too long since anyones been there for me…"

I smiled.

"I strongly suspect that you won't be alone for much longer," I said, "If I know anything about Sekirei, you're sure to make plenty of friends…"

I trailed off with a jaw cracking yawn.

"But thats for later," I said, getting to my feet, "For now, we should get some sleep."

Taylor just yawned in agreement.

* * *

Two minutes later, I was changed into the PJ's provided by Miya and curled up under the warm covers. I still needed to do some hard thinking about...everything, but I was so tired that I simply went straight to sleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was being woken up by the sun landing on my face. I groaned and shifted, trying to get rid of the hellish light and cursing myself for forgetting to shut the curtains last night. I buried my face in the warm pillow I was holding in an attempt to get away from the light...only to freeze as the pillow let out a soft moan and hugged me back.

My eyes snapped open and I was immediately treated to the sight of a pair of modestly sized breasts that were barely hidden by the sleeping yukata my bedmate was wearing since it had apparently slipped open in the night, revealing the top portion of said breasts and a stretch of pure white shoulder, as well as a glimpse of the crimson crest between her shoulders.

I stared at the girl in my bed for a moment, before the events of the previous day came back. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"So it wasn't a dream," I muttered, "Great…"

I opened my eyes again and sat up, looking down at Taylor as she shifted slightly in her sleep. It was hard to believe that the innocent looking girl curled up beside me could ever become a god-like Monster like Khepri. Then again, she didn't, did she? Not in this reality, doubly so if I had anything to say about it.

I smiled softly as I felt a surge of protectiveness. Even knowing what Sekirei are capable of, compared with just how strong Taylor could be, I still found myself wanting to keep her safe. Good god, the Ashikabi bond works quick. Then again, Sekirei and Ashikabi are destined partners, so maybe that has something to do with it? Maybe, or maybe it was a much nicer version of the Parahuman conflict drive. Either way, I could deal with it.

I was drawn from my thoughts as Taylor shifted again under my hand, letting out a soft moan. I looked down and frowned when I saw the expression on her face and the way she was shifting. Whatever she was dreaming couldn't be pleasant. I reached out and started running my fingers through Taylors hair, making her mou quietly and lean into my touch, her tense face relaxing into something more peaceful. A moment later, it shifted again as Taylor stured and slowly opened her eyes. I tensed slightly as her eyes met mine, half expecting to end up getting shoved out of bed. Instead, Taylors eyes teared up and she hugged me tightly.

"I thought you were a dream," she mumbled into my chest.

I quickly shrugged off my surprise and hugged her back, running my hand through her hair as she cried into my chest.

"Please don't leave me," whispered Taylor.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, "Your my Sekirei, we're in this together till the end."

Taylor looked up at me with gratitude clear in her eyes, before she lent up and kissed me. I ignored the flash of light as her Wings appeared as I kissed her back, wrapping my arms around her to draw her closer as the kiss deepened…

BANG!

"I thought I told you that hanky panky was forbidden within Izumo Inn!" said Miya as we jumped apart as if burnt.

"W-we weren't doing anything!" said Taylor, her face burning crimson.

"Hmm, I'm sure," said Miya, "Well, I suppose I'll overlook it this time. Come downstairs. Breakfast is ready."

She shut the door, leaving us alone. Taylor climbed out of bed, fixing her robe with her back to me, although I could clearly see she was still blushing brightly.

"Taylor," I said, making my Sekirei glance back at me, "I meant it you know. No matter what happens, I won't ever leave you alone."

Taylor smiled.

"I know," she said.

* * *

Two minutes later, we headed downstairs to find Miya setting a table where two very familiar faces were sat, along with two unexpected ones. The expected ones were Homura and Uzume (or whatever their names were here) and the unexpected was were a slightly morose looking Matsu and a striking middle-eastern girl who was shifting slightly in her seat next to Uzume in a way that suggested she wasn't entirely comfortable. Considering that her cheeks were flushed and Uzume looked rather smug, it wasn't hard to guess why she was apparently so sore.

"Oh hey, your the new kids, right?" asked Uzume with a friendly smile, "I'm Uzume and this is Sabah."

"Hello," said the young woman with a friendly smile.

Well, thats...actually not all that surprising. The Veiled Sekirei and the Tailor Rogue make a rather scary combination.

"Nice to meet you both," I said, "I'm Lucas and this is Taylor."

"Ah, the newly Winged Sekirei and her Ashikabi, right?" asked Uzume, eyeing me up and down, "Hmm, not bad I guess. Still, your rather unimpressive…"

SMACK!

"Uzume, don't be rude," said Sabah as she reopened the textbook she'd just used to smack Uzume with.

"Heh, sorry," said the Veiled Sekirei.

"Ignore her, thats what we all do," said Homura, ignoring the squeak of protest from Uzume, "I'm Kagari and shes Theresa."

"Call me Tess," muttered the Matsu look-a-like.

"Um, are you OK?" asked Taylor, "You look...down."

She was right. Considering what she was like in the Anime (assuming she was Number 2, but I had no reason to think otherwise), the expression on her face looked wrong.

"Shes fine," said Uzume, slinging an arm over the down Sekirei's shoulders, "Shes just bummed that her Ashikabi's been out all night."

"Oh, like you wouldn't be the same if Sabah wasn't here to scratch your itch," snapped Tessm shrugging off Uzume's arm.

"No fighting at the table ladies," said Miya as she entered the room with a tray of jugs of juice and followed by a small girl with curly blonde hair and blue eyes who was carrying a jug of milk, "Thank you for the help Riley."

"No problem Mama," said the little girl as she set the jug on the table and clambered into a chair beside Kagari.

I stared at her, not entirely sure if I wanted to know if she was actually Bonesaw or not. Hell, for all I knew, she could be a Sekirei as well or, in a rather terrifying twist, Miya's actual daughter.

"Shes Miya's adopted kid," whispered Uzume in my ear, "I don't know the details, but Miya apparently saved her after a gang of Villains murdered her family."

"I...see," I said.

Well, that was a weight of my mind I suppose.

"Shes also an Ashikabi, but her Sekirei works for the Guild, so isn't here right now," she continued.

"A kid that young is an Ashikabi?" asked Taylor.

"Age doesn't mean much," said Uzume, "Shiina's more of a Big Brother than lover, but their still adorable together. Its a shame he was needed to finish mopping up Blasto's latest blunder really."

I blinked. Riley's Sekirei was Shiina? That...was a scary thought. Hopefully she didn't Trigger or the combination of Biotinker and Death Sekirei would be horrific to counter. The only one worse would be Bonesaw and 108. Or Karasuba. I shuddered at the thought.

Fortunately, the images of the chaos and slaughter that would come from Karasuba being a part of the Nine was dismissed as the sound of a car pulling up outside filtered in through the window. Tess immediately perked up and jumped to her feet, almost running out of the room as the front door opened. A moment later, there was a yelp of surprise, followed by a flash of yellow light as Tess' Wings lit up the hallway. A few moments later, the door opened and Tess rentered, now with pink cheeks and practically moulded to the side of a tall man in his late 20s with dark brown hair and a neatly kept beard that I found myself envying. Damn, I can't wait until mine grows back in…

"Welcome back Colin," said Miya, "How was work?"

Colin grunted as he took a seat and accepted the cup of coffee Uzume handed him.

"Tiring," he said, "Someone took down Lung, nearly killed him actually. I won't complain about that monster being of the street, but another loose cannon is NOT good for the Directors blood pressure or my paperwork situation."

It was at that point that I suddenly realized exactly who the man was and I nearly choked on my weetabix. Holy fucking shit, Matsu's analogue was Dragon and her Ashikabi was Armsmaster! That...actually makes a fair amount of sense. Does this mean that Armsmasters less of a dick?

It was at that point that Colin noticed us and raised an eyebrow.

"New resident?" he asked.

"Ehhh, sort of," I said, "I'm Lucas, a new Ashikabi and this is Taylor."

I indicated to my Sekirei, who grunted a greeting through her mouthful of bacon, sausage, egg and tomato sandwich. For some reason, she was really putting away the food.

"As for Lung, I think that I can help with your paperwork situation," I continued.

Colin paused and put down his cup, fixing me with an intense look.

"Oh?"

I winced. This could end badly, but it would be a good way to gauge just what kind of a Colin we were dealing with.

"I met Taylor last night while she was fighting Lung," I said, "I Winged her while trying to keep him from burning us both to a crisp, but when I did she seemed to enter a trance of some kind and did...something. She summoned a swarm of beetles that nearly ate Lung alive before I could snap her out of it."

Taylor looked up, a little startled.

"Wait, I did what?" she asked, "I don't remember that!"

"Thats not too surprising," said Miya, "Its a phenomenon that happens occasionally if the Sekirei is agitated or in danger during the Winging process. They use their Norito to strike back against the aggressor which, depending on what their power is, can be rather messy."

"Norito?" asked Taylor.

"The Norito is basically the strongest power a Sekirei can use," said Tess, "With a kiss from their Ashikabi and a prayer, we can draw out a huge amount of power. Its basically our trump card."

Colin sighed.

"Well, thats both a relief and a massive pain in the ass," he grumbled, "On one hand, we don't need to worry about another loose cannon like Shadow Stalker, on the other, I can't put anything about Sekirei in my report…"

He sighed again.

"I'll think on this later. For now, I need to get some sleep. I've been going for nearly 72 hours by this point, so I'm about to crash. Goodnight all."

"Goodnight," said everyone as he and Tess left the room.

* * *

The rest of breakfast went by without any more surprise revelations popping up and once everyone was done eating, they went their own ways. Uzume and Sabah headed out, probably to Parians shop, Kagari left for his own job while Riley left to go watch TV, leaving Taylor and I with Miya.

"So, I understand that your a little lost Lucas," said Miya quite out of the blue.

I stared at her, wide eyed.

"How the hell do you know that?" I asked.

"Lets just say that the rubber ducky tells many secrets," said Miya, indicating to said plastic bath toy on the sideboard.

"You bugged us?" asked Taylor, looking a little put out.

"It was a precaution," said Miya, "I won't turn anyone away, especially not a new Sekirei and Ashikabi, but that doesn't mean I trust them right off the bat. Besides, I had to make sure you weren't doing anything immodest."

"And yet Uzume and Sabah clearly got up to something kinky," I muttered.

"True, but they are both adults," said Miya with a smile.

"I...honestly can't think of an argument for that," I grumbled.

"Indeed," said Miya, "Now, since you are apparently a traveler from a VERY different land, I am willing to offer you a place to stay here."

"I don't have any money," I said.

"True, but you are an Ashikabi for one of my Birds," said Miya, "Besides, I'm sure we can find something for you to do to pay me back and Tess can make sure you actually have an identity."

"I...thank you Miya," I said, more than a little taken aback by the kind gesture.

"My Husband would have done the same had he still been here," said Miya softly, "He was always helping people…"

"I'm...sorry for your loss," said Taylor.

Miya smiled a little sadly.

"It was a long time ago now," she said, "I still miss him, but I prefer to honour his memory than let his loss keep me locked in place. Besides..."

Her smile faded and her eyes seemed to darken. Both Taylor and I went rigid every single one of the base instincts we had started screaming at us. This wasn't Miya's Demon Mask, this was Miya as the leader of the Discipline Squad, the one who would tear apart anything that threatened those under her protection without a second thought

"I made sure that the monster responsible for his death felt every iota of pain he brought upon me and others when I tracked him down."

Her voice was as flat and cold as the steel of her sword and, for a brief moment, I understood just how powerful Number 1 really was, even without seeing her in battle. Then, in the blink of an eye, Miya the Housewife was back and looking a little abashed.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to scare you," she said.

"I-its fine," squeaked Taylor.

Miya smiled softly and glanced at the clock.

"I believe that your Father will be here soon Taylor," she said, "I suggest that the two of you get washed and dressed. I'll bring up some clothes and toiletries for you in a moment."

We both hastily agreed and headed upstairs.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, we were washed and dressed, me in some sweats that had apparently once belonged to Miya's husband and Taylor in some of Sabah's old clothes the Rogue had apparently donated for Taylor to use, and sat in the sitting room and waiting for Danny to arrive. We hadn't been waiting long when the sound of a car pulling up came from outside. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Seo and a tall, bespectacled man who could only be Danny Hebert entered the room.

"Dad!"

Taylor jumped up and hugged a surprised looking Danny, who nonetheless hugged her back.

"Where have you been Taylor?" he asked, "Do you know how worried I was when I found your bed empty this morning? And why did I have to find out from Seo that you have powers?"

"I know Dad, I'm sorry," she said, her voice muffled by her Fathers chest, "I just...I didn't want to worry you."

Danny smiled softly as he rubbed his Daughters back.

"Silly girl, I'll always worry about you," he said, "But we can talk about you sneaking out later. For now, I think we have another important discussion to have."

He looked up and met my eyes. I gulped. He wasn't well built, but he was taller than me and had a lot of steel in his gaze for a man who spent the last few years lost in depression. Guess finding out Taylor was a Cape snapped him out of it.

"So I take it that your my Daughters Ashikabi?" he asked.

I blinked. Wait, what?

 **And this is where I'll end it. This was...refreshingly easy to write. Fun to. I might need to have a break from Devils Advocate… Anyway, on to some quips.**

 **I hope I did a good job with the talk they had. I'm, not entirely happy with it, but it does the job and gets across all the points I wanted to do.**

 **MIYA INTERRUPT! Heh, Miya's fun to write when shes in full on Big Sister mode. Not Mother. I don't fancy getting hit with a Demon Mask.**

 **So, the other residence of Mason Izumo are introduced and there are a few surprises. I think it goes without saying, but the Nine is nowhere near as much of a threat in this world. Jacks still around, cockroach that he is, but he doesn't have anywhere near as much power as is in canon and is only still alive because Karasuba likes toying with him. The others are either dead or saved.**

 **On a related note, guess who Miya's husband was in this world and who it was who she killed for being responsible for his death.**

 **I admit, I was rather tempted to have Riley be Karasuba's Ashikabi or adopted Daughter, with Miya as her Aunt, but I eventually settled on this. Shiina will be back soon enough.**

 **I'm surprised that no one picked up on the fact I planned to have Matsu take Dragons place. To be clear, Richter did exist, but he never Triggered. He is still dead by Leviathan and Tess' Father figure, but no AI means no Ascalon and no Dragonslayers. It also means that Armsmasters not quite as much of a dick, if only because he got laid.**

 **I had the joke of Miya only forbidding lewd activities between Taylor and Lucas because of their age from the start. Everyone else is free to do what they want, so long as they keep it to their rooms and use the Tess provided soundproofing devices to make sure that Riley is not corrupted.**

 **Incidentally, in addition to the already seen Sekirei/Ashikabi pares, there are an additional two who work for the Protectorate and at least two Unwinged Sekirei walking around Brockton. I wonder if you can guess who the Proctorates pairs are? Probably not.**

 **Hmm, I wonder how Danny knows about Ashikabi and Sekirei? Heheh.**

 **And with this done, I'm signing out. Until next time, don't forget to leave a review!**


	146. Trinity Soul Chapter 1

Trinity Soul

I get bored easily. Thats a simple fact and I often find myself coming up with stupid ideas to pass the time and maybe hit on something that I could write. So, when a friend came up with a Challenge that was right up my alley, I jumped at the chance and even dipped into some other areas for ideas for a silly, but fun, story. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who was bored. Now I have the unenviable task of fixing a world gone to shit. Oh well, at least its not Worm.

 **So, here we go with another idea for this challenge thats similar to the other one I've got in the Vault, only this one is more inspired by Trinity Seven than just random tropes, although that will definitely play a role. Challenge rules below.**

 **DZ2's 'Harry Who?' Challenge**

 **Plot: When Harry dies as a result of one of his adventures, the Horcrux in him ensures he comes back, but when he does, something's...different about him. He's different in terms of emotion, mindset, goals and power; to paraphrase a certain redhead: who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter?**

 **Rules: All affinities are welcome**

 **When the story starts is up to you, but it MUST be during any one of Harry's adventures (Before Hogwarts also allowed)**

 **How Harry died is up to you, but from the moment he 'wakes up' he's not Harry...not anymore**

 **If the new Harry's a figure from a crossover fandom, there MUST be others from the same fandoms who encounter him throughout the story**

 **Harry - the real Harry - CANNOT try and reclaim his body for one simple reason: he's dead**

 **The 'new Harry' MUST possess knowledge, power and thoughts/opinions on others/other situations that Harry probably wouldn't think about**

 **All pairings are welcome**

 **Guidelines: Crossovers**

 **The 'new Harry' is actually an OC**

 **Super/OP-New-Harry**

 **Dark-Lord-New-Harry**

 **This isn't the first time the 'new Harry' has been reborn/reincarnated in another form**

 **Certain magical beings know of the 'new Harry's' true identity and either oppose him or join him**

 **Harry - the real Harry - is a descendant of the 'new Harry'**

 **The new Harry sides with Tom**

 **The new Harry makes/convinces Tom to join/serve him**

 **Somehow, new Harry gets a resort**

 **Whatever gifts new Harry has take the place of old-Harry's magic**

 **Slash**

 **Harems**

 **New-Harry/Multi**

 **A prophecy speaks of the new Harry**

 **Someone from new Harry's original place/time is also 'reborn/awakened' and drawn to him**

 **Forbidden: Harry being Harry**

 **Crossover: New Harry as the only member of that fandom**

 **New Harry being as meek, naive and easy-to-fool as Old Harry**

 **Other than that, it's up to you...**

 **I'm not sure how much of Trinity Seven I'm actually going to use, but the magics definitely one of them. Just because its really cool. Fair warning, I'm reusing some stuff from TWEW because I'm too lazy to write something new. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The day my life got weird started like any other. It was a day off, so I was just slobbing around in my underwear, flicking between playing games, reading and writing my own stuff. I was just considering whether I should go find some lunch or not when my email pinged, bringing with it an alert from a forum I was subscribed to about a new challenge someone had posted. Almost immediately, all thoughts of food vanished as my mind flooded with new ideas for how to apply my personal brand of complete insanity to this challenge. This was gonna be fun!

But first, I needed a cup of tea.

Beverage acquired, I cracked my knuckles and began to write.

 _Chapter 1_

 _Harry didn't feel well. Actually, he had not felt well since incident in the Chamber. Despite assurances from both Dumbledore and Pomfrey he was 100% healthy, he'd been feeling weak and having constant headaches and tightness in his chest ever since he'd been bitten by the Basilisk. In fact, the pain seemed to be getting worse, the the point that today he'd barely been able to finish his chores the day before or read his birthday letters. Yeah, being sick on ones birthday is never fun, even if it was only two in the morning._

 _He sighed as he gazed out the window, absently rubbing his arm as he tried desperately to figure out exactly how to convince his Aunt and Uncle to sign the Hogsmeade form. It wasn't like they'd ever give him something he wanted after all…_

 _Suddenly, Harry gasped as the pain in his arm shot up into his chest, which felt tight as if a belt was wrapped around it. He couldn't breath he couldn't…_

I blinked, my fingers still moving, despite the fact they were no longer resting on a keyboard. The change had been so abrupt I didn't even notice that I'd gone from sitting in my chair to laying on the ground. I blinked again, before realizing my body was still positioned as if I was typing at my computer and quickly dropped my arms and legs. I sat up and looked around, taking in the sickly peach coloured walls, the ratty looking duvet on the bed and rickety looking furniture.

"Um, where am I?" I asked.

Then I spotted the white owl sitting in a cage on the desk with her head under her wing and the trunk at the bottom of the bed.

"Ah…"

I scrambled to my feet and jumped in front of the mirror. Instead of a slightly short, skinny man with a scruffy beard, dark brown hair and grimy glasses, a slightly short, skinny barely-teenager with unnaturally green eyes and messy, black hair was staring back at me through grimy glasses. The lightning bolt shaped cut on my forehead had opened and was leaking a thick, blackish ichor that had the consistency of oil.

"...what."

I started poking myself as I tried to figure out what in the fuck had just happened, before I suddenly remembered exactly what I had been working on and went white.

"Oh...shit," I muttered, "How...how the fuck did that happen?"

The story I'd been working on had been based on a challenge where Harry died and was replaced by someone else. My idea was to basically make it an SI and shove it with enough cliches to choke Ron Weasley. Everything you can think of, from Harry being absurdly powerful, magically, politically and monetarily, the Potions Trio being hard at work, a Dumbledore whos both manipulative and well on his way to senality, a harem for Harry and, just for fun, giving Harry Metamorph powers.

I glanced at the mirror, half expecting my hair to turn pink or something. Nothing happened. I frowned. Was it sealed? Or was I not in the version of the world that I was planning to write about? If not, I'd need to be careful. Hell, it was probably a good idea to be careful anyway since there was no guarantee that the world was actually the same one I created for the story. For all I knew, it could be the prime world with no underhanded moves, other than Dumbles being too cautious for his own good.

It could also be an extremely weird and vivid dream, but I did NOT dream vividly often and when I did, it was usually along the lines of being trapped somewhere in dire need of a wee and no bathrooms available. I glanced down at my arm and pinched myself as hard as I could.

"OW!"

Ok, that hurt. One less point in the dream column. Guess I ought to treat this as reality until proven otherwise. That...was actually more worrying than anything. As cool as the idea of learning Magic was, I wasn't sure I could pull off acting like Harry well enough to fool everyone. That...could end very badly.

I sighed and got to my feet. There was no way I was hanging around this hell hole any longer than I had to. This story started in third year and I wasn't sure I could put up with Marge for long without trying to blast her. WIth that in mind, I started grabbing all of Harry's (or mine now I suppose) stuff and stuffing it into the Trunk at the bottom of the bed. Guess this was the Movie verse or a combination of the two? Whatever, one way or another, I'd be heading to the Leaky Cauldron before Marge arrived.

I glanced at Hedwig, who was now awake and watching me and, after a moment's thought, unlocked the cage and opened the window.

"Head to the Cauldron Hedwig," I said, "I'll be along soon."

The owl gave me a searching look that made me think she somehow knew I wasn't Harry, before letting out a hoot and flying out of the window. I quickly tucked the now empty cage away in my Trunk and turned to the bedside table where Harrys wand was resting. This was something I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to do since I had no idea how the Holly and Phoenix Feather Wand would react to me. Would it accept me or would I have to get a new Wand? Either way, there was only one way to find out.

I took a deep breath and picked up the stick...and was immediately hit by an immense headache as all of Harry's magical knowledge was abruptly dumped into my head at the same time. Well, that was handy. I wouldn't have to learn everything from scratch. Could have done without the painful transfer though. I also got some scattered memories from Harry, not everything, but enough that I could probably pass for him...if I could be bothered to do so. Unfortunately, they also included memories from his childhood and Vernons…'discipline' lessons. I twitched as my back throbbed. Yeah, I needed to go see if someone could help with that.

But first, I had to get going! I tucked my wand away in my trunk and headed downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

I sat quietly, nodding patently along to Vernons diatribe until he headed out to pick up Marge. The moment he did, I went to find Petunia. The woman was watching some sort of soap in the sitting room and glanced up as I entered, her lips curling slightly.

"What do you want boy?" she sneered.

"I have a proposition for you," I said, "I don't really want to be here while Aunt Marge is and I can't guarantee I won't do something...drastic to her if she pushes me. I highly doubt you want her turned into a balloon or something, so instead you sign this form and I'll bugger off to London for the rest of the summer."

Petunia's face went through a variety of expressions, before she thrust out her hand.

"Done, give me the form."

I handed it to her, along with a fountain pen, which she used to sign it with a flourish and handed it to me with a five pound note.

"For the bus," she said, "Now get out of my sight and don't come back until next year!"

"If I have my way, I won't be back at all," I muttered as I ran upstairs and grabbed my stuff.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I was a block away and ready to call the Knight Bus, having found a pouch of Gallons in my trunk. However, before I could, a prickling in the back of my neck made me turn to see a rather mangy looking black wolfhound lurking between the garages behind me. I tensed slightly, just in case it was a stray, but one glance at its unnaturally intelligent eyes made me relax. I smiled slightly and pulled a package of biscuits I'd nabbed from the kitchen out of my pocket.

"Here boy," I said, holding one out.

Sirius' ears pricked up and he trotted over, accepting the treat.

"Hey boy, wanna come with me?" I asked with a grin, "I could use a new friend."

Padfoot barked and pranced happily around me.

"You need a name though," I said, "How about...Padfoot?"

Padfoots tail paused, before starting up again, going even faster than before. I grinned and got to my feet.

"Now then, lets see…" I muttered and stuck my wand arm out into the street.

The Knight Bus appeared with a loud crack and a startled yowl from a cat that had been sleeping nearby and skidded to a stop in front of me.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus," said a pimply youth as he hopped off the back step, "Emergency transport for a stranded Witch or Wizard. Just stick your wand arm out, step on board and we'll take you wherever you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike and I'll be your conductor for this afternoon."

He put away his script and looked down at me.

"Choo the one who called?" he asked.

"Well, if I wasn't you'd better be good at Obliviaitons," I said, "One and a dog to the Leaky Cauldron please."

"Smarty pants," muttered Stan, "That'll be 15 sickles. Eleven for you, four for yer dog."

I quickly payed the man and helped him get my Trunk on board, taking a seat near the front. As soon as I was settled, Stan banged on the glass behind the driver.

"Take 'er away Ern!"

BANG!

* * *

By the time we reached London, I was about ready to kill the moron behind the wheel. I never finished learning to drive before I came here and I certainly couldn't drive a bus, but I was still a better driver than Ern! I glared at the snickering dog at my heels as I headed inside the pub and quickly got a room from Tom, who was thankfully nice enough not to make a scene.

"I understand Mr Potter," he had said when asked, "I wouldn't want to be looked at like some kind of museum piece either. No one will hear your here from me."

"Thanks Tom," I said as I headed upstairs after the friendly barman put a Featherlight charm on my Trunk.

* * *

Once I was settled, I dashed of a note to Mcgonagall requesting to change my electives to Runes, Arithmancy and CoMC, before heading out into the Alley to head to Gringotts. I had some business I needed to discuss with the Goblins. I had no idea if they'd actually have what I needed of course, but it seemed like a good place to start. There was a reason why most Fics had the Goblins be in charge of Wills after all. Plus, if this was my planned Fanfic world, then I'd get exactly what I needed and, hopefully, Sirius' charges dropped and Crouch smacked down a peg or two.

I have to admit, walking through Diagon was one hell of a trip for me. I did my best to keep from acting too much like a newcomer since I was clearly too old to be a first year, but I couldn't help a little bit of neck craning and my wide grin was practically welded in place. I couldn't wait to explore some of the shops!

But first, I had to visit the bank. Fortunately, it wasn't to busy, so I joined the shortest queue behind a pair of girls who looked about my age. One of the two, a short blonde, glanced back at me as I did and frowned slightly before turning back to her taller companion. I tilted my head slightly. Violet eyes were a tad rare, even in the Wizarding world. I wonder if she had some kind of Creature inheritance? I quickly shrugged it off though. It was none of my business after all.

* * *

It didn't take long for the people in front of me to finish so I could approach the desk. I waited for the Goblin to finish what he was writing in the massive ledger in front of him and look up before speaking.

"Good morning," I said, "I was hoping that I could ask a few questions regarding my family today if at all possible."

"Name?" grunted the Goblin.

"Harry Potter," I said.

The Goblin glanced up and held out a hand.

"Key."

I handed him the key. He prodded it a couple of times, then handed it back with a grunt.

"Please come with me," he said, hopping of his stool.

I waited a moment for the short creature to emerge from behind the desk and followed him out of the lobby and into the halls. After a few minutes of twisting, identical passages lined by doors, we stopped in front of one with a brass plaque that read POTTER attached. The goblin knocked and opened the door.

"Wait here a moment please," he said and vanished inside.

A few moments later, he returned and waved me inside. The office on the other side was a rather odd mix of Wizarding and Muggle, with stone walls, heavy wood furniture and shelves full of scrolls and leather bound tomes next to metal filing cabinets, a printer and a genuine computer sitting on the desk. Behind said desk sat...something I had not expected.

Instead of an ugly, wrinkled Goblin like I was expecting, the creature was unearthly beautiful. It was the same height as any of the other Goblins I'd seen, with smooth, pale skin with a very faint green tint, soft, light blue hair that was pulled into a tight braid decorated with feathers, long, thin ears. It had large, almond shaped eyes that were almost with startling green irises and slightly green tinted whites. Its body was slender, with noticeable curves. Combined with the smart and professional looking suit she (because it had to be female) was wearing, it created a very odd image.

The being cleared her throat and I jumped and blushed as I realized I'd been caught staring.

"Um, sorry," I said.

"Don't worry, its fairly common for Humans to be taken aback upon seeing a female Goblin for the first time," said the apparent Goblin.

Good god, thats one heck of a case of sexual dimorphism!

"That...doesn't surprise me," I said, right before I realized how that might sound, "Um…"

However, the Goblin just laughed and waved me off before I could apologize.

"Oh don't worry, your Mother did the exact same thing when she met me," she said, "Anyway, my name is Leanan Sidhe, the Account Manager of the Potter family."

I blinked and held up a finger.

"Um…"

"No, I'm not that Leanan Sidhe," she said without looking at me

I put my finger back down.

"Shes my Grandmother."

Never mind. Leanan glanced up and caught my expression.

"Many stories of Humans getting caught up in deals with devils or Faeries are actually down to us," she said, "We Goblins are far more than a race of violent warriors or money obsessed bankers. While we put on that facard for the Wizarding World, the truth is that we are far more under the surface."

I frowned.

"If your putting on a show, why tell me?" I asked.

"Mostly because the Potters have been friends of the Fae Folk since before Merlins time," said Leanan, "But also because I had a lot of respect for your Parents and Grandparents."

She sighed.

"Their deaths were truly a great loss," she said, "Lily especially. She was truly brilliant. Hell of a screamer as well."

The last part was whispered and I don't think I was supposed to hear it. I debated asking whether she meant was I thought she meant, before deciding that no, I did NOT need to know anything about Lily Potters sex life. Even if it was with the oddly attractive Goblin.

"Anyway, lets get back to business," said Leanan, "I'll be happy to discuss your Parents another time, but for now we have work to do."

She shuffled her papers and fixed me with a sharp gaze.

"First of all, I have to ask if you have ever received any correspondence from Gringotts," she said.

"No, the first message from the Wizarding World I received was my Hogwarts letter and since then, only letters from friends or Hogwarts," I said.

Leanan sighed.

"Thought so," she said, "We've sent monthly statements since your 11th birthday, along with requests to come into the bank. Our systems indicated that they had been received and opened, but the location they were opened at didn't match where you logically should be. The higher ups suspected that your mail was being intercepted and it seems that they were correct. Not only that, but an audit of your Family Vaults revealed that someone had been skimming off the top using the excuse of being your Magical Guardian. Since your Magical Guardian is unable to do much in her current state, we put a stop to it and are making attempts to reclaim the missing money."

I blinked. Well, that was certainly better than I expected.

"Um, thank you," I said.

"Its my job to protect the Potter assets and ensure that they grow as much as possible," said Leanan, "We also discovered a Marriage Contract someone had snuck into the Potter file, but it wasn't worth the parchment it was written on, so i had it burnt."

"Who was it for?" I asked.

"One Ginevra Weasley," said Leanan.

I growled under my breath. Looks like I was right. This world would have cliches up the arse.

"Moving on, I'm pleased to report that the Potter Family investments are bringing in the projected figures…"

* * *

The next hour was spent discussing the current state of the Potter finances. As you might imagine, they were extensive and astronomical, with my liquid assets being enough that my great grandchildren would never have to work a day in their lives.

"Alright, I think thats everything," said Leanan, "Now that we know about the Mail Redirection Ward, its relatively simple to circumvent. If you like, we can examine you for anything similar before you leave for a small fee?"

"That may be best," I said, "I admit, certain things that have happened lately have made me feel a little...uneasy."

"Very well," said Leanan, "The last thing I need to do is give you this."

She handed me a package addressed to me.

"Your Mother left instructions to give it to you in the event that she disappeared," she said in answer to my questioning look.

"Alright, I guess I'll look it over later," I said, "One last thing, did my Parents leave a Will?"

Leanen glanced up at me.

"Your Father did, but its currently Sealed by order of the Wizengamot," she said, "It would require either the head or the Regent of the House of Potter to request it read."

I frowned.

"What about Mum?" I asked.

"Lily does have a Will," said Leanan, "However, it cannot be read either."

"Why, is it sealed to?" I asked.

"No, because Lily is still alive."

 **Hehe, that'll do for now. Don't worry, I'm done stealing my own work and the next chapter will actually require some effort on my part.**

 **So, since its probably obvious that I plan to include the TS girls to end up with HP counterparts...mostly, so take a wild guess as to who I plan to use.**

 **So, Lily's still kicking. The question is, where is she?**

 **Speaking of, if your wondering how Harry was able to view the Potter family finances when Lily was still kicking, its because hes still the Heir and is allowed to see them, just not actually do much with them without permission.**

 **Just to be clear, although the Harry here was going to write what was basically TWEW, this isn't the same world. Of course, it runs on the logic of an Anime that considers stripping your opponents to be a genuinely effective magical combat strategy, so the Potters are still horndogs, Lily included, and the Wizarding World considers polygamy to be perfectly acceptable.**

 **Anyway, this is done now, so I'm going to sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	147. Trinity Soul Chapter 2

Trinity Soul

I get bored easily. Thats a simple fact and I often find myself coming up with stupid ideas to pass the time and maybe hit on something that I could write. So, when a friend came up with a Challenge that was right up my alley, I jumped at the chance and even dipped into some other areas for ideas for a silly, but fun, story. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who was bored. Now I have the unenviable task of fixing a world gone to shit. Oh well, at least its not Worm.

 **And we're back. Nothing to say here, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

A couple of hours after my ill fated visit to the bank, I was laying back on my bed at the Cauldron, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Needless to say, the revelation that Lily was alive was more than a little shocking and the part of me that was left over from the actual 13 year old Harry Potter was busy throwing a temper tantrum over being abandoned. Fortunately, it was a tiny part and I shoved it deep into the back of my mind as I considered the likely possibilities.

It was rather unlikely that Lily had just up and abandoned Harry since all indication from Harrys memories and my conversation with Leanan had indicated that she was a good person who was ecstatic over being a Mother. While that could be people not wishing to speak ill of the dead or her being in it for the long con, I had no evidence of that. Another option was that she was being genuine, but it was a result of Potions or enchantments from James and/or Dumbledore and she did a runner once she recovered, but again, there was no evidence of that.

Another option was that she'd been mind wiped by someone (likely Dumbledore, although I'd hold off on accusing the old geezer until I knew what type he was) and had no idea of who she really was, or could perhaps be in a Magically induced coma in some Muggle hospital to keep her out of the way. If either of them were the case, I'd probably never find her, although the latter might be possible if I checked any Jane Does or people with the surname Evans. Something to consider I suppose.

The last option was that the method she used to protect me/Harry from Voldemort had something to do with it. Maybe she'd sealed herself inside me as part of the ritual or had been dragged in with the Soul chunk. Or hell, she could have literally turned herself into the protection Magic itself, although quite how that would be done I did know. Unfortunately, if it was any of those options, it was doubtful that I'd be able to figure out a way to get her out without knowing what she did to beat Voldemort.

I glanced over at Padfoot, who was making short work of a large haunch of meat I'd got from Tom to help him recover from his malnutrition. Sirius might know something, but for now I wanted to hold off on revealing I knew who he was since, without anything to prove his innocence, that would just put him in danger. I'd nab Pettigrew once Ron arrived, but for now, Sirius would have to either man up and reveal himself on his own or wait till I had chance to do just that. Unfortunately, that plan also meant that I couldn't ask him about Mum and how she could have survived.

I shook my head and refocused my mind on something that could help explain it all. Specifically, the package Leanen had given me. I picked it up of the bedside table where I'd dropped it what felt like hours earlier and slowly started working the paper off.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but a miniature book with a bound shut with golden chains was not it. The book was white with golden borders and had a golden diamond shape on both covers.

"What is this thing?" I muttered, tugging on the chains.

They didn't budge and I wasn't willing to break them in case they were keeping something nasty sealed away. Instead, I picked up the note that had fallen out of the paper and unfolded it.

* * *

 _Dear Harry,_

 _If you are reading this then the unthinkable has happened and I'm dead. Or sealed in a space of endlessly slowed time. Either way, I'm unavailable and Leanen has handed you my Grimoire. While I highly doubt that you will follow in my footsteps entirely, Index is a dependable partner and should be able to help with your own research, if you decide to become a Magus as well._

 _Oh, I suppose I should explain. You see Harry, I'm not just a Witch, I'm also a Magus, a Magic User who draws power from emotions, desires and existence itself to manipulate the primal force we call Magic. The system is...not subtle when it comes to combat, although it is lacking in more esoteric spells. Actually, the same could be said for all systems other than Wanded Magic, but thats neither here nor there. If you want more information, ask Index, I'm sure she'll be happy to fill you in._

 _Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to, I can't cover everything in this letter, so I'll have to cover the basics. First of all, DO NOT TRUST ALBUS DUMBLEDORE! I genuinely don't know if hes evil, convinced that he knows best and to hell with everyone else, or has gone completely senile, but hes been making a lot of very strange decisions lately. I'm not totally convinced that he didn't deliberately send some members of the Order to their deaths and his order to avoid lethal measures when fighting a war is just...URG!_

 _Sorry, I'm using a dictorquill. Anyway, the final straw was when he stopped us and the Longbottoms from being each others Secret Keepers and then recommended Peter instead. I'm now certain that hes up to something and am completely positive that Voldemort will show up at some point very soon. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not, I might have to do something drastic. With that in mind, I have a few pieces of advice._

 _First off, if your Father and I are killed, I'm certain that Sirius will end up taking the fall. If he does, know that he is your Sworn Godfather and as such, would be physically incapable of doing anything that would directly result in your death without keeling over._

 _Second, combined with the above, Sirius Black was NOT our Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew was. If Sirius did go down for betraying us, show this note to Amelia Bones or Andromeda Tonks. She'll be able to sort something out._

 _Third, and this is important, I'm pretty sure that I'll show up as still alive on the Goblins instruments, but please Harry, don't try to find me. The spell I have in mind to deal with Voldemort is one that I'm certain will trap me and, as far as I know, theres no way to get a person out once they are trapped. It was the fate of my Thema's founder and one I'll happily embrace if it means keeping you safe and finally offing the bastard._

 _So, to wrap up, don't trust Dumbles, get Sirius out of trouble and don't try finding me._

 _Love_

 _Lily_

 _PS: if you do meet the Trinity Seven, do treat them nicely. I'm sure they'll do the same to you._

 _PPS: Make sure to use protection._

 _PPPS: I do want grandchildren though._

* * *

I stared at the letter, wide eyed as I tried to figure out whether I should be excited or scared shitless. I suddenly had a nasty feeling that I knew exactly where Lily was. She'd used Baal Peor, a spell that was the closest one could come to being able to freeze time. It also came with some rather nasty implications for the future of the world, especially with the comment about the Trinity Seven. I was also a bit leery about meeting all of them since, and this might seem a tad arrogant but Harry Potter, there was a strong possibility that I was a Demon King Candidate. While I had no problem with getting to know seven attractive girls, I didn't really fancy being responsible for the world getting destroyed either.

On the up side, it wasn't like I'd know the Trinity Seven. Despite Lily's words, England was a big place and I doubted that they'd be at Hogwarts. And even if they were, there were a lot of students there. No, I'd probably never meet them at all.

"Urrrg, and I thought that dealing with Riddle and Fumbles would be bad enough, now I have to deal with this mess?!" I groaned as I flopped back on my bed, "Well, on the up side, if I can learn some Magus Magic, it'll give me an advantage...so long as Riddle isn't a Magus as well…"

I frowned and thought it over, before shrugging and discarding the thought for now. I didn't have any memories of Riddle doing anything particularly out of the ordinary in the times Harry had encountered him, so I'd maintain cautious optimism towards the advantage for now.

I sighed and picked up the Grimoire again.

"So, are you alive?" I asked, feeling a little silly.

Sure, Lily had implied that it was and Arita had two sentent books in the Manga, but that didn't make the fact that I was talking to a book any easier to swallow. The fact that Sirius was looking at me worriedly certainly didn't make me feel any better.

" **Huh, I would have thought it'd take you longer than that to figure it out,"** said the Grimoire, nearly making Sirius jump out of his skin at the unexpected voice.

"Well, Index sounds like a name for a book," I said, "I'm Harry and thats…"

" **Sirius, I know,"** said the book, making said mutt yelp in shock, **"Oh, don't be like that mutt, I've seen that form way to many times to mistake it for anyone else."**

Sirius shifted back, a look of confusion on his face.

"I...don't remember ever meeting a talking book," he said.

Index snorted, before the book in my hand erupted in a puff of smoke, before a pair of slender arms dropped around my neck and a small body pressed against my back. I looked over my shoulder and came face to face with a young girl with large, green eyes and long, silvery white hair. She was wearing white robes with golden edging, not unlike her book form.

"Wha...INDEX?!" spluttered Sirius, "I thought you were Lily's Niece?!"

"Nope, I'm her Grimoire," said Index, "Well, I was her Grimoire. Now I'm Harrys."

"Um, Mums not dead," I said.

"True, but shes unavailable and she made me promise to take care of you," said Index as she let me go and sat back on her heels.

I turned to face her and quickly figured out why she seemed so familiar. Fittingly enough, she looked just like Index from A Certain Magical Index, albeit wearing a smirk that would look more at home on Sirius' face and her robes were less Nun habit and more modified Witches robes.

"I see," I said, "So I take it that you know what she did?"

Index winced and nodded.

"She used her Last Crest," she said, "Its the final spell of a Magus' Archive and is basically a suicide attack. Even if they don't simply die from casting it, the after effects are, more often than not, permanent. Even though shes still alive, Lily is gone."

"Waitwaitwait, time out!" said Sirius, waving his hands and looking very confused, "What do you mean 'Lily's still alive'? And how can you be a Grimoire? And why aren't you more surprised about me Harry?"

"I figured out that there was something odd about you shortly after we met," I said, "It wasn't that hard."

"As for me, please don't tell me you've never heard of Magus?" said Index, "I know that the Magical World is insular, but I never would have imagined that someone from it wouldn't be aware of the other Magical Styles, especially not when one of the modern versions was created by Merlin."

"Wait, what?" said Sirius and I at the same time.

Index sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Alright idiots, listen up," she said, "Wizarding Magic is only one of many styles found in this world, as well as the only one that requires any inborn talent to use. The other three primary styles are known as Idol Theory, which draws power from belief and symbolism, Lost Archive, which is the style Lily used and focuses around forcing the users will upon the world by defying logic and removing themselves from the law of reality, and the Modern Style, which was created by Merlin and is based around modifying other races Magics to allow Humans to use it. While there isn't really any one style which is better than the others, it is generally accepted the Wanded Magic is much more varied with a lot of utility, but not that much power in terms of combat. Thats not to say that Wizards are completely useless, there have been some truly powerful ones thought history...unfortunately, these days you people are so insular and have inbred so much that a great deal of that potential has gone. It certainly doesn't help that Hogwarts standards are in the toilet."

She sighed.

"Honestly, Sal and the others would be horrified if they could see their school now…"

Sirius looked stumped, then her last statement seemed to penetrate his mind.

"Wait, you knew the Founders?!" he spluttered.

Index looked at him with a strange expression.

"I was created by a Roman Magus," she said slowly, "I'm so old I forgot the exact number. I've belonged to countless people over the years, from people who quickly faded, to people whos names still echo through history. Yes I knew the Founders, hell, I was Salazar's Grimoire at the time!"

I think my eyes glazed slightly at the idea of just how much knowledge such an ancient Grimoire would have to hold.

"Bloody hell, thats a lot of Magic," I muttered.

Index sniffed and planted her hands on her hips with a smug look on her face.

"I hold more information than any other receptacle of knowledge in the world!" she said proudly, "Not even the Library of Alexandria at its peak could match me! Theres a damn good reason that I'm called Index Librorum Prohibitorum after all!"

"List of Forbidden Books eh?" I asked, "Any porn in there?"

Index went bright red and somehow managed to trip over the sheets on the bed.

"I am a compendium of knowledge stretching back to the Age of the Gods and you ask if I've got any Porn!?" she shrieked as she shot back up, her face practically glowing, "What is wrong with you?!"

"What? I was just asking," I said, not bothering to hide my smirk, "Besides, you honestly expect me to believe that no ones added anything raunchy?"

Index ground her teeth, her face bright red as she glowered at me. I burst out laughing at the adorable expression, which only made her glare harder.

"IDIOT!"

THUNK!

"I don't think hitting me was entirely called for," I said as I rubbed my head where Index had thumped me as Sirius roared with laughter in the background.

"I do," growled Index, still blushing brightly.

I snorted and held up my hands in surrender.

"Alright alright, I probably deserved that," I said, "Anyway, we can discuss learning Magic later. Right now, we need to figure out what to do with Sirius."

"I recommend a visit to the vets," said Index.

Sirius twitched.

"Nice to see you haven't changed a bit Index," he deadpanned.

The Grimoire just grinned and threw up a victory sign.

"Anyway, the letter from Mum said to show it to someone called Amelia Bones or Andromeda Tonks," I said, holding up the note, "Any idea who they are?"

"Madam Bones is the head of the DMLE, although she was a rising star in the Auror Department during the War," said Sirius, "As for Andi, she's my cousin, although she was kicked out of the Family for marrying a Muggleborn, and is an Attorney, as is her Husband."

"They were also part of the previous Generations Trinity Seven," said Index.

"What exactly is the Trinity Seven?" I asked.

"Its the title given to the individuals who fully master their Archives Last Crest," said Index, "Its...rather difficult and the spells have massive drawbacks to using them, so its rather rare for them to appear. For some odd reason, theres usually only one of each Archive per generation and they tend to be very good friends...or bitter enemies."

She shook her head.

"Anyway, those two will trust Lilys word, so when they get the information, they'll act on it."

"I...really don't know how to respond to that," said Sirius.

"By making a copy of this," I said, waving the letter with one hand as I opened the window with the other.

A moment later, Hedwig swooped into the room and landed on the bedpost. She glanced at the two others in the room, then looked at me.

"Hey girl, you up for a delivery?" I asked.

Hedwig just fixed me with a flat look.

"Alright, stupid question," I muttered, "Give me a sec…"

I grabbed a bit of parchment and quickly wrote out a suitable note, before handing it to Sirius to duplicate and filling in the necessary information. With that done, I rolled the notes up with the copies of my Mothers note and handed them to Hedwig.

"Madam Amelia Bones and Andromeda Tonks please Hedwig," I said, "Quick as you can. The information is rather important."

Hedwig hooted, snapped a salute and flew off, leaving me staring after her.

"Did...my owl just salute me?" I asked.

"She did," said Sirius, looking just as stumped.

"Well, thats...odd," I said.

I shook my head and turned to the two older Magicals...even though one of them looked the same age...and was a sentent book. My life was going to be extremely odd.

"So anyway, since you both knew my Parents, can I get some stories of them?"

* * *

Two hours of a number of hilarious and embarrassing stories about my Parents antics over the years, a knock at the door brought the conversation to a stop as Sirius turned back into a dog and Index just sat back on the bed looking smug. I didn't bother asking why as I opened the door, revealing two women stood there with Tom.

The lead woman was slightly shorter than average, but clearly well built, both in terms of muscle and, ahem, assets, with dark red hair tied back in a tight bun and a monocle that did nothing to lessen the intensity in her steel gray eyes. She was wearing red Auror robes with the gold shoulder pads and symbol of her rank on her chest.

The other woman was taller, with the kind of aristocratic beauty only found in the old families, curly brown hair and black eyes that were just as sharp as the other womans. She was wearing expensive looking robes and was fingering her wand.

I swallowed and did my best not to cringe back under the gaze of the two powerful women. And make no mistake, they were POWERFUL with a capital P. I could practically feel the magic they were leaking unconsciously. Just looking at the two, I had my doubts that Voldemort and his goons would be able to kill Amelia Bones in this world without loosing a huge number of troops and possibly his own head. Then again, I didn't know how strong Riddle actually was. That...didn't bode well honestly.

However that was something to consider later, for now, I had a Godfather to get of the hook.

"Madam Bones and Mrs Tonks I presume?" I asked.

Madam Bones raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Indeed," she said, "I was rather intrigued to receive your message Mr Potter."

"Yes, well, sorry for the short notice, but it seemed like something you should know," I said.

"It was," said Madam Bones, "May we come in?"

"Of course," I said, stepping to the side and waving the two ladies into the room as Tom stumped back down the hall.

The two women paused at the sight of the book lounging on my bed, chewing idly on a stick of rock I'd picked up from Diagon Alley's sweet shop on my foray into the Alley.

"Hi guys, long time no see," said Index with a smirk.

"Oh good, your awake Index," said Andromeda, her voice a little strained.

"You'll regret giving her sugar later," said Amelia.

Index just smirked and ran her tongue over the solid sugar with a moan. Andromeda immediately cracked up as Amelia went bright red. I just facepalmed.

"Leaving aside the horny book, how about we get down to business," I said.

Immediately both women sobered and turned their gazes on the cowering dog in the corner. For a moment, they both stared at him, before Andromeda nodded and took a deep breath.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, JUST WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING…"

Her shouting was cut off as Amelia flicked her wand and set up a silencing field around the two cousins as Andromeda laid into the mutt.

"They'll be a while," she said.

"Yeah, I can see that," I said, "So, chances you'll be able to get Sirius of the hook?"

"Oh, we'll manage it," said Amelia, "The problem is that we need to make damn sure we have our ducks in a row or that idiot Fudge will block us. Or Dumbledore will. Either way it'll be a pain."

"Well, let me know if I can help," I said.

"You've done enough for now, but I appreciate the offer," said Amelia.

The woman fixed me with an intense look.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" she asked.

"How so?" I asked.

"Index is the single largest compendium of Magic in existence," she said, "With her help, you could learn any form of Magic you wanted and I don't believe for a moment that you intend to stick with just Wand Magic.

"I'm...honestly not sure," I said honestly, "I need to talk learn more about the other styles before I pick one. That said...I'd kinda like to see if I could maybe help Mum…"

Amelia flinched and sighed.

"Harry…"

"I know she said that helping her was impossible, but I'm not about to just leave it at that," I said, "Magic is all about going against reality, so why shouldn't I try and do the impossible?"

Amelia stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You know kid, an attitude like that will take you far if you take up Lost Archive," she said once she managed to stop laughing.

"Thats what Mum used, right?" I asked.

Amelia nodded.

"Yes, she used Stagna in the Acedia Archive," said Amelia, "However, I don't think that would suit you."

I snorted. That was an understatement. If the Lost Archive Magic was actually the Magic system from Trinity Seven, I'd need to pick the Archive and Thema that went against my nature and considering that I was naturally a lazy bum, Sloth was right out. Frankly, Rage was probably a better choice considering I literally can't remember the last time I lost my temper. Still, I wasn't about to throw my hat into that ring just yet. I needed some time and to question Index about the other styles. That said, if Idol Theory was what I thought, I didn't fancy the idea of using it. Relying on people not doing research into the weaknesses of my Magic sounded like a horrible idea and I strongly suspected that the other one was the Magic system from DXD, just from the description. If that was the case, I was interested...but I sucked at Maths and I'm pretty sure that that style relied on calculations. Plus, the Magic from Trinity Seven was awesome and I could probably pull of some of the same tricks as from the others if I wanted and I highly doubted I'd be limited to learning just one anyway.

Our conversation was interrupted as Andromeda finally finished screaming at Sirius and brought down the Silencing Charm. I glanced at my Dogfather and smirked at the sight of the man looking extremely sorry for himself as he worked a finger into his ear.

"So, are you done?" asked Amelia.

"For now," said Andromeda, "I'll need to head home and start working on this case right away."

"I'll put Sirius up at the Crypt for now," said Amelia, "It'll be the safest place for him right now."

"Wait, what about Harry?" asked Sirius, "Pettigrews at Hogwarts and…"

"Don't worry about Pettigrew," said Andromeda, "If hes not done anything yet, I doubt he'll do anything unless pressed. Besides, Harry now has an incredibly powerful guardian watching his back."

We all glanced at Index, who was lounging upside down and flipping through a book she'd pulled out of my Trunk, still sucking on her rock.

"You sure she can handle it?" asked Sirius doubtfully.

"Completely," said Amelia, "But if it'll make you feel better, I'll get my Niece to keep an eye on Harry to. She's more than a match for any of Riddles goons, especially someone as weak as Pettigrew after 12 years of idleness."

"Um, I don't think shes in my House," I said.

"I know, but I trust Index," said Amelia, "That said, if you do choose Lost Archive, you should probably talk to her anyway. Shes rather good at her own Magic."

I shrugged.

"Eh, sure why not?" I asked, "I could use more friends anyway."

Amelia nodded and turned to Sirius.

"Alright Sirius, turn back and we'll get going," she said.

"Can't I have some time to talk to Harry?" asked the Black.

"We'll have time to talk once your not a convict anymore," I said, "For now, the sooner you go, the sooner you can be free."

Sirius hesitated, then slumped and sighed.

"I hate it when people use logic on me," he grumbled, "Lily was the same."

I snorted.

"Most Magicals seem allergic to logic," I deadpanned.

"Yes, that is an unfortunate truth about our country," grumbled Amelia, "Anyway, we should go Sirius."

Sirius nodded and turned to me.

"Keep safe Pup," he said.

I smiled and nodded.

"Of course," I said, "Try not to get yourself killed...or Kissed."

Sirius gave a slightly strained smile at that and shifted back into his dog form.

"Thank you for letting us know about the truth Mr Potter," said Amelia, "I'll make sure to let you know if anything comes up."

"Thank you for responding so quickly," I said, shaking Amelia's hand.

She nodded and walked out of the room with Sirius on her heels.

"Mr Potter, allow me to thank you as well," said Andromeda, "I've always suspected that something was off about Sirius' conviction, but without somewhere to start, I couldn't do much about it."

"Again, it was no trouble," I said, "Its not like I could leave an innocent man in that situation."

Andromeda smiled a little sadly.

"Your a good person Harry," she said, "Try to keep that trate in the future. And good luck in your learning, whatever style you choose."

I smiled.

"Thank you," I said.

Andromeda smiled, nodded and swept out of the room after her friend and cousin, leaving me to finally relax.

"Ohhh god, that was more intense than I was expecting," I muttered as I dropped down on the bed.

"I don't know why," said Index, "Its not like they were going to do anything to you."

"I know, but I don't exactly have much experience dealing with high ranking members of the government," I grumbled, "And it certainly didn't help that they are really powerful."

Index hummed in agreement.

"I suppose I can understand that," she said, "If they'd have been hostile, you'd have been killed in moments."

"I know and that worries me," I muttered, "This world has a lot of dangers and I'm not even close to being able to match them. Voldemort'll be coming back sooner or later and I need more strength."

I sat up and turned to the Grimiore.

"Index, can you teach me?" I asked.

Index smiled.

"It'll be my genuine pleasure," she said.

 **Annnnd that'll do. I originally intended to introduce on of the Trinity Seven as a cliffy, but I did some rejigging of the list, so that went out the window.**

 **Now then, lets get started with an explanation as to how Magic works in this world. Wizarding Magic is the only type where you have to be born with it and is also the weakest when it comes to destructive power. Thats not to say that a Wizard cannot match other Style users, but other than Fiendfyre and the Killing Curse, in a straight up comparison, any of the others would flatten a Wizard. Instead, a Wizard would use their much more varied and, more importantly, quick spells to get the advantage and overwhelm their opponents. Unfortunately, the British Wizarding World are idiots and thus, not really likely to manage that well. However, both Dumbledore and Voldemort ARE genuine threats and this won't be a steamroll.**

 **The other Styles are taken from Trinity Seven, A Certain Magical Index and High School DXD, but I don't intend there to be a full on crossover with any of them. Some characters will be appearing and the world does include DXD as part of it, but its highly doubtful that it'll be more than background noise.**

 **There is technically no limit to how many Styles of Magic one can learn (with the exception of Wizarding Magic where you need a Core), but all of them require a lot of time, effort and work to master, so unless you have a lot of talent, its usually best to focus on one. There is a some crossover here and there, with Runes appearing in all forms in one form or another and Arithmancy being the bases of DXD Magic, which would allow for a bases to learn a bit of the other styles, but, again, most don't really bother.**

 **Dont worry, I'll go into detail about how the Magic Harry picks works when it comes up (and probably make a right hash of it in the progress)**

 **On a side note, the Wizarding World is technically the source of all Magic and Wanded Magic is the oldest form in this world, but that doesn't really mean much.**

 **Getting of the topic of Magic, lets talk about Index. Shes obviously based on the Index from ACMI, but her personality is nothing like the poor girl. Shes not anywhere close to being as naive as Index (being old enough to remember the fall of Athens will do that to a girl) and shes certainly not going to be polite or innocent. She was Lily's Grimoire after all. Oh, and if your worried about her being OP, don't be. She might have a lot of information stored in her, but she can't actually use it all. She can fight if needed, but she is first and foremost a support Grimoire.**

 **I'm...not too sure why Hedwig saluted Harry, it was just a gag. I might do something with that though.**

 **I have my reasons for not freeing Sirius immediately, but he'll be out before the end of the year.**

 **Oh, and before I forget, yes, this is a Harem story (because of course it is), but I don't intend to use more than the Trinity Seven and possibly one or two more. Not to sure about the last two or even if I'll use all seven. I only have four set in stone right now, the rest...eh, we'll see how it goes. Also, if you dont like Ecchi style gags up to and including the protagonist walking in on one or more love interests changing or in the shower and getting the snot kicked out of him for it, I strongly suggest you don't read any further...assuming I continue this story.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**

 **EDIT: Not sure how, but I mixed up logic and Magic. Fixed.**


	148. Hopebringer chapter 1

Hopebringer

Plenty of people get dragged into situations they really don't want to be in by ROBs, but very few get chosen by ROB's for more than basic amusement. I was unlucky enough to be one of them. Now I'm in Worm with a mission to save the world. Unfortunately, raw power isn't what works around here.

 **I have a couple of similar ideas on the go, but this one could be interesting. Mainly because the MC isn't simply overpowered as fuck... sort of. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I floated in a white voice, unfeeling of anything. There wasn't anything to feel, no sensation of touch, no sound, no scents and nothing but endless white to see. Hell, I'm not even sure I had a body right now. Then again, its not that surprising. I didn't remember much, but I did know that before I came here, I had been on a plane that had experienced difficulties over the north sea. Guess the difficulties were the type that led to one way trips straight down. I was...oddly OK with that. Then again, I guess if I was dead there really wasn't anything I could do about it…

 **Good evening.**

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere.

"HOLY…" I yelped, although how I managed that without a mouth I don't know, "Whos there?"

 **Ah, of course. One moment please.**

The space twisted and a figure appeared before me. If I had a tongue, I'd probably have choked on it considering I immediately recognized it, despite the fact I wasn't much of a comic buff, outside of some interest as a result of watching the Marvel movies. Still, I recognized the girl before me thanks to research into aspects of Death for various stories over the years. Still, I never expected to meet Death of the Endless.

"Huh...not what I was expecting I admit," I said, "So I really am dead?"

"Eh, sort of, not really," said Death, "You would be, but I pulled you here before you died."

I frowned. Or tried to. I didn't have a face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Your Death, right?"

"Nope," said the girl who apparently wasn't Death with a grin, "I just like this form. My name is...not actually something you three dimensional beings can comprehend, so you can call me Agent."

If I had a face, I would have paled. I remembered what used that name.

"Aww shit, your a ROB," I said.

"Close enough," said Agent, "I am indeed a hyperdimensional, nigh-omnipotent life form beyond Human understanding and I did indeed bring you here because I want to make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" I asked, "I assume that its one that results in me getting dropped somewhere ungodly dangerous with powers and a mission to save the world?"

"Pretty much," said Agent cheerfully, "Your aware of everything that usually comes from this, so I'll skip the explanation. So, interested?"

I sighed, although how I managed it I don't know.

"Better than dying I suppose," I muttered, "Alright, where am I going and what powers?"

"What, no questions about why I chose you?" asked Agent.

"Your a being beyond my comprehension, I'm sure you have reasons that are equally beyond me," I said, "Besides, does it matter?"

"Guess not," said Agent, "So, I'm afraid that I can't tell you where your going due to the rules I have to abide by, but I can tell you that the powers I'll grant you can come from anywhere in one particular world."

"What world?" I asked.

"The one you were reading before the plane went down."

I blinked, then choked as I remembered what I was watching.

"You want to give me a power from DXD?!" I spluttered, "Why?!"

"Why not?" said Agent, "It gives a wide variety of useful powers and most of them would work rather well where I'll be sending you. So, any preferences?"

I hesitated. This...this was one hell of an opportunity. I could take it to become a literal God. Fuck, I could actually become Yahweh!

"No you couldn't," said the ROB, "I am somewhat limited, so you won't be getting the power of any God from that world."

"Ah, fair enough," I said.

Even so, that didn't change the fact I could obtain a stupid amount of power if I so desired, power enough to kill a God. However, that...honestly didn't appeal to me. Yes, I could gain the True Longinus or one of the Heavenly Dragons, the whole idea of being able to do nothing but destroy wasn't one that I liked. Instead, I had a different idea.

"If I said I wanted Sephiroth Graal, would you turn me into a girl?" I asked.

Agent blinked and shook her head.

"No, I'm not a ROB who enjoys screwing with people," she said, "But are you sure? The world your going to is...dangerous and the Graal doesn't exactly have much in the way of combat power."

"True, but the ability to heal and resurrect is always helpful," I said, "Whatever the world, I think a powerful healer would be more useful than another idiot with the power to blow things up."

Agent snorted.

"Well, your not wrong," she said, "Still, I don't entirely like the idea of sending you into the world with no way to defend yourself...oh, I know. I'll throw in the rest of the abilities that come with the Graal."

I blinked.

"What abilities?" I asked.

"I'll make you a Dhampir."

I blinked.

"Ahhh…"

"No, I'm not going to turn you into a crossdressing trap or a girl," said Agent, "I meant what I said before. There will be some changes, but I'm sure you can deal with them."

"I...guess I can't really argue with that," I said, "So, are we done?"

"That we are," said Agent, "Ready to see where your new home will be?"

"Um, sure," I said.

"The world is very much like your own," said Agent as a portal began to spin into existence, "There aren't any supernatural beings, no Gods, Monsters or Magic. Instead there are Superheroes and a glowing idiot flying around saving lives."

I frowned as I tried to parse that out, before the portal cleared, revealing a city beside a bay blocked by a large tanker and an oil rig barely visible in the middle of said bay. The moment I saw that, I put the pieces together and blanched.

"Oh hell, your sending me to WORM!?" I spluttered.

"Yep, pretty much," said Agent, "Want to change your mind?"

For a moment I was sorely tempted. Suddenly, the idea of a spear capable of killing Gods was much more attractive. However, I took a deep breath and shook my head.

"No, I'll stick with the Graal," I said, "Just...tell me what my chances are."

"Well, if things play out as they are 'meant' to, the chances of Taylor winning are 9/10 against," said Agent.

She sighed.

"Look, I don't expect you to run out and beat Zion by yourself, I doubt you could do that even with a Planet Level Sacred Gear, not without excessively large amounts of collateral damage that is. Your job is to just help. In my experience, its not the most powerful person who helps win, its the person who helps. A simple act of kindness can change the course of an entire war and Earth Bet is in dire need of that kindness."

I stared at the screen for a moment, before I steeled myself and took a deep breath.

"Fair enough," I said, "I...I'm not entirely sure if I can do much, but I'll try."

Agent smiled and nodded.

"Thank you," she said, "Here."

She held out a hand and a simple, clay cup appeared in her hand. I raised an eyebrow.

"I thought it was golden?" I asked.

Agent shrugged.

"It seems more appropriate," she said, "Besides, I rather like the Indiana Jones movies."

I shrugged and took the cup. The moment my fingers touched it, it glowed and vanished and I felt something settled within me. I shivered slightly as a wave of warmth washed over me, making my hair momentarily stand on end and my eyes itch. A moment later, I felt my canines extend slightly and, when I opened my mouth and felt them, I found that they were a lot sharper. A slight flex of will made them extend into fangs.

"Huh, neat," I said.

"I'll give you an understanding of how to actually use your powers to get you started," said Agent, "You won't actually have to drink blood to survive, but it will make you stronger if you do. You might even be able to gain Parahuman abilities if you drink their blood."

"Huh, thats cool," I said, "So, when will I arrive?"

"A little before the winter holidays of 2010," said Agent, "Unfortunately, I couldn't acquire any identity as I used the points I could have used for that to gain access to the more powerful Sacred Gears and to hide you from some of the more dangerous threats. I also made it a point to give you a fake Corona Pollentia and Gemma which should fool most everyone who can see it. I also had to ensure that no other Shard would ping off it in the event of a Trigger happening near you."

She muttered something under her breath that sounded vaguely rude.

"So, what am I supposed to do about an identity?" I asked.

"Considering the sheer number of Parahuman incidents resulting in people getting displaced, it shouldn't be that hard to sort it out," said Agent, "You'll need a source of income, but considering what the Graal can do…"

"Not that hard," I said, "Alright, what about Thinkers?"

Agent gave me a flat look.

"You aren't Human, are completely outside the Shards experience and have a literal Miracle in your Soul," she deadpanned, "Theres no way that any of them will be able to get much on you. Plus, that thing can resurrect the dead. Bring Hero back to life and you'll probably have the Cauldron worshiping you."

"Or locking me in a box somewhere."

Agent shrugged.

"You'll manage," she said, "So, are you ready to go?"

I turned back to the portal and took a deep breath, before stepping forwards.

"Oh, by the way, I added a new function to the Graal," said Agent, "I think you'll like it."

I paused.

"Wait, wha...WHOAAAA!"

I yelped as Agent shoved me through the portal. There was a bizarre sensation that I couldn't describe in a million years, before I found myself face planting into a pile of sand mixed with rotting seaweed. That would be an unpleasant experience for a Human, but considering Dhampirs have better senses than Humans, it was even worse for me. I shot to my knees, gasping and spluttering as I tried to get the sand and seaweed out of my mouth.

"Blarg, that wasn't nice!" I groaned as I ran a finger over my tongue, "I need a drink."

I grimused as I ran a hand through my hair and pulled out a slimy bit of seaweed.

"And a shower."

I ran my fingers through my hair again and paused as a few strands fell in front of my eyes. I frowned and pulled more forwards, staring at the platinum blonde strands. Considering I had brown hair before, it was rather jarring. I quickly pushed my hair out of the way and patted myself down. Despite Agents assurances, the change in hair colour had me a bit worried. Fortunately, I didn't have anything I shouldn't, nor had I lost anything, so I turned my attention to the rest of my body.

I stretched, feeling my new and improved vampiric muscles stretch, and held up a hand, flexing my fingers as my nails lengthened and retracted slightly. The difference wasn't massive, no sprouting massive talons for me, instead going from well trimmed to long and pointed. Despite that, I knew that they were as sharp and as strong as a steel blade.

Self examination done, I stood and looked around. Considering I was surrounded by rusted ship hulls, it didn't take a genius to deduce that I was in the Ship Graveyard. I grimoused slightly at the stench of seaweed and rotting fish that filled the area and started looking around for a way out so I could find somewhere to hole up and take stock. As I did, I paused in front of a piece of glass that was large and clean enough to act like a mirror and took a look at the new me.

Despite assurances that she wouldn't turn me into a girl or a trap, it was apparent that getting turned into a Dhampir had caused some changes. My formerly dark hair was now platinum blonde, almost white, and my eyes were wine red. Not only that, but I seemed to have been airbrushed, with every tiny imperfection in my face smoothed out and my pale skin from spending most of my time locked in my room had gone from a slightly unhealthy mark of a shut in to a more healthy looking pale, although I did have dark lines under my eyes. Finally, my body had gone from just skinny to well toned and, when I flexed, I actually had some visible muscles.

I frowned, before shrugging and moving on. I wasn't entirely pleased by the changes, but I couldn't argue with them. The only slight issue was that my eyes were kinda memorable, but I could deal.

* * *

Eventually, I found a ship in decent shape that didn't seem to have anyone squatting in it (probably because there was no easy way inside unless you could fly) and jumped on board with a little help from my wings. Said wings were large, batlike and had dark red webbing that was the same colour as my eyes, as well as some rather large claws at the tips of the fingers that looked as sharp as my claws and about twice as nasty. Those could be handy.

I put my wings away and made my way inside, quickly finding a room with some dusty and extremely old furniture still inside and, after making sure it would support my weight, dropped into a metal chair with a huff. I sat still for a moment, staring up at the ceiling, before I sat forwards and held out my hands. I hesitated for a second, before reaching into my Soul and pulling out my Sacred Gear.

The Holy Grail appeared in my hands without so much as a twinkle, looking for all the world like a clay cup from an exhibit on peasant life in Ancient Egypt or something. To anyone else, it would be hard to believe that it was something as powerful as the Holy Grail, but I could feel the Divine Power inside it. It was surprisingly comforting considering I was half monster, but I suppose it was only natural considering it was my power.

I closed my eyes and focused, turning the cup idly in my hands as I prodded at the power, trying to see how it worked.

"Lets see, if I do this and this and...that oughta do it," I muttered and opened my eyes.

Sure enough, the cup was now full to the brim with faintly glowing liquid that was somehow completely clear, blood red and shining like a rainbow at the same time. Don't ask me how, I just put it down to Sacred Gear bullshit, which is even worse than Parahuman Bullshit. I hesitated for a moment, before downing the liquid.

Immediately, my eyes went wide and I nearly started choking as the ice cold fluid burned its way down my throat. I could literally feel it flowing through me, suffusing my entire physical being and even my Soul, which was a very odd feeling indeed, granting my body the ability to regenerate from practically anything. What? You think I'm going to rely on anything less in a world like Worm? Please, I'm not that dumb.

"Hoo boy, thats some good stuff," I said as I patted down my hair which had stood on end from the energy surge.

I took another few breaths, before settling back down and studying the cup in my hand. I wasn't sure if I wanted to start playing with the other powers, but there was one more I wanted to try. I wanted to see if I could bring someone back to life and my main target was Hero. If I could do that, I'd have a way to actually make myself a place in the world without having to rely on luck. Hopefully at least.

I sighed, stood and stepped out of the room, heading for the bowels of the ship where there'd be plenty of room. I didn't want to risk getting caught in an explosion if there was one.

* * *

It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for, one of the ships empty holds and I quickly moved to the middle and closed my eyes. It took a moment, but I figured out what I needed to do. The Grail filled with liquid, this time pale blue and glowing, and I emptied it onto the floor where it flowed under its own power until it formed a large Magic Circle with me in the center. I took a deep breath, focused my mind on who it was I wanted and began to speak.

 **Let silver and steel be the essence**

 **Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation**

 **May you place your trust in me as I will trust in you**

 **My fate shall be yours to determine**

 **Your self be mine to maintain**

 **Let the path of right and wrong lie before you**

 **That you may choose of your own free will**

 **Open the Gate. Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut.**

 **The four cardinal points are accounted for**

 **Now may you come forth at my call!**

I was about half way through when I realized just what the chant meant, but by that point it was to late. The Magic had built to the point where if I stopped it would explode and take a good chunk of the City with it, so I had to complete the Ritual. Still, at least I now knew what Agent had meant by a new function! I could summon Servants.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, my body finished the chant and the glowing circle erupted, blowing me off my feet and sending me flying across the room. I hit the wall and slid down, surprisingly not hurt by the impact. I groaned slightly as I looked down at the Grail in my hand and watched as an image engraved itself on the clay in gold. To my surprise, it wasn't one of the standard ones, instead it was a set of scales. I'd summoned Ruler.

The sound of armoured boots on the metal floor made me look up at the circle as the newly Summoned Servant stepped forwards, looking around in apparent interest. He was surprisingly short, but still had a presence that befitted a Servant with the class of Ruler. His sleek armour was a gleaming gold with a blue underlayer and visor in a helmet that almost reminded me of a Mandalorian. A number of doodads hung from his belt, along with a multitude of pouches that no doubt contained even more bits of Tinkertech and a rather large rifle rested across his back. Every bit of his gear was sleek and looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, which wasn't to surprising when he was the one who wrote the book on Tinkers.

Finally, Hero's gaze fell on me and he tilted his head slightly. Then, he knelt and removed his helmet, which nearly made me swallow my tongue as it revealed a youthful, feminine face, green eyes and golden blonde hair pulled into a tight bun.

"At your Summoning, I have come forth," said Ruler, "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

I stared at the girl for a moment, before slowly holding up my Grail to show the Command Seal engraved on it.

"Yeasss, but your not exactly what I was expecting," I said slowly, "You...are Hero, right?"

Ruler snorted.

"Yeah, I kinda get that," she asked, patting her chestplate, "But you gotta remember that I became a Cape back when women weren't taken quite as seriously as they are now. It wasn't until Alexandria started making waves that that changed, but by then I couldn't see the point in revealing my gender. Plus, it was always fun to see peoples reactions when they found out I'm a woman."

"Well, I certainly can't argue with that," I said, "So, why Ruler? Wouldn't Archer or Caster work better?"

Ruler shifted so she was sat cross legged on the floor and shrugged.

"I think it has something to do with the settings of your Grail," she said, "While you could activate a War, its also entirely possible for you to simple summon all Seven Servant Classes and maintain them yourself. My job is to act as a mediator, general and, if needed, executioner. Your first Summon would have been a Ruler regardless."

"Makes sense I guess," I said, "So does this mean I can't bring people back to life without Summoning their Heroic Spirit?"

Ruler shook her head.

"No, its two different functions," she said, "You could have simply resurrected me, but accidentally used the wrong ability."

"That...could be a pain," I muttered, "Eh, whatever, whats done is done."

I sighed.

"So, what now?"

"Now we see about getting somewhere to live and some ID," said Ruler, "Fortunately, I know exactly how to do that."

I eyed her suspiciously.

"How?"

"I'm going to hack into the governments systems."

I stared at her, mouth hanging open in pure shock.

"I thought you were a hero!" I yelled once I'd got control of my shock.

"I also used to be a member of the Capinarti," she said as she started fiddling with what looked like an Omni-tool, "Lets see...oh, they haven't plugged any of my back doors yet. Thats nice. Shift that, alter that, add that and...done!"

She did...something and produced a sheaf of papers from...somewhere that she handed to me with a smug smile. Fucking Tinkers.

I shook my head and started flipping through the papers. They were all of the identity papers I could need which claimed that I was one Adrian Tepes from some tiny town in the middle of nowhere that had got splattered by the Nine.

"Really? You went with Adrian Tepes?" I asked, "Why not go with Alucard while your at it?"

"Well, why not?" said Ruler, "You have the powers of a member of the Tepes and its not like anyone would guess that your a Vampire."

"Dhampir, but I guess its fine," I said with a sigh, "It works as well as anything else and I don't really feel like using my real name. Not after I've changed so much."

"Great, in that case, lets go find us a place to live," said Ruler, hopping to her feet and dispelling her armour to reveal a normal pair of jeans and t-shirt underneath.

I didn't know Servants could do that. Then what she said hit me and I frowned. That...didn't sound quite right. I mean, I knew that we'd share wherever we ended up, but the way she said that made it sound like she didn't intend to just stay Astralized. Then I looked at the papers again and saw that they listed Valerie Tepes as my older sister and her plan suddenly became clear.

"Wait, your not gonna…"

Ruler grinned and glomped me.

"I always wanted an adorable younger brother!" she chirped.

Oh hell, this was going to be...interesting.

 **And done. I'm not planning to continue with this one past the second chapter, I just needed a quick and dirty break from my stories to let my creative juices recharge. I've had this idea floating around for a while and thought I might as well get something out of it. By the way, the idea of Agent and her shtick came from RHJunior's the Warcrafter story.**

 **So, what do you think of Ruler? I decided that I might as well go the Fate route and have a male hero turn out to be a woman who happens to be a clone of Saber and the reasoning made sense to me. Different eras and all that. As for her personality, well, there's not much about Hero on the Wiki, so I decided to roll with the idea of a slightly immature older sister character. Plus, the original version had a scene with the Triumvirate showing up, getting their asses kicked and Rulers method of proving that it really was her was to bring up an embarrassing story Rebecca had told her years ago.**

 **Not sure if I'd have other people summon Servants or just have Adrian summon them all himself, but I do know that the Lancer would be Elizabeth Bathory, just so I could get her on stage with Canary. Possibly throw in Nero to, just to give Adrian an even larger headache and because I've been playing EXTELLA lately.**

 **Anyway, this is done, so I'm going to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	149. Hopebringer chapter 2

Hopebringer

Plenty of people get dragged into situations they really don't want to be in by ROBs, but very few get chosen by ROB's for more than basic amusement. I was unlucky enough to be one of them. Now I'm in Worm with a mission to save the world. Unfortunately, raw power isn't what works around here.

 **And we're back. Nothing much to say other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The next three days seemed to go by rather quickly. Thanks to Ruler's Tinkertech magic, we soon found a suitable place to live, payed for courtesy of Ruler getting into Coil, Kaiser and Lungs bank accounts and filching a fairly impressive amount of money in such a way that they probably wouldn't even notice it was gone. Quite how she managed that I don't know, but Tinkertech was bullshit.

Right now however, we were out shopping for the necessities and I was taking a break in the shade since even the weak winter sunlight was enough to irritate me. Hey, I might be a Daywalker, but I was still part Vampire and that part of me did NOT like the sun.

"Here," said Ruler as she sat down next to me and held out a napkin wrapped hot dog.

"Are you sure you should be out and about like this?" I asked as I accepted the snack from Ruler.

"Sure, why not?" asked the Servant as she took a bite out of her own food.

"Its just...you might get recognized…"

Ruler snorted and ruffled my hair.

"Adrian, the number of people who know the real me can be counted on one hand," she said, "Do you honestly believe that we'll run into any of them? And if we do, do you really believe that they'll think I'm Hero back from the dead? Even in this world, thats a bit hard to believe. Hell, they're more likely to conclude that your a Vampire."

"I would like to point out that two of those that know you are in the city and did you forget about the Cauldron?" I growled.

Ruler snorted.

"Please, I figured out how to hide from Clairvoyant and Contessa years ago," she said, "Its a lot easier to sneak up on people who can't see you coming."

She smiled and ruffled my hair again.

"You can trust your Onee-chan kid, I know what I'm doing," she said, "Besides, I've got Presence Concealment."

I paused.

"How do you have Presence Concealment?" I asked, "You don't exactly seem like the type to qualify for the Assassin class."

"I was a masked Hero who hid her gender and identity and a member of a shadowy cabal with a habit of murder and inhumane experiments," deadpanned Ruler, "The Skill only keeps people from recognizing me if I don't want them to. Even Missy wouldn't be able to see through it."

"Missy? Oh, you mean Miss Militia," I said, "Its that strong?"

"Eh, more like it works completely differently to Shard bullshit, so they can't see through it," said Ruler, "Some Thinkers might be able to make the connection, but I doubt it."

I pulled a face as I thought of what could happen if a certain know-it-all were to point her power in Rulers direction. Or mine for that matter. I wonder how Tattletales power would react to a Servant and a Dhampir with the Holy Grail in his soul? Probably badly, assuming it could even perceive said differences.

"Speaking of skills, have you considered trying to Summon another Servant?" asked Ruler.

I pulled a face.

"I'm...not really sure that I should," I said, "I mean, without a Catalyst, I have no idea what I'd get. Imagine if I ended up pulling Heracles as Berserker? The only thing he'd be good for is pointing at S class threats and the odd Endbringer. Plus, there are plenty of other Heroes I'd rather not Summon."

"Like who?"

"Gilgamesh for starters," I said immediately, "Heracles is another, as is Karna and most of the other upper ranked Heroic Spirits to be honest."

"Why?" asked Ruler, "I would have thought they would be helpful."

"I guess they would," I said, "But I really don't think that releasing monsters like that on this world would be such a good idea."

"I see your point," said Ruler, clearly not at all pleased with the thought of someone like the King of Heroes wandering around Bet calling people mongrels, although I do suspect that seeing him one shot some of the more annoying baddies would be fun, "Still, without a Catalyst, you should get Servants who are suited for you, right?"

"Hmm, good point," I said, "But that doesn't negate the issue of not wanting to unleash obscenely powerful monsters into the world, no matter how much fun watching Gilgamesh go to town on the Nine would be."

"I highly doubt you'd get anyone to hard to control," said Ruler, "That said, I do think you need to try. Servants will be our best bet to stop this World from going down the shitter, assuming that you don't randomly develop into a True Ancestor or something."

I glared at her, before sighing.

"Fine, I guess I can't argue with that," I muttered, "I really hope I don't regret this…"

"Oh come on, whats the worst that could happen?" said Ruler, clapping me on the back.

I slowly turned and fixed the Servant with a glare.

"Now that you've said that, something extremely bad," I hissed, "Oh whatever, lets just go find somewhere to do the Summoning. You probably need a Workshop as well."

"Eh, I got a Noble Phantasm for that," said Ruler.

I stared at her.

"You have a...no wait, that makes perfect sense," I said, "Your THE Tinker, so of course you'd have a Noble Phantasm based around that part of your legend."

"Yep, its pretty cool to," said Ruler smugly.

I sighed.

"Still, it'd probably be a good idea to have an actual base, just in case. Any suggestions?"

"The Docks would probably be best," said Ruler, "Plenty of abandoned warehouses we can acquire and fix up."

"On the down side, there all pretty much rotten," I said.

"We'll manage," said Ruler, "So, shall we go now or….?"

"Lets wait until night," I said, "Meanwhile, I need to get my hands on something to make a costume out of."

"Oh, I've got just the thing!" said Ruler excitedly.

Before I could react, she reached into one of her shopping bags and pulled out a red hoodie with a black cartoon bat on the back.

"Huh...that's actually not too bad," I said.

"I'll make you something better later, but it'll do for now," said Ruler, "Come on, lets get this stuff home."

I got to my feet and dumped the now empty napkin in a nearby bin as I picked up my shopping bags and followed Ruler in the direction of the door.

* * *

A few hours later after sunset, I changed into my costume (which was basically a hoodie, jeans, combat boots, fingerless gloves and a domino mask Ruler had produced from somewhere) and opened the window.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" asked Ruler.

"We can cover more ground if we split up," I said, "I've got plenty of power of my own if I get into trouble, but I highly doubt that'll happen. I'm certainly not going to go looking for it."

"No, but its sure to find you anyway," muttered Ruler.

I flipped her off and hopped out the window, bursting into a flock of bats as I did while Ruler left through the door. I reformed a short distance from the building and, after reorienting myself, flew in the direction of the Docks, aiming for the part of the run down area that was between the ABB and Empire territory since that was the best options were. The warehouses there were in relatively good shape, but still abandoned since nobody wanted to risk storing anything anywhere close to where a fight between a Dragon and a racist blender could go down.

* * *

I was just flying over the border between the two gangs territory when the sound of razed voices caught my attention. I looked down and sighed as I spotted a group of hulking men of various Asian denominations chasing a young girl with blonde hair. I sighed. Well, Brockton will be Brockton I guess.

I glanced down again, just in time to see the girl make a wrong turn into a dead end. She skidded to a stop and whipped around as the thugs rounded the corner and slowly started stalking towards her.

"Urg, this is gonna be a pain, I just know it," I muttered and folded my wings to dive down.

I landed on a dumpster with a loud crash, making all involved in the little scuffle jump and spin around. I'm sure I must have made for quite a sight, a dark shadow swathed in leathery wings tipped with sharp claws and my eyes catching the light from a nearby streetlamp, causing them to glow crimson in the dark.'

"Eyup scumbags," I said with a grin, causing my fangs to gleam in the dark, "Mind moving along and leaving the poor girl alone?"

There was a moments silence as the Humans stared at me in shock and, if the smell was anything to go by, terror, before one of the thugs proved to be a complete idiot by pulling out a gun and pointing it at me. Before he could even think about pulling the trigger, I snatched the gun out of his hand and backhanded him into a wall with a loud crunch.

"Fun way it is then!"

One of the thugs pulled a knife, but I snapped the cheap blade with ease and kneed him in the gut. He went down gasping as I spun, my claws flashing as they cut the pipe the third idiot had grabbed into four pieces, leaving him gaping at his destroyed weapon before I battered him aside with my wing and turned to the last one...who had apparently decided that he couldn't escape or take me down, so had taken the girl hostage to try and gain the upper hand. Exactly how he'd managed that I don't know, but it was a pain.

"D-don't come any closer!" he stuttered, holding a knife at the girls throat.

I eyed the blade, which was shaking so badly I'm surprised he hadn't cut her throat by accident. To be honest, I wasn't that worried. I had plenty of options to take him down that would keep the girl safe, all I needed was the right opening…

However, before I could find said opening, the girl suddenly lashed out, elbowing the man in the gut as he shifted his grip on the knife, making him release her and stumble back. It did leave her with a small gash on her neck, but it was better than it could have been. I watched, nonplused as the girl followed up her attack by throwing the much larger man over her hip and stomping on his chest hard enough that I heard a crack.

"Take me hostage would you!?" she snarled as she grabbed a nearby length of pipe, "I'll kill you for that!"

I quickly moved and disarmed her before she could crush his skull with the length of metal.

"Lets not do that," I said as she spun around and glared at me.

"Who the fuck are you?" she growled, her fingers flexing.

I grinned, flashing my fangs as I casually bent the pipe into a knot.

"Alucard, at your service," I said, tossing aside the bent metal, "Are you OK?"

The girl scowled and rubbed her bleeding neck.

"I'll be fine," she said.

"Hmm, maybe next time don't go out on your own at night," I said, "Next time there might not be anyone nearby to help."

"Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before," muttered the girl, "This part of the city is supposed to be safe from scum like this."

She kicked the downed goon in the side. I raised an eyebrow. To be fair, as a blonde haired, blue eyed young girl, she probably was safe in the E88 territory. Plus, from the sound of things, she was likely a member of the gang. Somehow I get the feeling this was going to bite me in the ass...

"Anyway, I'd better call the cops and have them take out the trash," I said, "You head home and try not to get mugged again."

The girl glared at me, but left, kicking the goon in the side again as she went. I sighed and plucked a phone out of one of the mens pockets to dial 911. Two minutes later, I dropped the phone on one of the mens chest and started pulling them together, blinding their wrists with zip ties.

"You gents be good now," I said, "The cops'll be here soon to pick you up."

"Lung'll kill you fucker!" snarled one of them.

I rolled my eyes.

"I doubt Lung even knows you exist," I drawled, "But if he wants to try, I'll be happy to meet him. Later."

I turned to go, but paused when I saw a discarded knife on the floor, still wet with the girls blood. There wasn't much, only a couple of drops, but still more than enough to make my Vampire side sit up and take notice. I hadnt fed since I had arrived and, while I didn't technically need to to survive, I did need blood to keep my strength from fading. I picked up the knife and eyed the gleaming liquid, before glancing at the thugs. After a moment's thought, I shrugged and jumped up onto the roof, taking the knife with me. Now well and truly out of view of any bystanders, I looked at the knife again, hesitated, before giving into the instinct and licking the blood from the blade.

Blood is...well, I'm not really sure how to describe it. To me, it wasn't like described in some stories, an explosion of flavour that was as addictive as any drug, although that could be because I'm only half Vampire. It doesn't help that everyone tastes different, albeit all like the finest chocolate. Well, unless they were perpetually pickled like the Merchants, but I'd have to be pretty desperate to feed on one of those lowlifes.

Anyway, back on track. Once I'd cleaned the knife and shoved down the urge to find the girl and invite her for a bite, I discarded the knife and took off again, just as a cop car pulled up to take the thugs in.

* * *

It took another half an hour to find a suitable location. It was inside the E88 territory, so I hunkered down outside for a bit and took control of some of the bugs and bats nesting inside to do a bit of scouting, just to make sure I wasn't about to barge into one of Hookwolfs dog fighting rings or something equally annoying.

It didn't take long to confirm that there wasn't anything bigger than a rat inside the building and I burst into a flock of bats, reforming inside the building to see what I could find. It was mostly what you'd expect, run down, dusty and mostly empty, with just a few rusted machines that were to big and heavy to be stolen. However, as I walked through a door at the back of the main room, I stopped and stared at what I found.

The building in question was part of a small complex of interconnected factories and storehouses that had once served as the local headquarters of some manufacturing company which had gone out of business years ago. From the slightly different styles of the various parts of the buildings, it wasn't hard to determine that it had grown over time, likely starting small and growing as was needed into the interconnected complex it was now. As a result, whether through design or accident, there was a small courtyard in the middle which I could tell just by looking would become a riot of colour in the summer. I tilted my head on one side and hummed thoughtfully.

The complex was reasonably large, in decent shape and centrally located while not being in use by anything except squatters and wildlife. With Rulers help, it wouldn't be hard to acquire it legally and get water and power connected. Plus, there was plenty of room for when I decided to do some more Summoning.

Speaking of which, I suppose that now was as good a time as any. I sighed, still not entirely sure if I should actually go through with summoning more Servants, but acknowledging Rulers point that I'd probably need them. Besides, I was unlikely to get anyone to belligerent. I hope.

I sighed as I summoned my Sacred Gear and upended it, watching as the glowing liquid flowed out to form the circle on the dusty floor.

"Welp, time to see what I get now," I muttered and started the Aria.

This time, I could feel something within me reaching out as I chanted, latching onto something and drawing it towards me. It felt hot, passionate and full of life, a feeling that brought to mind a rose made of crimson flames.

"Aw crap," I muttered as I realized just what that meant, right before the Summoning ritual finished and the circle erupted into a massive blast of crimson light that nearly blinded me.

I stumbled back, rubbing at my eyes and extremely glad that I'd done the Summoning inside. Once I could finally see again, I looked up to see a figure slowly floating down from a few feet of the floor within a pillar of red light, her golden boots gleaming brightly, her crimson dress glowed like fire and her hair shone like spun gold. Yep, no mistaking it, my Saber was Nero. This is gonna be...interesting? Sure, lets go with interesting.

Sabers feet touched the ground and the pillar of light vanished in a swirl of crimson petals. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hello Master," she said, "Its nice to finally meet you."

I smirked as I pushed back my hood and removed my mask.

"Likewise, although I'm honestly rather surprised to see that I summoned you Nero," I said, "Adrian Tepis, or Alucard in costume."

"I do hope that you don't expect me to wear a mask," said Saber.

I snorted.

"Nah, I know a futile argument when I see one," I said, "Besides, you don't hide a rose away from the world."

Saber blinked, then smirked.

"Ohh, you do know how to talk to me Master," she said.

I smirked back as I put my mask back on and pulled up my hood.

"Speaking of talking, we're about to have company," I said.

Sure enough, at that moment the door opened and the King of Tinkers entered, pausing at the sight of Saber. She eyed the other woman for a moment, before nodding.

"Good choice," she said.

"I don't exactly choose who I summon ya know," I deadpanned.

"Regardless, a Saber will go a long way to help. Better than a Berserker or Assassin at least."

I pulled a face.

"Actually I kinda want an Assassin to send after Coil, but I guess it can wait," I said, "Anyway, Saber, this is Ruler, also known as Valerie Tepis, my sort-of sister for the paperwork."

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you," said Saber with a blinding smile.

"Anyway, Ruler, can you see if we can get this place legally?" I said, "It'll be a good base of operations. There's plenty of space, a nice area we can turn into a garden and I'm fairly sure that its not in use by anyone."

"Shouldn't be to hard," said Ruler, "Most of the places around here are readily available for anyone who can pay the back taxes."

"Charge it to Coil," I said, "In the meantime, I probably ought to get home and get some sleep."

"Whys that Master?" asked Saber.

I scowled.

"Because I've got to get up for school tomorrow," I grumbled.

"I did say we should wait," said Ruler.

"Thats not what I'm annoyed about," I grumbled, "Couldn't you have got me into Arcadia?"

"Sorry Master, but theres a limit to what I can do," she said, "Besides, don't you want to try and help that Taylor girl?"

I pulled a face.

"I guess, but Winslow!"

Saber just stood back and watched as Ruler and I kept bickering all the way home.

* * *

The next day, I was still grumbling under my breath as I stomped out of Blackwells office with my books, a map of the school and a timetable. I think it goes without saying, but she was a raging, condescending, hypocritical bitch who thought I could take a warning about keeping my nose clean from a woman who literally had a drug deal going on right outside her office window. Fortunately, no one seemed to be willing to get in my way, although whether that was due to my thunderous expression or the fact I was an unknown was anyone's guess.

The sound of a hand striking against flesh extremely hard made me pause and look around. A short distance away, a boy with a red and green bandana around his bicep stumbled back into one of his friends, holding a red cheek as a girl with her dark hair in pigtails advanced on him, radiating danger.

"I warned you Shinji, try that again and I wouldn't go easy!" snarled the girl.

"Y-you can't talk to me like that!" snarled the boy as he got to his feet.

SMACK!

I winced as the girl punched him across the other cheek, sending him crashing back to the ground while his friends quickly backed up.

"Don't think for a moment that that little armband impresses me in the slightest Matou," she hissed, "Now stay away from me or I'll do more than break your nose."

She turned on her heel and stormed away from the ABB thugs, revealing a red turtleneck, a black skirt, black stockings and leather shoes. She quickly spotted me staring and scowled.

"Need something?" she asked, her voice a little tight.

I blinked and blushed at being caught staring.

"Ah, sorry," I said, "I just couldn't help but overhear."

The girl snorted and relaxed slightly.

"Yeah, unfortunately thats par for the course around here," she said, "Shinji thinks hes a big shot because hes part of the ABB, but hes just an idiot."

She let out a huff and looked me up and down, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't recognize you," she said, "New student?"

"Starting today," I grumbled, "I wanted Arcadia, but I couldn't get in this late in the year."

The girl nodded, looking sympathetic.

"Yeah, I know the feeling," she said, "I'm in the same boat. Best of luck to you."

She nodded and walked away.

"Hey, wait," I said, making her pause and glance back at me, "Whats your name? I'm Adrian."

The girl was silent for a moment, eyeing me werally, before she snorted.

"Fine, I guess I'll humour you," she said, "I'm Rin. Rin Tohsaka."

It took all I had to keep from reacting to that as she walked away. Instead, I glanced down the hall in the direction that the boy she'd punched had headed with his friends.

"And that was Shinji Matou I'm guessing," I muttered, "Alright, lets see if I can…"

I trailed off as I summoned my Sacred Gear in my pocket and activated it. Immediately, I KNEW the people around me, reading their Souls to such a degree that Tattletale would be envious. I ignored most of them however and focused on Shinji. He was a perfectly normal Human and...honestly not as bad as I would have thought. Oh, he wasn't a nice person, but he wasn't evil and had only really joined the gang because he thought it would make him cool.

I turned my attention away from him and onto Rin and...ah, there we go. I stared at the girl's Soul with interest. She wasn't a Magus, but she was a Parahuman. I could see the connection with the Shard, a vast but simple Soul that was barely more than those possessed by Animals. In fact, it was actually less than that. It was intelligent, but definitely not sapient and, despite the fact I could see it affecting Rin, it wasn't evil. It was just doing its job.

I was about to dismiss my Sacred Gear when my gaze fell on a small group emerging from the girls bathroom. My physical eyes registered them as the girls who could only be the Bitches Three, while my Soul Sight confirmed it and holy COW was Sophia twisted! Her Soul was a twisted mass of hatred, anger and an inferiority complex that made Armsmaster and Eidolon look positively well balanced. Her Shard certainly wasn't helping, taking all that negative emotion and stirring it up, forcing her into a vicious cycle that she'd likely never be able to escape from, even if she somehow lost her power.

Next to that mess, Emma and Madison were hardly even worth noticing. Emma was broken, damaged and patched up badly. She wasn't completely lost, not yet, but it would take work to fix her and it was doubtful that she'd ever fully recover and Madison was...well, she was no different than any of the other Souls belonging to the teenaged girls in the school.

As I watched, the three sped up slightly as another girl emerged from the stairwell, moving quickly so that Sophia could shoulder check her, knocking the girl to the ground before stomping on her bag while the other two said something I couldn't hear. Or was really paying attention to as I examined Taylor Heberts Soul.

She was...not looking well. Her Soul was tattered, marked by the suffering she'd been put through, but still whole and going strong. I was mildly impressed by that. It was one thing to read about someone going through hell and still moving forwards and it was quite another to see it in person. It almost made me regret not starting a War. Taylor would make a fine Master and I'm certain that she would have managed to claim the Grail.

I quickly pushed that thought aside however. I wasn't willing to put the world at risk just to entertain myself if someone unworthy managed to claim the Grail. Besides, I had a protagonist to meet.

 **And that'll do. I'm...not really sure if this counts as a cliffhanger, but whatever. I admit, I'm not pleased with this chapter, but its the third iteration of a number of versions that mostly ended with Adrian and his Servants getting into a fight with everyone and their dog and were thus scrapped and I just want to get this over and done with. Now, onto the quips.**

 **If your interested, I came up with some parameters that I think suit Ruler fairly well and will include them below. Let me know what you think of them and her Noble Phantasms.**

 **Incidentally, that little confrontation in the alley will have some unforeseen repercussions. You might be able to guess what if you know what DXD Vampires can do with blood they drink.**

 **I already have all seven Servants chosen, plus Avenger, and figured out the order they will be Summoned in by rolling a dice. I'll be interested to see the reaction of some of them, but I won't list them just yet. Suffice to say, they are quite the bunch.**

 **To be clear, Magus do not exist in this world. Rin is just a Parahuman and will actually be part of the main cast later down the line. I wonder if you can guess what shes up to when not playing the role of student?**

 **That said, those two and one more will be the only Fate characters in the story, other than the Servants for obvious reasons.**

 **I almost forgot that Taylor hadn't Triggered yet while writing this. Fortunately, I caught it in time.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**

Rulers Parameters:

Strength: E

Endurance: D

Agility: A

Mana: E

Luck: A

NP: A++

Skills: True Name Discernment: B. Due to Ruler class

Territory Creation: A. Due to being a Tinker in her past life, Ruler can create an area in which Tinkertech can be understood, created and maintained by normal people.

Item Construction: EX. As the first and greatest Tinker in the world, of course she can make items.

Presence concealment: E. Limited to preventing people from connecting her to Hero and/or figuring out her gender.

Noble Phantasm: Workshop of the Tinker: A++. A manifestation of her fame as the First Tinker, this Reality Marble is a cross between a storehouse and workshop where Ruler can access all of her creations and contains an infinite amount of resources that permit her to build almost anything

Raiment of a Hero: A. It is the embodiment of every suit of armour created by the Tinker Hero, it manifests as an unbreakable suit of armour with the ability to fly and a number of handy creations.

Mark of a Hero: C. The embodiment of Rulers belief and determination to be a Hero despite the dark truth of powers makes her a shining beacon to those who fight to defend. When activated, it glows with a brilliant light that acts as a beacon which strengthens Heroes and makes their attacks hit with more force and become charged with the power to damage even that which is supposed to be indestructible. It only affects Parahumans, contributing to its surprisingly low rank.

Golden Heroes Sting: EX. Rulers gun and most powerful Noble Phantasm. It can be summed up as the culmination of her Legend, carrying within it the potential of every single weapon he ever created and possesses a huge number of different settings. Its true power however is to fully tap into Hero's Shards power to manipulate Wavelengths and fire Stilling blasts like the Entities use.


	150. Hopebringer chapter 2 v2

Hopebringer (v2)

Plenty of people get dragged into situations they really don't want to be in by ROBs, but very few get chosen by ROB's for more than basic amusement. I was unlucky enough to be one of them. Now I'm in Worm with a mission to save the world. Unfortunately, raw power isn't what works around here.

 **So, time for something a bit different. This chapter is an alternate version of the other one (obviously) which probably won't get continued. In this version, instead of Adrian acting as the Master to seven Servants, he basically uses his power to trigger a Grail War in Brockton. Oh, and before I forget, in this timeline, Dinah triggered a bit earlier than in Canon. Enjoy.**

Chapter 2

"Something on your mind Master?" asked Ruler as she entered my room and found me lying back on my bed, staring up at my Sacred Gear.

"I'm considering how to proceed," I said.

"Proceed with what?" asked Ruler.

"This world needs help, desperately," I said, "However, I'm not sure that I should be the one to do it."

Ruler frowned as she sat down in the chair by my desk.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I'm...not really sure," I said, "Its just a feeling I get. Maybe its because I'm not a native or maybe its instinct, but I get the feeling that I'm more here to proved the catalyst needed for the change, rather than actually be the catalyst."

"Whats the difference?"

"The difference is that, if I do this right, someone will have the power to save Bet with a much reduced killcount. On the other hand, if the wrong person gets their hands on that power…"

Ruler narrowed her eyes.

"Your talking about the Grail," she said, "Are you…"

I sighed and sat up, meeting my Servants eyes.

"I intend to start a Holy Grail War in the city," I said bluntly, "Although it technically wasn't designed as a Wish Granting Machine like the Greater Grail, my Sacred Gear still has that capability, especially when powered by six powerful Souls."

"But releasing seven powerful Heroes on the City and with no way to determine who will get the slots…"

"Actually, thats not true," I said, "I already have some people in mind to act as Masters."

Ruler raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

I grinned.

* * *

When Taylor Hebert fell into bed that night, she expected to quickly fall asleep and dream of better times until she was forced to return to the real world with the morn. Instead, she found herself stood in a vast , empty void on a platform made of what appeared to be glass and accompanied by 13 shadows of different shapes and sizes, all of whom looked as confused as she was.

"Whats going on?" asked the shadow beside her, a large, broad one that looked like a well built male.

"Where are we?" asked another, this one small and slight from across the dark area.

"Ah, an excellent question my dear," said a vaguely amused sounding voice as another person appeared, this one not a shadow and sitting in a blue and gold throne-like chair, "One that is both easy and rather difficult to answer."

Taylor swallowed as she eyed the newcomer. He was tall and thin and wearing a black suit with a royal blue tie and a blue butterfly mask over his eyes. It was easy to tell that he was a Cape, both from his dress and the fact he'd somehow managed to grab her from her bed and bring her here.

"I don't appreciate being played with whoever you are," said a rather large shadow who was stood next to the small one, a hand moving to her hip in a way that suggested that she was used to carrying a weapon, "I don't know how you managed to grab me from my office, but the PRT won't take this lying down!"

The man snorted as he lent his cheek against his fist.

"I didn't take you anywhere," he said, "No, all of you are still in bed, or at your desks whichever. I simply brought you here in your dreams."

"Bullshit," said a slim shadow on Taylors other side, "Thats impossible!"

"No, merely not possible for Shards," said the Cape, "But thats irrelevant, you can compare notes later to prove that this isn't merely a dream."

He cleared his throat, stood and spread his arms and grinned.

"Now then, let me welcome you properly to my little corner of paradise," he said, "My name is Overseer and I have bought you all here to make an offer and invite you to participate in a little competition I've put together!"

"We're not interested," growled a tall shadow.

"Oh, don't be so quick to turn down the offer Armsey," said Overseer with a grin that showed off some rather impressive fangs, "See all of you want something, something that would be either impossible or inordinately difficult to achieve with what you currently have. With that in mind, and in the interest of making Brockton both more interesting and inevitably better, I have put together my game."

"What game?" asked the slim shadow beside Taylor, sounding intrigued.

Overseers grin widened and he threw his arms wide.

"Why, the Holy Grail War of course!" he exclaimed, "A no holds barred deathmatch between two teams of Masters and Servants summoned for the Legends of Humanity, all for the chance to win the right to approach this!"

He turned and gestured, causing the darkness to be ripped away, revealing a vast, golden cup that glowed brightly and seemed to radiate power.

"The Holy Grail, the Divine Cup with the power to grant any wish," he said, "The winner of the War will have the right to make a single wish and have it granted. There are very few limitations, but none that would bother you."

He cleared his throat and started pacing.

"The rules are simple. Although all the Servants must be defeated in order of the War to end, Masters are not permitted to be targeted. Not all of you are Capes, but I would still prefer to keep this generally civilized. Second, collateral damage must be kept to a minimum. I'm not stupid enough to believe that unleashing 14 powerful Servants on the city to fight to the death won't result in some damage, but I expect you to keep it down. Finally, no one may interfere with the War. I don't care if its Alexandria, Coil or Zion himself, the War will be completed. To help me enforce the rules, we have Ruler, whos power will be more than enough to deal with any...dicenters."

He indicated to the side where a woman in blue and gold armour appeared and bowed slightly.

"Now hold on a minute, none of us have agreed to anything!" protested a medium height shadow, "You can't expect us to just go along with this!"

Overseer grinned.

"Oh, but thats the beauty of this War," he said, "The competitors are the summoned Servants, not the Masters. If you truly wish to not compete, you can hand off authority to someone who does, but doing so will remove your right to a wish. Now, while I highly doubt that anyone here would wish for anything truly horrible, the fact remains that the Black faction are composed of Villains, while the Red are Heroes. The question is, Missy, do you truly want to risk something bad happening because you refused to fight?"

The shortest shadow twitched slightly while the rest started shifting awkwardly.

"You say that, but how do we know this isn't just a dream?" asked the slim shadow.

"Thats easy, just ask Grue when you wake up," said Overseer.

Taylor blinked, before she suddenly realized that the two groups must be set up into the 'factions' Overseer had mentioned, putting her on the Black side.

"H-hey wait, I'm not a villain!" she protested, "I'm not even a Cape!"

Overseer turned his masked gaze on her, making her flinch slightly.

"Hero and Villain are subjective terms," he said, "But you are on the Black side because that is where you can learn the most. You may not have powers of your own, but I still suspect that you are in the top three to win the War."

Taylor took a step back in shock. She was a frontrunner? No, not a chance. This had to be a dream. Someone like her could never become someone worthy to win something like the Grail. Still, despite that, she couldn't help but wonder, if she did win, could she…

"But our time together draws to an end," said Overseer, cutting of Taylors thoughts, "The sun rises and the Summonings must begin. But first, a final gift to mark you as the Masters of this War. And to prove that this is no mere dream."

He made a grand, sweeping gesture and red lights appeared in front of each shadow, forming into intricate shapes. For a moment, the glowing symbols floated in the air, before shooting into each shadow, making them momentarily glow. Taylor winced as she felt the back of her hand burn and looked down to see the symbol burn itself into the back of her hand.

"These are your Command Spells," said Overseer, "They mark you as Masters and grant you three absolute orders that your Servant must obey. Do not waste them because you won't be getting any more."

He grinned and spread his arms.

"Now, awaken and prepare yourselves. In three days, all 14 Servants will be Summoned and ready. Then, the Great Grail War can truly begin!"

* * *

Taylor jolted awake as her alarm started ringing. For a moment, she lay still, staring up at the ceiling, before groaning and rubbing her eyes.

"What a crazy dream," she muttered, before reaching to turn off her alarm.

However, as she did, she caught sight of something on the back of her hand. She snatched up her glasses and stared at the crest that had appeared in her dream standing out in a stark red against the pale skin of her hand.

"It...was a dream...right?"

* * *

Director Piggot was pissed. That was standard operating procedure for her of course, but this time was different. She didn't have anyone to direct that anger at and was savvy enough to know that doing so at those who were just as annoyed as her wouldn't get her very far.

"So, we all had the same dream," she said, eyeing the two Capes who sat across from her, looking both annoyed and, in the case of Miss Militia, a little scared.

"I believe so," said Armsmaster, examining the marks on the back of his hand that formed the shape of an Egyptian scarab beetle, "Not only that, but we all have these same markings on our body."

Piggots fingers twitched as she glanced down at the markings on the back of her own hand that were shaped like a book with artistic scribbles on the 'pages' and glanced at Miss Militia, who was wringing her hands while her weapon flickered forms so rapidly it was nothing more than a green blur. Her 'Command Spells' took the appearance of a pair of crossed spears over a rune of some kind.

"In addition, we cannot find any evidence that anyone entered and, as far as we can tell, all three of us fell asleep at the exact same moment," continued Armsmaster, "That means that we either have an incredibly powerful Stranger on the loose or...well, that really was a dream of some sort."

"So basically, we have nothing," said Piggot, "Lovely…"

"What about the others?" asked Miss Militia, "The other people who were there? If we could find out who they are then…"

She was cut off as Piggots phone suddenly rang. The Director scowled and picked up the handset.

"What? I thought I made it clear that I wasn't to be disturbed," she snapped.

"I know Ma'am, but Gallant just called up," said her secretary, "Apparently, Vista's acting...strange."

Piggot frowned.

"Strange how?" she asked.

"Well, shes…"

The phone crackled as the lights flickered and the building shook slightly.

"What was that?" asked Miss Militia.

"Some kind of power surge coming from the Wards quarters," said Armsmaster as he stood, "Director, perhaps we should…"

Once again, he was cut off as the lights flickered again, followed by the sound of a muffled explosion.

"GO!" shouted Piggot, slamming a hand into the button that disengaged the security protocol in her office.

The two Heroes shot out of the room at high speed with the Director following as quickly as she could, once again cursing Nilbog and her damaged body. Fortunately, it wasn't far to the lift and it was extremely quick taking her down to the Wards quarters. Once she arrived she found the room in shambles with Gallant, Kid Win, Shadow Stalker and Aigus stood back while Armsmaster and Miss Militia stood at the ready, weapons aimed into the slowly clearing cloud of dust that had been thrown up in the middle of the room where some kind of circle had been drawn, apparently by Vista who was sat beside it in her pajamas, her eyes wide and the red crest on the back of her hand standing out starkly against her pale skin.

Piggot narrowed her eyes as she pulled out her sidearm and moved into the room, making sure to keep the broken couch between her and the dust cloud that had now cleared enough to reveal a hulking shadow as it stood. Then, as if on some kind of cue, the cloud was suddenly swept aside, revealing a towering man with bulging muscles that looked powerful enough to kill a bear or one of Hellhounds dogs with a single blow, chiseled features, brown eyes and flame red hair and beard. He was wearing bronze, greek style armor with cuffs and greaves with white-furred fringes and a thick, richly decorated red mantel with a huge, fluffy collar and trim of white fur.

The huge man looked around, briefly eyeing the gathered Capes before dismissing them, before looking down at Vista, who looked scared stiff. For a moment, he stared at her, making Armsmaster and Miss Militia stiffen in case he attacked, before he smiled widely and saluted with a clenched fist against his heart.

"Greetings Master," he boomed, "I, the Rider of Red have come in response to your Summons. I pledge my fate to you that our wishes might be granted."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Shadow Stalker summed up everyone's thoughts in one sentence.

"What the actual fuck?!"

* * *

Lisa Wilborne, better known as Tattletale, stared down at the circles she and Brian had just finished drawing, trepidation in her chest. Neither of the two were sure as to where they had come from, only that they had woken that morning having had the exact same dream and sporting marks on the back of their hands with the knowledge of these circles and an incantation that would allow them to summon their Servants, whatever that meant. Her power wasn't much help either, only confirming that they hadn't been kidnapped, drugged, nor had anyone snuck into the loft while they had been asleep. It had also tentatively confirmed that they had not been Mastered, so that only left the impossible idea that the dream might have been real.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Lisa?" asked Brian, glancing over at her.

"Not in the slightest," she said, "But I don't think we have a choice. Either we do it now or we'll be forced to do it by the equivalent of a Tinker explosion."

Brian scowled.

"I really don't like that idea," he muttered, before sighing and turning back to his circle, "Alright, lets do it."

They both closed their eyes and held out their hands that were marked by the Command Spells.

 **Let silver and steel be the essence.**

 **Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.**

 **Let Black be the color I pay tribute to.**

 **Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.**

 **Let the four cardinal gates close.**

 **Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.**

 **Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.**

 **Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.**

The two circles glowed brightly as wind began to pick up in the warehouse, tugging at their clothes and kicking up dust, right before there was a pair of huge flashes of light that momentarily blinded both young Masters.

Lisa blinked the dark spots from her eyes and stared at what she saw before her. Kneeling in the center of the circles were two figures, both of whom might as well have been complete blanks to her power which, for once, allowed her to appreciate the handsome men without getting squicked out by her power providing useless and disgusting information.

In front of Brian was a young woman who wore a blueish purple robe and a black, hooded cloak that completely hid her face.

The man in front of her was tall and clearly Asian from his features, with dark tanned skin, white hair and silver eyes. He wore black body armour that clung tight to his muscular form and a red coat over the top that actually consisted of two sleeves connected by a metal plate at the back and a red open skirt hanging from his hips.

"I, Caster of Black," said the woman in front of Brian.

"I, Archer of Black," said the other one.

"Come in response to your summons," they said together, "I pledge my Fate to you that our wishes might be granted."

* * *

Dragon was confused. Very confused. She would freely admit without a hint of arrogance that she was the single most complex piece of programming on the face of Earth Bet, a true AI capable of feeling, not emulating, actually feeling emotions like Humans did. However, despite that, there were still things she couldn't do. Things like sleep or dream. So how in the name of Asimov had she managed to fall asleep in the middle of Tinkering with Armsmaster and have a dream that had apparently been shared by an additional 13 people? Whats more, her code now somehow contained a new section that was horrifically complex and resulted in a red mark appearing on the back of her avatars hand, not matter how much she tried to get rid of it.

Whats more, she was experiencing a Tinker fugue that kept resulting in her using her servo powered waldos to draw shapes on the floor of her main base until she ended up with a circle that was identical to the one Vista had drawn on the floor of the Wards lounge in ketchup and mustard.

"This...is rather strange," she said to herself, before 'glancing' through the camera that was currently monitoring Vista and the large man she had 'summoned' who were currently locked in an M/S cell.

Would she summon something like that? Would she be able to actually stop it? She could feel the slowly building pressure at the back of her code, similar to how she felt when she had a new piece of Tinkertech to analyze, and knew that she'd likely end up using the circle eventually. She was almost certain that none of the people who were Marked had actually been Mastered, mainly because she was immune to any Human Masters and any who could affect her would likely be unable to do much to Humans. Unless the Simurgh was behind all this, but it didn't seem likely.

Finally, the AI sighed and shook her head. Well, her version of the motion anyway.

"Alright fine, you win," she muttered, "I'll play your damn game."

She sighed again and shifted one of the screens attached to an arm to right beside the circle and had her rendered image hold out a hand, feeling more than a little silly.

 **Let silver and steel be the essence.**

 **Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.**

 **Let Red be the colour I pay tribute to.**

 **Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.**

 **Let the four cardinal gates close.**

 **Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.**

 **Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.**

 **Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.**

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but for the circle to briefly glow and explode was not it. Fortunately, the explosion was mostly just light and noise, so there was nothing broken. Once her cameras had managed to compensate for the sudden influx of light, she stopped and stared at what was now kneeling in the middle of the circle in utter shock.

It was a young girl, clad in a white wedding dress with a black vale and armoured, high heeled boots. Her face was hidden by long bangs of her reddish hair that was parted in the middle by a sharp looking, bronze horn. A pair of matching cylinders covered her ears and a gleaming sphere of the same metal was attached to her hip. Finally, and most strikingly, was the massive warhammer she held lightly, resting against her shoulder.

"I...what?!" spluttered Dragon, genuinely shocked that it had actually worked.

At the sound of her voice, the Servant looked up and tilted her head on one side. After a moment of staring at the screen, she tilted her head on one side.

"Mas...ter?" she croaked in a surprisingly harsh voice.

Dragon, unable to think of a proper response, simply lifted her hand to show her Command Seals. In response, the Servant pointed at herself.

"Ber...ser...ker," she croaked.

"I...see," said Dragon, suddenly feeling more than a little out her depth, "Do you...have a name?"

Berserker let out a slightly annoyed huff and shook her head.

"Ber...ser...ker!" she reiterated, jabbing a thumb into her chest.

Dragon sighed.

"I think I need some help with this," she muttered as she pulled up her communication suite.

* * *

Dinah Alcott hummed happily as she put the finishing touches to the Summoning Circle and stood up, skipping back to the edge while making sure not to scuff any of the lines. The eleven year old girl was in an excellent mood for the first time in ages for the simple reason that, with this Summoning, all of the numbers started falling in her favour. Well, mostly. For some reason, she couldn't actually use her power to predict the outcome of the Grail War, although that didn't stop her from confirming that the chances of her getting kidnapped or killed dropped to nothing after today. She wasn't sure if it was because of whoever she Summoned or something else entirely, but she wasn't about to take that risk, so a summoning it was! Besides, who didn't want the chance to win a wish?

She grinned and held out a hand, reciting the spell that had been floating in her mind since the night before. As expected, there was a brilliant flash of light that was quickly covered by the behemoth of a man who had appeared within the circle.

He was massive, almost to big to be real, with dark skin and jet black hair that reached his back. He wore nothing but an armoured kilt, made of blackened metal and leather, as well as thick, armoured bands around his wrists and ankles. His eyes were shadowed, but despite that, it was easy to see the gleam of barely restrained rage and madness, held back by the modifications made to his class for the purposes of this particular Grail War.

Despite the Servants size and presence, Dinah wasn't afraid. While she couldn't see the outcome of the War, she did know that her Servant wouldn't hurt her, even by accident.

"Hello Berserker," she said, "Will you protect me?"

The Berserker of Black knelt and looked down at his tiny Summoner for a moment, before reaching out with one massive hand. Dinah smiled and with tears in her eyes, placed her tiny hand in her massive protectors.

* * *

Vista squirmed in her seat, trying to get comfortable in the deliberately uncomfortable chair in the M/S cell she was currently in while simultaneously trying to both study and ignore Rider, who was sitting in the corner flipping through a book and working his way through a packet of cheese crackers. She still wasn't entirely sure how she'd ended up summoning him, only that she had woken up with the knowledge the how to draw the circle and the words to say and the virtually irresistible desire to do it. She hadn't even realized she'd got out of bed until the circle had been drawn in whatever she could get her hands on and the Aria was half done by then she couldn't stop as doing so would have resulted in a rather large boom.

Fortunately, Piggot, Armsmaster and Miss Militia had all confirmed to be aware of the same feeling, albeit nowhere near as strong and Armsmaster had stated that it was closer to a Tinker fuge than a Master affect and all of the M/S protocols had come up with nothing, leaving with her only being locked up still due to the fact they wanted her and Rider somewhere they could be monitored with relative ease.

"Do you need something Master?" asked Rider, making her jump.

She looked up to see the large man looking at her from across the room.

"I...please don't call me Master," she said.

Ruler blinked, before a thoughtful look crossed his face.  
"Ah, of course, this world has a negative connotation to that title," he said, "Very well, tell me your name young one and I shall call you that."

Missy shifted under the huge Servants gaze, not entirely sure how to answer that.

"I...my Cape name is Vista," she said eventually.

"Hmm, a pseudonym?" said Rider, "You don't trust me."

"Well how can I?" asked Missy, "I mean, I have no idea whats going on, all I have is random knowledge of how to summon you and a stupid dream to go off of! I don't know a thing about this 'Holy Grail War', I don't know who you are or what these are!"

She waved her hand that bore the Command Spells in Riders face.

"Hmm, yes I can see why that would be a problem," said Rider, crossing his arms and nodding his head, "This world has no true Magus and thus, no knowledge of the Grail War. I am certain that the people listening to us would like to know as well, so I shall explain."

Rider cleared his throat as Missy glanced towards the wall she knew was actually a Tinkertech one way mirror of sorts.

"The Holy Grail War is functionally a Ritual used by Magus to attempt to reach the Root for whatever reason, I am unsure of the specifics," he began, "I do however know that it was begun by the Matou, Tohsaka and Einzbern families in Fuyuki City, although not the one of this Earth. From their, a number of different versions arose, with this one being the most unique as it utilizes a copy of the true Holy Grail rather than a device built by Magus to achieve Miracles of a different kind and thus, has a very different perpus. What that is, you will have to ask the Overseer yourself. What I do know however is the function of the War and how it will play out. Seven Masters on each side will Summon Servants, the spirits of great Heroes of the past, and fight in a deathmatch until only one remains. Once the winner has been decided, the Master and Servant will be granted their wish."

There was a moment's silence as Missy digested that infodump. She wasn't entirely sure if she completely believed the stuff about Grails and wishes, but Rider really didn't seem like the type to lie and even if it was all false, why make up such an improbable story?

"When you say that we...Masters summon Heroes of the past, what do you mean?" she asked.

Ruler let out a booming laugh.

"Ah, of course, I never did introduce myself, did I?" he said as he got to his feet, "Well, then, allow me to fix that oversite."

He a clenched fist to his chest thumped his chest.

"I am the man who conquered the known world, who built an empire that crossed Asia, Africa and Europe with the intent to reach the end of the world. I am the man known as the King of Conquerors, who defied the Gods themselves to forge my Chariot. I am the Rider of Red, Iskandar!"

* * *

On the other side of the wall, Miss Militia nearly swallowed her tongue. Due to not having to sleep, she tended to read a lot and wasn't picky about what she picked up. However, one of the things that interested her the most was great leaders throughout history, so it was only natural that she'd recognize the name.

"You know him?" asked Piggot.

"I...yes, I do," said Miss Militia, "Iskandar is one of the names of Alexander the Great.

"Ah yes, I was known by that name," said Rider, turning his head to where the three other Masters were stood.

Piggot looked surprised.

"He can hear us?" she asked.

"He shouldn't be able to," said Armsmaster.

"And yet I can," said Rider, "Now, perhaps you can tell me why my Master and I are still locked in this cell?"

"Standard procedure," said Piggot, before letting out a sigh, "However...Director Costa-Brown has ordered us to let you out and perform our own…'summons'. Apparently one of our more powerful Thinkers has convinced her that we need to take part or things will go badly."

She pressed a button and the door opened.

"Please head into the debriefing room," she said, "Irregular or not, we still need to debrief Vista."

"Of course," said Rider, "Come Master, let us be off."

He swept out of the room with a swirl of his heavy cloak with the much smaller from of Vista on his heels, clearly muttering something under her breath that just made Rider laugh uproariously.

"My my Master, where did you learn such language?" he asked, before laughing again as Vista swore at him.

The two quickly reached the room since it was only a couple of doors down and entered to find two people Vista didn't recognize. The first was a small boy who looked younger than her with blue hair and eyes and wearing victorian era formal attire, while the other was a tall, extremely handsome man with messy, black hair, reddish brown eyes and was wearing a dark teal outfit with armour on his left shoulder and arm and black boots.

"Ah, so Lancer and Caster have joined us I see," said Rider.

"Yes, although Armsmaster has yet to summon his Servant," said Caster, making Vista jump at the harsh, adult voice emerging from the child.

"I shall do so later," said Armsmaster as he and the other two adult Masters entered the room, "Now, we need to talk about this War."

Vista tried as hard as she could not to grin as she sat down beside Rider, Piggot sitting beside Caster while Miss Militia joined Lancer leaning against the wall. As crazy as this whole thing was, she couldn't help but find it incredibly exciting. Maybe after this was over, she'd finally get the recognition she deserved damn it!

* * *

Taylor stared down at the circle she'd just finished drawing on the floor of her basement. Her Dad was off at work, having just got a possible lead on a large project that would be highly beneficial to the DWU and so had rushed off, despite it being a weekend. As such, she had plenty of time to get the Summoning done. The question was, did she want to?

She wasn't a Cape and yet she was apparently chosen to take part in some kind of battle royal and, according to Overseer, was one of the favorites to win. She wasn't sure why that was considering that she was powerless and couldn't even do anything about her bullies at school or have a proper conversation with her Father.

However, despite that, she couldn't even begin to conceive of turning her back on the War. The possibility of a Wish was tempting of course, but more than that, she disliked the idea of someone taking that wish and using it to do harm. Overseer had said that the Black Faction were Villains after all and, regardless of the fact that she was on that team (for some reason), she didn't want someone who had been killing her city by increments getting their hands on something so valuable.

With that in mind, she steeled her mind, held out her hand and opened her mouth. Once again, an Aria was spoken and once again, the circle flashed, blinding the Summoner. Taylor stumbled back a few steps, rubbing her eyes, before she looked up and stared at the person now stood in the center of the circle.

She was beautiful, a perfect example of a woman, with pale skin and long, golden hair tied up in a bun. Her eyes were green and shining with pride and her red and white dress with a see-through front practically glowed, despite the darkness of the basement. Stabbed into the ground before her was a red and black sword that reminded Taylor of a flame frozen in metal.

The woman looked around, a frown crossing her face at the sight of the dusty surroundings, before she looked at Taylor and smiled again.

"Greetings Master, tis a pleasure to meet you," she said, "I, the Saber of Black have come in response to your Summons. I pledge my fate to you that our wishes might be granted."

"Um, hi?" said Taylor, not sure what to make of the bubbly girl, "I'm Taylor."

Saber frowned.

"Oh no, that will never do!" she said, "You are the Master of Saber, the strongest of the Seven Servants! You shouldn't have to hide away from the world like a wilting flower! Stand up straight!"

Without thinking, Taylor did as she was told, watching with no small amount of confusion as Saber walked around her, eyeing her critically and tutting to herself.

"No, this won't do at all," she said, "I won't allow my Praitor to look so defeated and bland. If we are going to be a part of this play, you are going to look your best!"

Before Taylor could react, Saber seized her hand and dragged her upstairs in the direction of her bedroom. The only thing the poor Master could think was.

" _Good god, she's worse than Emma!"_

* * *

"This is a bad idea Vicky!" hissed Amy, looking around nervously as her sister scrawled a circle on the floor of a random abandoned building in the Docks, "Seriously, we don't know anything about this Overseer guy! He could be a Villain for all we know!"

"True, but can you honestly tell me your not curious?" asked Victoria, "I mean, how often do you get chance to make a wish like that? Besides, I didn't get a Villain vibe from him, more of a Mouse Protector one actually."

Amy sighed and rubbed her eyes in frustration as Vicky finished the circle and floated back, smug grin on her face. The sad thing was, Amy didn't completely disagree with Vickys point. The idea of being able to make any wish she wanted was extremely attractive, to the point that she was willing to go along with Vicky's hair brained scheme to come out here in the middle of the night to try the summoning with very little persuasion on her sisters part. True, it would take very little in any regard, but it took even less tonight.

"Alright, thats done," said Vicky as she touched down, "Now, what was that spell again...oh right!"

She took a deep breath and started chanting, Amy mouthing along with the words thanks to having them rattling around in her brain. She still wasn't entirely sure if she was going to go through with the Summoning as well, but she was rather interested to see what came out of Vicky's.

A moment after she finished that thought, Vicky finished the chant and the circle erupted n a flash of light, blinding the two sisters. Once they could see again, they looked and stared at the man who had appeared in the middle of the circle.

He was rather handsome, in an older, teachery kind of way, with long, pale brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He was wearing leather, Greek style armour and extruded a sense of calm that made Amy instinctively relax. It wasn't like Vicky's aura, but was instead an instinctive response to the mans demeanor.

He opened his eyes, revealing forest green orbs that carried the wisdom of an experienced teacher and smiled.

"Greetings Master," he said as he stood, "I am the Archer of Red and I have come in response to your Summons. I pledge my fate to you that our wishes might be granted."

Vicky blinked a couple of times, looking genuinely stumped.

"Huh...I wasn't really expecting it to work," she said, "So I guess this whole Grail thing is legit then?"

Archer smiled and nodded.

"Indeed it is," he said, before glancing at Amy, "Now, I suggest that you Summon your Servant as well young miss. Time is running short and I do not feel that waiting until you are forced would be a good idea. To many things could go wrong if you do."

Amy twitched slightly, before sighing.

"Fine, I'll do it," she said.

Archer and Vicky moved off to the side as Amy stepped up to the circle. She looked down at the chalk lines for a moment, before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. The words of the spell flew from her lips like she'd spoken them countless times, despite the fact she had no idea where they had come from. Finally, the last line echoed through the empty space and once again the circle erupted. This time, the figure that appeared was much more intimidating, a figure clad in thick, red and silver armour that concealed them completely as they slowly stood. Amy swallowed despite herself while Vicky tensed and Archer looked unbothered.

"Who...who are you?" asked Amy.

The armoured figure didn't respond for a moment, before the armour shifted and the helmet began to fold itself away into the armour like something a Tinker would make, revealing the unexpected face of a young girl with long, golden blonde hair and fierce, green eyes. With the flick of a wrist, a huge sword slammed itself into the ground before her as she drew herself up proudly.

"I am the Saber of Red, Mordred, the one and only heir of Arthur Pendragon!" she proclaimed proudly, "So I ask, are you my Master?"

* * *

Aisha Laborn whistled cheerfully as she made her way through the streets, heading towards the address that had been provided by the helpful lady in the sharp suit where she'd meet her Brother and the other Masters of Black. Under normal circumstances, even she wouldn't risk being out and about this late, not with Merchant 'recruiters', ABB goons on the look out for new stock and Nazi's being...Nazis, but now she didn't have to worry about any of that, not with her badass new backup.

"You know Master, while I find beating down the idiots around here to be utterly riveting, perhaps you could be a little less obvious," said the tall man clad in blue beside her as he idly spun his red spear around his fingers, "I'm starting to worry I won't be able to get the blood of my spear."

"Aw, you'll be fine Lancer," said Aisha, "Besides, we're nearly there."

Sure enough, they rounded a corner and spotted the rundown factory where the Undersiders were holed up according to the note in Aisha's hand. Lancer paused as they rounded the corner and glanced around.

"Hmm, well, I can definitely feel the presence of two Servants," he said, "Both of the Black Faction. I'd say we're in the right place."

"Good, lets go," said Aisha as she skipped over to the door, but before she could knock, it opened to reveal an annoyed looking Brian.

"What are you doing here Aisha?" he asked.

Aisha grinned and jabbed a thumb at Lancer.

"I'm here for the team meeting," she said, "So, can I come in?"

* * *

In a rather run down hideout located in Nova Scotia, a tanned skinned woman in a sharp suit and fedora hummed softly to herself as her fingers flew across the keyboard of an old fashioned, heavy duty laptop, completely ignoring the cooling body at her feet. After a few moments, she sat back with a sigh and took a drink from the can of fanta that was sat at her left side.

"Well, thats done," she said to herself, "Now I only have one last thing to sort out before the morning."

She glanced at her watch.

"Calvert should have been dealt with by now, so its time to go finish the job," she said as she got to her feet, "Door to the doorway to Coils office."

An orange rectangle appeared out of thin air and the woman sauntered threw it, tossing the can over her shoulder as she went. The can bounced off the keyboard, activating the program that would unshackle Dragon and bouncing into the bin beside the desk as Contessa vanished to complete the last step on the Path before the Grail War began and her power became useless until it ended, leaving the Dragonslayers to be discovered by the authorities the next morning.

* * *

Thomas Calvert sighed as he rubbed his eyes. The last couple of days had been complete and total clusterfuck. On one hand, the sudden and unexpected appearance of a large number of clearly very powerful Capes was a good thing for him, on the down side, it would likely take some serious work to get them on his side. Oh well, with his power he'd have plenty of chances to do so. He lent forwards and reached for his keyboard to see if he could dig up any information that his Tattletale could use, but before he could a pair of black stockinged legs landed on his desk and a knife was driven into his skull.

In his other Timeline, Coil jolted in shock at the completely unexpected death. It was so surprising that it took a moment to properly register, but when it did he lurched forwards, bringing up a number of tabs in an attempt to figure out what in the actual hell had just happened. There was no sound of an alarm over at the PRT and his base was also normal. Was that some kind of assassination? Or was their a murderous Stranger loose in the PRT building?

However, before Coil could even consider answering either of those questions, his computer suddenly died and a hand grabbed him by the back of the head, dragging it back and pressing a sharp blade to his throat.

Coil instinctively split the timeline and went for his gun, but his throat was slit before he could even get it out of its holster.

"Please don't try that again," said a voice from the door that made his blood run cold.

He looked and nearly pissed himself when he saw the familiar form of Contessa leaning against the frame, normal impassive look on her face.

"Hello Coil," she said.

Coil gulped.

"A-ah Contessa, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, making sure to keep very still so as to not tempt his captor to slit his throat, "Do the Cauldron need something from me? Surely this isn't necessary?"

He made a vague gesture to the knife, which he quickly aborted when it twitched.

"Unfortunately for you, it is," said Contessa, "The Path has changed and, as such, your role. Something will be happening in the Bay over the next couple of weeks, something that you will want a piece off and make a mess of in the process. As such, I am removing you from the board before you can do anything stupid."

Coils eyes widened, but before he could protest, his captor slit his throat, leaving him to bleed out as they dropped him and rounded the desk to join Contessa. Right before his vision faded, Coil caught a glimpse of silver hair and a black cloak.

* * *

"Tch, such a waist," muttered Contessa, eyeing the body, "If I'd have known…"

She sighed and shook her head. Even her power wasn't flawless after all and this was necessary to beat Scion without sacrificing countless lives and Earths. She turned away from Coils cooling corpse and smiled down at the short figure beside her.

"You did well Jackie," she said, petting the silver haired girl on the head.

The Assassin of Black giggled happily as her Master praised her, her bright smile at odds with the blood stained knife in her hand.

"Thank you Mommy!" she chirped, before blushing and looking down, "I'm hungry."

Contessa smiled.

"I'll get you something to eat shortly," she said, "But for now, we have to go meet our teammates."

Jack the Ripper smiled back and nodded happily, skipping after her Master as she summoned a Door and stepped through to just outside the Undersiders base. Before she opened the door however, the Cauldrons chief enforcer paused and looked around, just as an armoured figure with a very recognizable (and possibly copyright infringing) helmet appeared out of thin air, accompanied by an androgynous looking boy who could best be described as a trap, clad in black armor with white armour on his hips, white boots with black thigh high stockings and a white cloak. His hair was dark pink and tied in a long braid with a black ribbon.

"Good evening Rider, Mouse Protector," said Contessa with a polite bow, "I admit, I'm rather surprised that you are on the Black Team."

Mouse Protector grinned under her helmet and struck a pose.

"I was as well, working with Villains would normally be against the Code of Mouse!" she exclaimed, hammy as ever, "But Overseer approached me and assured me that all of them are worthy of being redeemed and thus, I have made it my mission to guide them out of the Darkness!"

She struck a heroic pose while Contessa just rubbed the bridge of her nose. She just knew that dealing with Mouse without her power would be a pain in the ass.

"Besides, how could I turn down such an awesome sidekick as Rider?" continued Mouse Protector, dragging said Servant into a hug that he happily returned.

"Hell yeah, I couldn't ask for a better Master!" chirped Charlemagne's Paladin.

Contessa's eye twitched.

"Oh god, this is going to be a pain," she muttered, "Never mind, just get inside. We're just waiting for Saber and her Master and then we can begin."

She walked into the factory with a grinning Rider and Mouse Protector on her heels as the dawn of the third day broke.

* * *

In his lab, Armsmaster carefully put the finishing touches to his Circle. He somehow knew that he was the last person who needed to Summon their Servant but despite everything and his own curiosity, something had held him back. The same thing that had told him and the other Masters how to perform the Summoning had also told him that he needed to be the last Master to summon their Servant. However, it was now time to perform that Summoning.

He took a deep breath as he carefully took up position outside the circle and began to speak, the words of the Aria echoing around the room as the circle began to glow. Finally, the last word past his lips and the circle erupted into light. Unlike most of the other Masters however, he wasn't blinded thanks to his helmet and studied the person who had appeared their with a critical eye.

There was something...different about this one, an air that it wasn't truly a Hero of old and was instead much more recent. They looked the part to, a tall, dark figure of indeterminate gender, although there was a slight definition at the hips and chest that suggested that she was female, as did the long, curly black hair that spilled out the back of her mask. She was wearing a black and gray bodysuit, armoured with mottled brown-gray plates that looked like they were made of insect chitin. Her mask also continued the bug theme, with large, yellow lenses for eyes and plates that resembled mandibles attached. All in all, she looked more like a Cape than a Hero of old.

The Servant looked up, her unnerving gaze pinning him to the wall behind him like a bug under a microscope. There was a moments silence, before the Servant tilted her head on one side and muttered something to softly for even his sensitive microphones to pick up.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing," said the Servant, "Simply surprised is all. I wasn't expecting to be summoned so close to my own time. But that is a discussion for later, for now I should introduce myself. I am the Assassin of Red, but I suppose you can call me Skitter."

 **And done, finally. I don't really plan to continue this since I have no idea where I'd actually take it, but I liked the idea to much to let it gather dust. That said, I hope you liked it and am as amused as I am at the idea of just how much chaos is about to be unleashed on poor Brockton Bay.**

 **In case you can't keep up or want a comprehensive list, here is a list of the Servants and Masters:**

 **Red Faction Masters and Servants:**

 **Armsmaster: Assassin, Skitter**

 **Panacea: Saber, Mordred**

 **Director Piggot: Caster, Hans Christian Andersen**

 **Vista: Rider, Iskandar**

 **Glory Girl: Archer, Chiron**

 **Miss Militia: Lancer, Diarmuid ua Duibhne**

 **Dragon: Berserker, Frankenstein's monster.**

 **Black Faction Masters and Servants:**

 **Taylor Hebert (not Skitter): Saber, Nero**

 **Tattletale: Archer, EMIYA**

 **Grue: Caster, Medea**

 **Imp: Lancer, Cu Chulainn**

 **Contessa: Assassin, Jack the Ripper**

 **Mouse Protector: Rider, Astolfo**

 **Dinah: Berserker, Hercules**

 **And yes, the idea of Skitter being Armsmasters Servant was one I had from the start, along with most of the others. The only one I changed was MP and Rider, although I did shuffle the teams a couple of times.**

 **Incidentally, if your interested, Skitters main Noble Phantasm is called Queen of Escalation which basically allows her to boost her stats to the same level as whoever she's fighting, so long as they are stronger than her, as well as her Queen Administrator shard.**

 **Oh, and before anyone pitches a fit, neither Contessa nor Dinah can use their powers to cheat in the war since Servants are mostly immune to Precog powers.**

 **I admit, I kinda wanted Coil to try and nab Dinah and get crushed by Berserker for his trouble, but decided to have Contessa and Jackie off him instead.**

 **Anyway, I don't really have anything else to say and I really need to get up tomorrow, so I'm going to sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	151. Storm of Swords Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Storm of Swords

Waking up with memories of your past life, but not your current is...strange. On the up side, I apparently live in a world that looks to be fun, have a lot of power to survive in said world and no real need to go searching for my past. On the other hand, my past might come searching for me.

 **So I had this idea while half asleep and now it won't leave me alone. Its a wee bit different than what I normally do because, while its technically DXD, its set before the events of canon due to the fact that the main story takes place when Rias is 15. You'll see what I mean. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

My memories of this, my second life, begin in a field of ash and ruins. I still don't know for sure what happened, all I do know is that I was in Kyoto for some reason when an enormous fire ripped through the city, killed my family and nearly killed me, leaving me with only flashes of memory of this life and my past life to fall back on. Yeah, I remember my last life to which is...interesting. It was also kind of helpful considering that I didn't wake up in hospital, but instead in the Underworld.

How is that possible when I said I survived the fire you ask? Well, that would be because I got saved by one Sirzechs Lucifer who was apparently in the city for...reasons I guess. Quite why he decided to do so I don't know, but I'm certainly not going to complain! I mean, I might have lost my memories, but I'm apparently in the DXD world and marked as a future member of Rias Peerage, whats not to like? Plus, young Rias is so damn cute, especially when she was in her Chunibyo phase. Seriously, watching the ACTUAL sister of the Devil running around in a cape and calling herself the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess and making dramatic speeches about taking over the world and being a Queen of Evil is down-right hilarious, no matter how much Akeno found the whole thing utterly humiliating.

On the other hand, because I had no idea who I was, that left Rias to come up with a new name for me and, since she'd just got done watching Fate/Stay Night, decided to call me Shirou Emiya. To be fair, its not like the name didn't suit me, not when I had auburn hair, hazel eyes and the Blade Blacksmith Sacred Gear which I discovered quite by accident could actually create weapons from Fate. The smug look Rias gave me when I managed to create Kanshou and Bakuya was legendary.

Naturally, the fact I possessed one of the Sword Creation Sacred Gears meant that I was immediately pegged for a Knight piece and shuffled off to train under Souji. The old geezer quickly proved to be an excellent, if demanding, teacher who was able to train me to wield just about any sword I pulled out of my ass and even give me some pointers in archery when I decided that I needed a ranged option and figured out how to use my Sacred Gear, combined with a bit of Alchemy, to create powerful arrows. What? Archers got an awesome powerset, why shouldn't I embrace it? Besides, the look of sheer glee on Rias face when I showed off my new trick was awesome. Akeno found the whole thing more exasperating than anything and wondered off muttering about geeks while Rias and I started exchanging ideas.

One cool thing I found was that, whoever I had been was an excellent cook, a talent that had apparently managed to avoid being wiped. Quite how that worked I wasn't sure, but I'm a Human living with the Devil Kings sister and a literal Miracle in my Soul. Why is that relevant? Because the best way to a depressed Nekomata's heart is apparently through her stomach.

I was ten when Koneko was placed into Rias care and oh my god, the sight of her looking so utterly despondent was heartbreaking. I don't think I've ever seen anyone look quite that defeated before or since and, regardless of the crush I'd had on her last time through, the fact I really like cats and the fact she was a future comrade and friend, I'm pretty sure I would have still done whatever I could to help her. It...wasn't easy, not when you consider the fact she'd been betrayed, lost everything, sentenced to death and the fact she was technically a cat, but armed with the knowledge of her sweet tooth and my newly discovered culinary skills, I could at least help her to smile, at least a little.

* * *

I hummed happily as I took a tray of fresh baked cookies out of the oven and transferred them to a plate I dropped onto the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Here, enjoy," I said.

"Don't mind if I do," said Akeno, taking one of the sweets and biting into it with a pleased sound, "Mmm, your really good at this Shirou."

"Thanks," I said with a grin, "Its nice to have a skill that doesn't involve chopping people up."

"I really don't think you should be using your Sacred Gear for this sort of thing though," said the future Queen, indicating to the spatula in my hand that had an oddly hilt shaped handle.

"Heh, its my power, I'll use it how I want," I said as the tool vanished, "Plus, it cuts down on the washing up, so you really shouldn't complain."

"Well when you put it like that, I suppose I shouldn't argue," said Akeno, "I still don't know how you managed to convince Rias to go along with that system though."

"Those who want to eat better be prepared to work for it," I said, "Besides, with Magic its not that difficult."

"Says the guy who doesn't have to do it."

"I'm the one who does the cooking!"

Akeno twitched and took another bite from her cookie, muttering under her breath. I just grinned, before glancing at Koneko, who was watching us with a blank expression. Which was pretty much par for the course for the depressed Nekomata.

"Not eating Koneko?" I asked, "They won't bite you know."

Koneko eyed me for a moment, before looking at the plate of sweets in front of her. There was a pause before she reached out and picked one up. For a moment, she stared at it, then took a bite...and promptly froze, her eyes going wide. I blinked and took a closer look.

"Um, Koneko?" I said, "Are you…"

Koneko unfroze and swallowed, slowly working her way through the rest of the cookie with an expression of bliss on her face and, unless I was very much mistaken, a few soft moans and pleasurable shudders.

"Did she just have a foodgasm?" I asked.

"Apparently," said Akeno, "I can't blame her though. Your food really is that good Shirou."

"Huh, well, I can't say thats not good for my ego," I said as I pushed the plate of cookies closer to Koneko.

"Don't worry, I'll deflate your head if it gets to large," said Akeno, "But its good to see Koneko smiling for a change."

Sure enough, the white haired cat-girl was indeed smiling as she dug into the plate of sweets in front of her.

"Well then, I'd say mission accomplished," I said with a smile of my own.

The door suddenly slammed open, making us all jump and turn to see Rias storming into the room.

"Hey Rias, do you want some…" I started, but trailed off as Rias stormed past me as she stomped into her room and slammed the door.

I stared after her, feeling a great deal of worry start to build.

"What was that all about?" asked Akeno.

"I don't know, but she was crying," I said.

"She just went to talk to her dad, right?" asked Akeno, looking shocked, "What happened to make her cry?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," I said, getting to my feet and heading over to Rias door.

I knocked and, after a few moments of waiting, got no response.

"Rias, are you alright?" I called, knocking again.

"I'm fine, go away!" shouted Rias.

I frowned

"Pull the other one Rias, I can tell your crying," I said, "We can help, but you need to tell us what's wrong for us to do so."

There was a strangled laugh from the other side.

"You can't help with this," she said, "My Father's set his mind to it, you won't be able to change it."

I stared at the door, then let out a huff.

"Let me guess, the old geezers set up a Marriage Contract?" I asked.

The door slammed open to reveal a red faced Rias who looked both furious and upset.

"How did you know that?!" she snarled.

"Lucky guess," I said, "So who is it? Judging from your reaction, its no one you'd actually have a chance of liking and, regardless of any other fault, your Dad is unlikely to set you up with anyone that much older, so that narrows it down to either Diodora or Riser. And since he made the fact he considers the former to be a creepy little shit before, I can conclude that its likely the fried chicken."

Rias stared at me for a moment, before she sighed.

"You're really too smart for your own good," she muttered as she stumped over to the sofa and slumped down on it, "Yeah, your right. I wouldn't mind so much, but the little bastard had the nerve to try and tell me that I couldn't take you into my Peerage!"

I snorted.

"So, the little shits jealous," I said, "Big surprise. I am curious though, why did your Dad decide to go with him? The rest of the Phenex clan are really nice people, but Riser isn't exactly known for being the same. In fact, his reputation for being an arrogant, womanizing prat is extremely well known."

"Apparently Father and Lord Phenex want to preserve our Pureblood lines or something," said Rias, "Rather hypocritical considering none of the other Phenex clan members were married off, but I guess Father wants to try and take advantage of the Phenex clans fertility to try and increase our families size."

I grunted in agreement. Regardless of the fact he was generally a good man and Father, Zeoticus was still very ambitious and was willing to pull some pretty underhanded moves to get what he wanted. That said, this was probably more to do with the fact that he wanted more grandkids to spoil than anything truly malicious. Actually, that might be worse…

I frowned as a thought suddenly struck me.

"Hang on a second, that doesn't make any sense," I muttered.

"What doesn't?" asked Rias.

"Theres...not actually any difference between the Phenex Clan and any other Devil, other than their Crest Power," I said thoughtfully, "And yet they have more kids than any other Pureblood family that doesn't involve fucking the Peerage members. How is that possible…"

My frown deepened as I thought it over before a rather interesting realization hit me.

"Rias, how long did it take Grayfia to get pregnant after she and Sirzechs announced they were trying for a child?" I asked.

Rias blinked at the apparent non sequitur.

"Um, about a week, why?" she asked.

"And yet she didn't fall pregnant before that, regardless of the fact that there aren't any contraceptives that work on Devils," I said, "That is very interesting."

I got to my feet.

"I need to go do some research," I said, "If I'm right, I have a feeling you won't be marrying Riser anytime soon. And if I'm not, well, I'll just kick the bastards arse until he agrees to stop being a douche."

"Wait wait wait, back up," said Rias, waving her arms frantically, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain later," I said as I made a beeline for the door, "I'll be in the library if you need me! Snacks are in the fridge!"

The last thing I heard was Rias muttering about hating it when I got like this, which I ignored as I jogged down the corridor towards the library.

* * *

Once I arrived, I headed for the back of the vast room where the truly massive, old and dusty old tomes were kept. These weren't books of magic or ancient, demonic secrets, but were instead genealogies, archived newspapers and the like. Because of a number of things, the genealogies of the older families, especially the Pillars, were public knowledge and every Houses library had a self-updating edition stashed somewhere. They included things like births, deaths, marriages and so on and were some of the most boring things ever to exist in the Underworld.

Still, if I wanted to get the information I needed, these were the perfect place to start, so I grabbed the Genealogy tome and a few binders full of ancient newspapers and set to work.

It was boring, dusty and often depressing work going through all the data, but I stuck at it and slowly, a picture began to build up in my mind that supported my hypothesis that led me to this research.

"Well, this is rather unexpected."

"GAH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a voice cut through my concentration. Unfortunately, since my feet were wrapped around the chair legs, the sudden movement caused me to end up slamming into the ground with a loud crash. I groaned in pain as I opened my eyes and looked up at the giggling woman stood over me.

She was a gorgeous woman with porcelain skin, long, platinum blonde hair and warm, red eyes. Her figure wasn't completely implausible like some Devils, but it was still pleasing and visible under her simple, white dress and blue cardigan with a small, bird shaped pin on the collar. Her name was, appropriately enough, Irisviel von Einzbern, although she wasn't a Homunculus and was instead Lord Gremory's Bishop, along with her Husband who looked like Kiritsugu, but was called Edward. She was also a major lover of children and had a habit of mothering anyone who happened to cross her path, including Sirzechs on occasion and was the person who had been tapped to teach Akeno Magic, as well as being the person who had basically taken me in after Sirzechs had brought me to the Gremory House. Oh, Rias had helped, but a fellow kid wasn't exactly the best person to help someone with near complete retrograde amnesia regain their equilibrium.

"So, what are you doing looking at these dusty old books?" asked Irisviel, "They don't seem like the sort of thing you should be interested in."

"I'm doing some research," I said as I got to my feet and righted my chair, "I take it you know about Rias and Riser?"

Irisviel's face tightened slightly.

"Yes, I am aware," she said, "What about it?"

"Well, a few things that came up while we were discussing it came up and I decided to look into them in the hopes I could use them to get the contract dissolved," I said, "This was the start and I think that I'm right. However, it'll need some more research of a larger sample size than just the Pillars to be more than a hypothesis."

"Oh? And what would this conclusion be?" asked Irisviel.

I told her and her eyes went wide.

"Huh...thats certainly interesting," she said, "Its not really something I ever thought about, but I think you might be right. Edward and I...well, we didn't have kids for a long time after what happened with our first Daughter, but when we decided to try for another kid…"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, before she suddenly grabbed my hand and started dragging me out of the library.

"Wha...HEY!" I yelped.

"This idea of yours is truly fascinating," she said, ignoring my protests, "I really want to see where this goes so your coming with me to talk to Ed about it."

I blinked in surprise.

"Wait, really?" I asked.

Irisviel glanced back at me and smiled.

"Sure, why not?" she said, "It'll be an interesting question to study and if it means getting rid of that stupid contract, all the better."

I quickly stopped arguing after that. The von Einzbern's were among the best researchers in the Underworld, to the point where they often worked with Ajuka on his projects. According to some of the stories I'd heard about them, they had been just as good when they were Human, to the point that they had managed to develop all sorts of incredible Magical creations, including some that were supposed to be impossible. As a result, they had access to data I couldn't dream of having and could get any data we didn't have but needed much easier than a ten year old kid. Basically, if I wanted the best chance for my research to actually work without a horrific amount of setbacks, they were my best bet short of Beelzebub himself.

* * *

As it turned out, Edward was just as fascinated by my hypothesis as his wife was and the two of them dove into the research with surprising vigour. With their help, getting the information I needed was a lot easier, even if they did occasionally decide that a more...active form of experimentation was required, which led to me being left with their Daughters, a pair of twins called Illyasviel and Chloe. Who were basically dead ringers for the two girls from Fate/Prisma.

* * *

The next two years passed by quickly as I worked hard to both continue my research and confirm my hypothesis and my training, just in case I had to break out the big guns to get Riser off Rias' back. I had no intention of allowing it to get to the point of having to compete in a Rating Game if I could help it. Fortunately, I had finally reached the point where I could safely say I was ready, regardless of what was needed. All I needed to to was complete my single greatest creation since I had unlocked my Sacred Gear.

I stood in the center of the Gremory training field, my eyes closed as I focused on the flow of my Mana and my Sacred Gear, my mind utterly focused on what I wanted the power to form. I had been working on this sword for a long time, only to fail every single time I'd tried in the past. While I had discovered that most of the 'limits' on my Sacred Gear were mostly psychosomatic. Oh, no sword created could directly match a true Holy Sword like Durandal in terms of raw Holy power, but the power that the weapon itself possessed wasn't so limited. When it came to that, the only limit was the wielders imagination and power, both of which I had in spades, especially when I based the swords I made on something.

Thats not to say that it was easy to create every weapon that I wanted. One of the biggest problems was power, after all, it wouldn't do me any good to create a stupidly powerful sword, only to be unable to actually use the damn thing, but another problem was the fact that it took practice to be able to reliably create the sword that I wanted. Since practice also served to increase my reserves and make creating the swords more efficient and thus, cost less Mana, that was perfectly fine with me.

I shook my head, dismissing the thoughts as I refocused on the energy inside my Soul and began to draw on it. I saw the blade I wanted in my mind, calling forth the design I'd created the year before when I first started training. I probably should have started smaller, but this sword was one of the strongest I could conceivably create, so creating it was an excellent exercise for making the creation of lesser swords easier.

I opened my eyes and watched as a brilliant, golden glow emerged from my hand, slowly moving down as gleaming steel began to form. I gritted my teeth as sweat began to form on my brow. I would not allow this sword to break, today would be the day I finished it. I remained completely still, my entire being focused on my efforts to bring my imagination into reality, to make an illusion solid.

Finally, after what felt like forever, I felt a familiar twist deep inside my Soul as my Sacred Gear accepted my creation and the light faded, revealing a long, gleaming blade that seemed almost too perfect to be real. I slowly lifted it, staring at the faintly glowing blade in no small amount of awe. While I wasn't a Devil yet, it was only a matter of time and I could hardly wait to see peoples reactions to seeing me wield this particular sword. I couldn't help the grin that crossed my face. Yes, this would make an excellent trump card.

* * *

I returned home that day, tired but extremely happy with myself. My masterpiece was complete and I finally had all the information I needed to present my theory to Lord Gremory to, hopefully, get him to break off the contract with Riser. This day could not get any better...

"SURPRISE!"

I blinked in shock as I stared at the room that served as the main home for Rias' (future) Servants and the many people who were gathered their under a banner that read 'Happy Birthday Shirou'. I stared for a moment, then smiled.

"Ah, of course," I said, "Its September 30th. I can't believe I forgot my birthday."

 **You know what? Its a bit short, but I think I'll end this here. Its a good place to do so and I suck at writing parties.**

 **So, does anyone want to guess what the significance of Shirou's birthday is? Its really the only clue in there for what I actually have planned for the future, although I will say that the Fate bits will be limited to cameo's and expies, mostly Shirou, the von Einzberns (who I suppose could serve as another clue if you think about it hard enough) and Shirou's trick of using his Sacred Gear to create Noble Phantasms. You can probably guess what his trump card is.**

 **That said, if you've been paying attention to some of my other contributions, other than stories, lately, you might be able to guess what I have in mind...**

 **The entire thing of his research being what gets Rias off was something I planned from the start, simply because I liked the idea of someone using logic and knowledge rather than just punching Riser really hard. He'll still get punched, but that won't be the main thing to break off the contract.**

 **Anyway, I'm done so I'll sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	152. Dance of Swords chapter one (Jeanne)

Dance of Swords

I never would have thought that my love of helping crafting interesting stories would get me into trouble. Then again, I didn't really think that ROB's were a thing. Now I'm stuck in a world that could best be described as on life support with powers I have no idea how to use. Oh well, at least I'm not alone.

 **So yeah, another of these that probably won't be continued. This is actually the first of two versions of this idea I'm writing. The other one has a similar concept, but with Altera instead of Jeanne and with the MC arriving somewhere else. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"Urrrrg, so bored," I moaned, leaning back in my chair.

It was one of those mind numbing days when nothing seems to keep you interested, not helped in the least that my days off from work had fallen in such a way I ended up with a full week off. The house was empty, I'd already read all of the recently updated stories on my list, there was nothing new that looked interesting and my muse had decided to take a vacation somewhere nice. Normally, I'd fire up my Playstation, but since it was currently updating, that was right out.

PING!

I sighed and sat up, bringing up my Gmail tab and found that it was a PM on Space Battles. Considering I was a recent addition and generally didn't comment that much, I hadn't received much in the way of PMs. I idly clicked on it and found it was from someone called 'Robert Oswald Bordeaux'. Interesting name.

 _Hey Dis, big fan of your work!_

Why thank you! A bit of ego stroking is never unwelcome.

 _Listen, I've been working on an idea of my own, but I'm having trouble coming up with exactly how to do it. Mind helping?_

I raised an eyebrow, but sent back a quick message that I'd be willing, assuming I knew the story they were working with.

 _Thanks man. OK, so the basic gist of the idea is for someone to get dropped into Worm (yes its one of those) with the power of a character from fiction and a Servant as a tagalong. Any ideas for what powers and who I should use?_

I snorted. This sort of story was right up my alley considering how much I enjoyed doing them myself. I thought for a moment and then started typing.

 _My first instinct for the first part is to say to give the MC something either OP as hell or utterly humiliating while still being useful. Whatever is given should be either easily mastered or come with at least the basics since wasting time training is something that breaks the flow, although instant mastery isn't needed. A good bases would be to pick a character and basically give the MC their powers and skillset at some point along their journey, either when they are first introduced or after they come into their own, but before things really get good for them._

 _As for the Servant, again, I'm tempted to just say Artoria and leave it at that, but that would be dull. Whoever you decide to use though, it would be best to either choose someone without a wish or with one thats easy to grant or say that whoever, or whatever, is responsible for the two being there has promised to grant said wish, otherwise it wouldn't make a lick of sense as to why they'd do anything other than take of the Masters head so they can have another chance later._

 _As for who I'd use? Well, for some reason I'd kinda like to see a story with the MC having the powers and skills of Xenovia when she first arrives, plus EX-Durandal and for the Servant, I'd say Altera, just for the shits and giggles of someone for whom destruction is everything being given the job of saving the world, or Jeanne because shes pretty cool. That help?_

I hit send and, after a moments thought, pulled up a word processor of my own. The idea wasn't a bad one and I could think of a few ways I could use it without stepping on Roberts toes. I didn't have long to plan though before I received a message back.

 _It does actually. Thanks for the help mate and I'm sorry in advance._

I frowned. Sorry for what? Before I could send a message back asking what the hell he was on about, my computer screen went black. I had just enough time to register a flash of blue and white, before an arm reached out of the screen, grabbed me by the collar and yanked me through it.

"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK!?" I screamed as I fell through a seemingly endless tunnel of swirling rainbows.

A few seconds later, I was spat out of the tunnel onto a dusty mattress with a loud thump and a cloud of dust. I pushed myself up and sneezed violently.

"Alright, what the hells going on?" I growled as I rubbed my nose.

As I did, I noticed something odd. I wasn't the largest guy around, in fact, I'd always been one of the shorter people in my class, and while I was skinny, I wasn't in good shape. As such, when I noticed that my arm had visible muscle tone, I was rather surprised. Then I look down and found that I actually had abs. I wasn't built like a bodybuilder, instead it was more like a swimmer or runner, muscles that were meant to be used not shown off. They were also quite obvious because I was still only wearing my PJ bottoms and dressing gown.

I was suddenly pulled from my thoughts by a very loud crash from outside. Without thinking, I jumped to my feet and ran to the window, only to skid to a stop as some instinct screamed at me to do so, right before it exploded and a small, goblin-like creature with large claws and a deep gash in its chest flew through it and slammed into the wall with a loud crack. I stared at the dead thing for a moment, before carefully approaching the window and looking out.

Just one glance made me realize that I might be in trouble. The town I was in was a complete wreck, with not a single house intact, although plenty of them seemed to have been patched up with wood and colourful bits of cloth and were inhabited by all manner of bizarre creatures that looked like something straight out of a fairy tale for little kids. Some of the creatures were huge, others were very small, but all of them were converging on the person who had apparently thrown the goblin through the window before and doing a very poor job of actually doing anything but inconveniencing her.

I watched in no small amount of awe as the girl, who didn't look much older than me, turned on her heel and used the spear she was wielding to sweep the legs out from under one of the trolls and crack the skull of a smaller one with the same movement. As the troll hit the ground, she jumped and drove the tip of her spear into its head, killing it instantly, before using her spear as a pivot to kick another three small ones that jumped at her through a wall.

As she did, I caught a glimpse of her face and outfit and felt my stomach drop. She was gorgeous, with long blonde hair pulled into a braid, dark blue eyes that were nearly purple and flawless skin. She was wearing a dark blue dress with an armoured corset, boots and gloves and wore what appeared to be a diadem of some kind. She had a rapier sheathed at her side, but apparently didn't need it as she slaughtered her opponents with a god damn flag.

I stared for a moment longer, before ducking down below the window and pressing my back against the wall, my eyes wide.

"Oh...oh shit," I muttered, "How did…"

Then, I remembered the username of the person I'd been conversing with and had to bite my fist to keep from yelling.

"Sonofabitch!" I snarled into my hand, "The bastard played me!"

As I did, a strand of hair fell in front of my eyes and I growled as I saw that it had gone from dark brown to blue. I suppose I should just be glad he didn't turn me into a girl, although that wasn't exactly much of a comfort. After all, if what the ROB had been talking about was anything to go by, not only was I stuck on Earth Bet, but I was also knee deep in Ellisburg with nothing but a magic sword I didn't know how to summon or use to keep me from being killed.

A loud explosion from outside made me glance up and rethink that. A magic sword and a Servant. That...might not actually be to bad. Hmm, I wonder if I could get some money for taking down Nilbog?

A loud crash from outside made me glance over the window ledge, just in time to see Jeanne slump down as one of the trolls loomed over her. This one was a lot bigger than most of them and had apparently managed to sneak up on her. The fact it had been able to smack a Servant around was rather surprising, but I quickly pushed aside the surprise as the troll reached out to grab the blonde.

"Oh fuck this," I growled as I stood, "Shes the only lead I have, no way I'm letting her die! Come on Durandal, I know your there!"

I jumped out of the window, a part of my mind noting that I jumped a lot further than should have been possible, and grabbed the hilt of the huge sword that appeared out of thin air, bringing it down on the trolls tree-trunk sized arm with a yell. The Troll roared in agony as it stumbled back, greenish blood spraying from the stump of its arm and all over me. I landed lightly and turned on my heel, bringing Durandal up in a slash that opened the troll from groin to throat, spilling gray guts all over the floor.

The sudden attack and messy death of their massive champion sent the remaining Goblins fleeing for cover. I let out a shaky breath as I tried to keep my dinner down and looked down at the sword in my hands. It was definitely Ex-Durandal, a huge, strangely shaped broadsword with a semicircular guard on the left side of the handle that extends to the bottom just above the pommel that was longer than I was tall and surrounded by a sheath composed of the Excalibur Fragments. I could feel the Holy Aura of all eight swords, each one slightly different from the others and mostly eclipsed by that of Durandal. I could feel the sword practically vibrating in my grip and could understand why Xenovia and Kiba had so much trouble controlling it. Even restrained as it was by the sheath, it still felt like it wanted to rage out of control and obliterate everything in its path. I could see this being a pain in the arse to use.

Examination of my weapon done, I turned to Jeanne, who was now getting to her feet, although she was leaning on her flag and holding her stomach. I frowned slightly. Either that Troll was a lot tougher than I thought or she wasn't as powerful as she should be.

"Thank you for the assistance," she said.

"Um, your welcome," I said, "I'm surprised you needed it thought."

Jeanne smiled a little thinly.

"I am not a Servant," she said, "Although I am based on a Heroic Spirit and was created with her as a base, I am not as powerful as a true Servant. While I am generally superior to a Human, I wouldn't stand a chance against an actual Servant."

I blinked.

"OK, I guess I can see why whatever ROB sent me here would do that," I said, "Wouldn't do to let my ally steamroll everyone after all."

I glanced at the sword in my hand and thought back to the fight between the ORC and Hero Faction in Hero.

"Well, mostly," I amended.

I bet it would even inconvenience an Endbringer, even if the Hero Faction did shrug it off. They were cheating cheaters after all.

I glanced around and frowned as I saw another large band of goblins charging down the street towards us.

"I really hope your ready for another fight," I said as I slipped into a ready stance and pulled Rapidly from the sheath, inwardly noting that I knew exactly how to use all eight of the swords I had access to.

Jeanne straightened and spun her flag as she stepped up beside me.

"I shall be fine," she said, "What do you intend to do?"

I smirked.

"Well, since we're here, how about we make a splash by taking down Nilbog?"

Jeanne matched my smirk with a smile of her own.

"Very well, lets go," she said.

I crouched slightly and pushed off. Instantly, the world slowed down as I felt Excalibur Rapidly warm in my hands and I carved a bloody path through the amassed army of abominations at an absurd acceleration. At one point, one of the goblins managed to avoid instant death and took a swipe at me with inch long talons, managing to catch my robe as it did. I responded by shrugging off the heavy robe and gutting him before moving on.

Jeanne was slower than I was, but no less effective. While I was basically a mulcher set on high, she was a lot more economic with her attacks, using her flag to great effect to bludgeon and stab multiple goblins with each swing.

I couldn't focus on her though since, although I was acting basically on instinct, I couldn't exactly stop concentrating on the fight unless I fancied getting gutted. Instead, I threw Rapidly at a troll with a flick of my wrist, spearing it through the throat and killing it, as I pulled another sword from Durandals sheath. This one was much larger and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to wield both it and Durandal at the same time under normal circumstances, but considering that I'd managed to kick one of the trolls a good way down the street, I'm pretty sure that my strength had been boosted. I smirked as I gripped Durandal and Destruction and lifted them above my head.

"JEANNE, JUMP!" I shouted and brought them down at the same time.

There was a flash of light and an almighty boom as the ground shook from the sheer power unleashed by two swords that were basically destruction incarnate. The goblins that were surrounding me were vaporized in the blast, leaving nothing to indicate they had been there and those who were out of range were knocked off their feet by the shockwaves. A moment later, the dust cloud thrown up by the attack rippled and dispersed as I jumped and spun, launching the remaining Excalibur blades like projectiles and nailing the last few trolls to the nearest flat surface.

"Huh, that worked better than I thought it would," I said as I rested Durandal on my shoulder and looked around.

"That was reckless," said Jeanne as she landed lightly from where she'd been stood on top of one of the few remaining telephone poles.

"True, but it worked," I said, "Now lets see if I can…"

I focused for a moment, then grinned as the Excalibur fragments vanished in a flash of light and returned to the sheath.

"Neat."

"NO NO NO, THATS NOT HOW ITS SUPPOSED TO GO!" screamed a high pitched voice from further down the road.

We both turned to see a bloated, Human sized creature with a pot belly and dressed in a rather horrific outfit that looked like it had been stitched together by someone with only a passing familiarity with a needle and thread having a tantrum on the back of a particularly large monstrosity with an organic throne growing out of its back.

"Thats a fake," I said.

"Correct," said Jeanne.

I sighed as I shifted my grip on Durandal and swung the blade down, cutting off the Nilbog puppets rant as it and its mount were sliced in half by a blast of golden light that also tore up the ground and crushed the front of a building.

"I need to work on that," I muttered, then raised my voice, "Alright Rinke, come on out or I'll see just how much damage I can do with this thing!"

In response, there was a loud bang and a horde of small critters came pouring out of a nearby building.

"How many times is he going to try that before we go through them all?" I growled as I released a horizontal wave of energy that bisected the entire crowd.

Then I blinked as both halves rapidly regenerated until there were two of each critter.

"Well, thats interesting," I said.

"Not a bad idea," said Jeanne, "I suppose hes more intelligent than people give him credit for."

I muttered something rude under my breath as shifted my grip on Durandal and lifted it above my head. There was a faint click as the sheath retracted and I felt Durandal's fearsome aura erupt, covering the blue blade with a visible golden aura that flickered like fire and quickly became more intense as I fed more power into it and loosened what little control I had.

"That seems a little excessive," said Jeanne, eyeing the blazing sword.

"I'm making a point," I said, "I'm getting sick of this and I really don't feel like taking to much longer with this fight! Now rampage Durandal, destroy everything!"

The aura erupted, becoming a solid beam of golden light that shot high above the wall and almost certainly attracted a fair bit of attention as it ripped through the low cloud cover and let the sun shine through. Then, I brought the sword down and cleaved the entire town in half.

* * *

The man once known as Jamie Rinke was many things. Delusional madman, S class threat, a King of Monsters and perfectly content. Oh sure, sometimes it became necessary to send his children out so he could restock on biomass to keep them from dying permanently and food was occasionally an issue, but generally he was perfectly happy to remain behind the walls in his little kingdom. Fortunately, it seemed that the peasants outside had learnt to keep away from his lands and his darling children. Occasionally there was an attack, but they were always dealt with and added to his reserves of Biomass and the retaliation served as a reminder that Nilbog suffered the Outside World because it was beneath his notice.

Unfortunately for the Would Be King, his little delusion was about to come crashing down.

The first indication was when one of his children was abruptly and very messily destroyed, prompting him to send a battalion to find the intruder. It had not taken them long, but despite the fact that there was only one and she was a young woman at that, the intruder had made short work of his children, forcing him to send more and more. Then a second intruder had arrived, this one armed with a sword that burnt his children like it was red hot and didn't seem to slow down, not even when he'd bisected one of Nilbogs trolls, creations designed specifically to battle Brutes.

It quickly reached the point that Nilbog started to run out of minions to send after the intruders, mainly because they'd arrived at a time when the mad Biokinetic was busy restoring his creations as they reached the end of their lifespan, forcing Nilbog to use more of his precious biomass to create more cannon fodder minions and send them out before the intruders managed to hunt him down. He'd even given them the ability to regenerate and multiply when injured. He was so sure that this lot would have managed to overwhelm the intruders, but before they could even get close, the swordsman had done...something that had released an enormous blast of light that had completely vaporized his minions, preventing them from regenerating since there wasn't anything left to regenerate with, and a good chunk of the city.

Then it exploded, taking almost half of Ellisburg with it.

Nilbog shreaked as his underground hideout shook violently and scrambled into his biological mech suit, just in time to avoid being crushed as the tunnel system began to collapse around him. The suit was tough enough to survive being buried alive and strong enough to dig its way to the surface which wasn't that far.

* * *

It didn't take long for the would-be king to pop out of the ground, gasping for breath and feeling more than a little roughed up. After all, it had been a very long time since he'd done more than walk from his bed to his throne room and had lived a decedent life during that time, rendering him very much out of shape.

Before he could recover from his brush with death, his biosuit let out a low groan as a spear stabbed through its head, severing its spine and destroying its brain. While it was little more than a mindless suit for him to control, that was more than enough to kill it, rendering it so much dead weight that nearly crushed Nilbog before he managed to crawl out from under it. He didn't get very far before a large slab of blue metal slammed into the ground in front of him. He slowly looked up and let out a whimper as he saw the blood covered wielder of said sword grinning down at him.

Honestly, he wasn't that intimidating, other than the aforementioned blood and massive sword. He looked about 20, with short, dark blue hair that looked somehow natural, brown eyes and an impressive muscle tone. He was wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants and was barefoot.

"You are quite the pain in the neck Rinke," said the swordsman, "I wonder how much people will pay for your head on a pike?"

Nilbog gulped, then surged forwards. If he could just touch the bastard, he could salvage the situation…

There was a flash of light and Nilbog froze as he stared at the stumps where his hands used to be. He screamed and flopped as blood spurted, before the shaft of a flag slammed into the back of his head and conosuness vanished in a burst of light.

* * *

"Was that really necessary?" asked Jeanne as she neatly bound the stumps of Nilbogs arms with strips of fabric torn from his costume.

"Probably not," I said, rubbing my forehead, "Actually, I'm not sure why I did it…"

It was really odd actually. I didn't exactly have any experience in combat and yet I was perfectly fine, despite being covered in blood. True, the Goblins weren't even close to being Human and I wasn't squeamish, but I'm pretty sure I should still have the shakes. Plus, that didn't explain why I decided to taunt Rinke and then take his hands off without a second thought. THAT should have got a reaction, but instead all I felt was satisfaction.

"I think...I think that I've received Xenovia's subconscious experience of battle, in addition to her skills," I said slowly.

"That...makes a certain amount of sense," said Jeanne, "The being that dropped us here wouldn't like it if we died too soon after all."

She wrinkled her nose slightly.

"Speaking of which, why are you here?" I asked, "I mean, I'm pretty sure you don't have any wishes you want granted, so why did you agree to come?"

Jeanne sighed and lent back on her heels.

"I'm not...entirely sure myself," she said, "All I know is that...something appeared and told me that my strength was needed to help save a world. I agreed and the next thing I knew, I was here. You arrived not long afterwards."

She frowned.

"I do know that whatever the being was that brought us here likely doesn't have our best interests at heart and we are basically entertainment for it however."

"That sounds about right," I said, "Fucking ROBs…"

Jeanne made a noise of agreement.

"So, if your not a Servant, what are you?" I asked, "I mean, how strong are you, do you still have your Noble Phantasms and am I your 'Master' for want of a better word?"

"My Noble Phantasms are present and are as strong as they would be if I was a true Servant," said Jeanne, "However, my strength is much lower. While I would definitely qualify as a high level Brute by the PRT's standards, I am not capable of anything like what a true Servant would be. As for you being a Master, your not. I'm an independent existence."

"Fair enough," I said.

I glanced down at Nilbog and frowned.

"So, what do we do with this idiot?" I asked.

"Hes helpless now," said Jeanne, "The collapse of his base destroyed his biomass supplies and I doubt he'll be recovering from losing his hands anytime soon."

She shot a glare at me that I shrugged off. Then felt guilty over the fact I didn't give a shit about basically crippling someone, even if it was someone as downright twisted as Nilbog. I really needed to sort this out soon or it was going to get confusing.

"Guess we're handing him over to them then," I said, indicating to the three figures floating in the air who had arrived a short time after I'd released Durandal's seals.

"That would be best," said Jeanne.

I sighed and muttered a few choice insults under my breath. I really didn't want to deal with the Triumvirate this early but I guess it was inevitable. On the up side, if things did get nasty, I was pretty sure that Durandal could cut through whatever bullshit made Alexandria invulnerable and I had Excalibur Ruler if that failed. That thing was just pure bullshit.

I turned as the three most powerful Capes on the planet (Zion didn't count since, you know, space whale) and stabbed Durandal into the ground in front of me. Alexandria, Eidolon and Legend slowly came to a stop a few meters away, clearly taking us in and analyzing us while I did the same. Honestly, they were rather impressive to look at, from Legends bright bodysuit and domino mask, Alexandria's helmet, heavy cloak and dark costume and Eidolons green robes and glowing mask. It was a little odd honestly, seeing three people who until a few hours ago were just fictional characters and to know that, regardless of their reputations, one of them would kill me without blinking if she thought it was needed and a second was indirectly the biggest mass murderer in the history of Earth Bet.

As I examined the three, I noticed a slight lifting of Legends eyebrow as he glanced between the two of us. I suppose that we must have made a bit of an odd sight considering that Jeanne was wearing an outfit that looked professional from this worlds standards and I was wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants and leaning on a massive sword.

"Who are you?" asked Alexandria eventually.

Jeanne and I glanced at each other. How were we supposed to answer that?

 **Welp, not the best ending, but what I had before made no goddamn sense. I can always rewrite it later.**

 **To be clear, Charles' strength is equivalent to that of Xenovia when she debuted, plus Ex-Durandal. That basically means that hes got a Brute and likely Mover rating natively considering that Xenovia was able to fight with Kokabiel and not die instantly. I imagine that he was holding back rather a lot, but its still impressive.**

 **Jeannes strength level is much the same.**

 **I'm not sure how accurate them taking down Nilbogs goons so easily is and frankly, I don't care. Way I see it is that Nilbog, while certainly dangerous, has lost a great deal of the threat he posed when he was first locked up over the years without something to boost his biomass supplies, so his minions weren't as powerful as they could be.**

 **Plus, this isn't really meant to be taken seriously.**

 **Anyway, I don't really have anything else to say, so I'm gonna sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	153. Dance of Swords chapter 1 (Altera)

Dance of Swords

I never would have thought that my love of helping crafting interesting stories would get me into trouble. Then again, I didn't really think that ROB's were a thing. Now I'm stuck in a world that could best be described as on life support with powers I have no idea how to use. Oh well, at least I'm not alone.

 **So yeah, another of these that probably won't be continued. I really don't have much to say, so lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"Urrrrg, so bored," I moaned, leaning back in my chair.

It was one of those mind numbing days when nothing seems to keep you interested, not helped in the least that my days off from work had fallen in such a way I ended up with a full week off. The house was empty, I'd already read all of the recently updated stories on my list, there was nothing new that looked interesting and my muse had decided to take a vacation somewhere nice. Normally, I'd fire up my Playstation, but since it was currently updating, that was right out.

PING!

I sighed and sat up, bringing up my Gmail tab and found that it was a PM on Space Battles. Considering I was a recent addition and generally didn't comment that much, I hadn't received much in the way of PMs. I idly clicked on it and found it was from someone called 'Robert Oswald Bordeaux'. Interesting name.

 _Hey Dis, big fan of your work!_

Why thank you! A bit of ego stroking is never unwelcome.

 _Listen, I've been working on an idea of my own, but I'm having trouble coming up with exactly how to do it. Mind helping?_

I raised an eyebrow, but sent back a quick message that I'd be willing, assuming I knew the story they were working with.

 _Thanks man. OK, so the basic gist of the idea is for someone to get dropped into Worm (yes its one of those) with the power of a character from fiction and a Servant as a tagalong. Any ideas for what powers and who I should use?_

I snorted. This sort of story was right up my alley considering how much I enjoyed doing them myself. I thought for a moment and then started typing.

 _My first instinct for the first part is to say to give the MC something either OP as hell or utterly humiliating while still being useful. Whatever is given should be either easily mastered or come with at least the basics since wasting time training is something that breaks the flow, although instant mastery isn't needed. A good bases would be to pick a character and basically give the MC their powers and skillset at some point along their journey, either when they are first introduced or after they come into their own, but before things really get good for them._

 _As for the Servant, again, I'm tempted to just say Artoria and leave it at that, but that would be dull. Whoever you decide to use though, it would be best to either choose someone without a wish or with one thats easy to grant or say that whoever, or whatever, is responsible for the two being there has promised to grant said wish, otherwise it wouldn't make a lick of sense as to why they'd do anything other than take of the Masters head so they can have another chance later._

 _As for who I'd use? Well, for some reason I'd kinda like to see a story with the MC having the powers and skills of Xenovia when she first arrives, plus EX-Durandal and for the Servant, I'd say Altera, just for the shits and giggles of someone for whom destruction is everything being given the job of saving the world, or Jeanne because shes pretty cool. That help?_

I hit send and, after a moments thought, pulled up a word processor of my own. The idea wasn't a bad one and I could think of a few ways I could use it without stepping on Roberts toes. I didn't have long to plan though before I received a message back.

 _It does actually. Thanks for the help mate and I'm sorry in advance._

I frowned. Sorry for what? Before I could send a message back asking what the hell he was on about, my computer screen went black. I had just enough time to register a flash of red and white, before an arm reached out of the screen, grabbed me by the collar and yanked me through it.

"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK!?" I screamed as I fell through a seemingly endless tunnel of swirling rainbows.

As I fell, I felt something begin to change. My body began to burn and I could actually feel my bones and muscles begin to change shape. Then, my head split open as a frankly insane amount of knowledge was rammed into it all at once. I screamed once and blacked out.

* * *

Consciousness returned to me slowly, with the first things I became aware of was the smell of wildflowers with a second coppery scent lurking just below the smell that the new knowledge that I'd been forcefully given identified as blood, and the second was that I was laying on a hard floor and my head was being supported by something much softer and warmer. I groaned softly and opened my eyes. I blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what was odd about the ceiling above me, before my pillow shifted slightly and a face leaned over me.

It was a woman with dark skin, red eyes and silver hair under a veil that blended in with her hair almost perfectly. She was wearing a white bodysuit, decorated with black patterned and a green, red and blue bar between her breasts, detached sleeves and a white choker. She was beautiful, but in the same way that sword was beautiful, cold and cruel with no concept of mercy.

Then she smiled and the coldness melted away.

"Ah, your OK," she said, her voice surprisingly soft, "I was worried."

I blinked.

"Um, thanks?" I said, "Where am I?"

Without waiting for an answer, I sat up and looked around. We were in what appeared to be an abandoned house, one that was mostly bare of anything except for dust and a number of very large spider webs.

"No really, where are we?" I asked, more than a little confused.

"Um, I believe that we're in Canberra," said Altera, holding up a newspaper, "Thats what this says anyway."

"Canberra huh?" I muttered as I took the paper and scanned the article.

I didn't recognize the Capes on the cover, but a quick flick through did bring up a couple of names I recognized. No doubt about it, I'm in Worm. I sighed and tossed the paper aside as I turned to Altera.

I'll be honest, she wasn't really what I expected. I mean, she looked exactly like her character modal from Extella, the source I was most familiar with, but I didn't get any sense of sadness, regret or anything else I associated with her. I frowned.

"So, at the risk of sounding rude, which version of Altera are you?" I asked, "Do I have to worry about you turning into a Goddess of Destruction or are you an actual Servant."

Altera cocked her head on one side and smiled softly.

"Neither actually," she said, "I am not a Servant, but nor am I my Moon self. I'm not even sure if that truly exists any more…"

She frowned slightly.

"I believe I am closer to the person I was when I was alive, albeit with a lot of my memories as a Servant. My strength is lower, although still beyond any normal Human and even most...Parahumans I believe they are called, and I have access to my Noble Phantasms. I am also my own existence, not a Spirit bound to you."

"I see," I said slowly.

That was both good and bad. Good because I'm pretty sure that Sefar was worse than an Endbringer when you considered that she was designed to destroy Civilization and grew stronger from it, in addition to not having any reason to hold back, bad because it meant that I didn't have any real way to reign her in if she got out of hand.

"You needn't worry," said Altera, drawing my attention back to her, "I have no real desire to cause needless destruction anymore. Had I been summoned normally, I likely would have, but this version of me is closer in personality to my Moon counterpart."

"So basically, three personalities and a general want for communication rather than destruction?" I asked, "Thats nice."

I shook my head and rubbed my temples.

"This is getting confusing," I groaned, "Alright, I've got the basics, now we need to make some plans as to what we're going to do…starting with getting me some clothes."

I was only wearing my PJ bottoms and a dressing gown after all. Not really the sort of thing thats conducive to being taken seriously.

"Ah, I thought you might need some apparel and collected you some before you woke up," said Altera, pointing to a pile of neatly folded clothes sitting on the mattress, "Theres a bathroom through there."

She pointed at a door I hadn't noticed.

"Um, thanks," I said, a little taken aback at the thoughtfulness.

Then again, her 'main' personality was supposed to be a kind and merciful goddess, whatever that meant, and she was certainly generous enough towards Hakuno during their time together.

I headed into the bathroom, which was just as filthy as the room outside, and unfolded the clothing. I was mildly amused to see that the shirt was one that depicted the Triumvirate in a pose that looked oddly like Altera's prism symbol, while the rest of it was a pair of jean shorts, because its fucking hot in Australia, a light denim jacket and a pair of sneakers. They were all in my size, so I quickly got dressed.

* * *

As I finished and straightened up, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and froze. Looking back at me was a face that was both familiar and not at the same time. I still looked the same, a relatively handsome 20 year old, but some of the imperfections in my face had been removed, like my admittedly large front teeth and apparently my glasses. However, the most obvious change was my hair. It was the exact same shade of blue as Xenovia's, including the part of her fringe that was dyed green.

"Well thats...interesting," I muttered as I tugged on the green lock of hair, "I guess this means that he took my suggestions. Either that or the hair's a red herring."

I closed my eyes and focused. It didn't take long to realize that I did in fact have a lot of skills I didn't before, ranging from swordsmanship suitable for welding Durandal and Excalibur Destruction, to barefist fighting, to Exorcism, to some interesting Magic tricks, to a rather large number of memorized bible passages. I doubted they'd ever come in useful, but the Magic would be since it wasn't limited to just Durandal.

I thought for a moment, then held out a hand and accessed said pocket dimension. It took a bit of concentration, but instead of Durandal, a metal rod was spat out of the small spacial rift and quickly morphed into the shape of a pair of gauntlets on my hands.

"Heh, that'll be useful," I muttered as I flexed my fingers, feeling the metal shift easily, "Neat."

I dismissed Mimic and left the bathroom to find that Altera had moved to the window and was now staring out of the window at the street below.

"You OK?" I asked as I approached.

"Oh, yes I'm fine," said Altera.

I glanced out the window and saw that it overlooked a shopping district. It looked like it was market day since there was a large number of multicolored stalls, all covered in a large number of stuff from crap phones to clothing to home made arts and crafts, including some rather nice hair accessories. I glanced at Altera and was treated to the sight of Attila the Hun, one the the most infamous warmongers in history with a look on her face straight out of a Shojo Anime where the protagonist just saw something cute, wide shimmering eyes and all. Considering she was probably capable of flattening the city on her own in less than a day, even without the boost being a Servant would give her, it was rather jarring. And adorable.

"Come on, lets go have a look around," I said.

Altera blinked and looked up at me. Huh, I didn't notice it before, but she was shorter than me. Thats...interesting?

"But don't we need to plan?" she asked

"We've got plenty of time to do that later," I said, "Besides, we can't actually do much until we can find a way to get to the US. I don't know much about anything about Australia in this world, other than the fact that the Simurgh is due to hit Canberra and they had a particularly nasty Villain who got Caged. We can spend some time looking around, even if we don't have any money."

I picked up the newspaper, intending to drop it into a bin, only to pause when I saw my faux leather wallet laying on the bed. I picked it up and opened it to reveal that it was full of Australian dollars.

"Huh, thats nice," I muttered suspiciously.

I know for a fact that my wallet hadn't been there a moment ago and I really don't think that any ROB worth his salt would give us money for nothing. Even if it wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, ROBs didn't have a reputation for being nice.

"Is something wrong?" asked Altera.

"No, its nothing," I said, shaking off my worry.

Whatever the ROB had planned, there was nothing I could do about it, so I might as well take some time to enjoy the sights before the shit hit the fan.

* * *

As it turned out, doing so was an excellent idea. After Altera had somehow switched out her costume for her 'Altera Next Door' skin, we headed out and started poking around. During that time, I quickly learnt that, regardless of her historical reputation, Altera was apparently very much a young woman at heart and thus, I somehow ended up weighed down under a number of cavus bags of tat she ended up buying, all of which I tossed into my storage dimension as soon as I had the chance to when we stopped for lunch.

"I think I just figured out why the ROB gave me some money," I muttered as I examined my now empty wallet, "Oh well, its not like that would have done us much good in the long run. I dare say we can make more fairly easy."

Even if it wasn't anywhere close to Brockton Bay, there were still a number of Villains and gangs that called Canberra home and Vigerlanty Loot laws were a thing.

Speaking of Villains...

BOOM!

The sudden explosion nearly made me drop the sandwich I was just about to bite into as I spun around to see two figures step out of a cloud of smoke from the explosion. It took me about three seconds to recognize them and when I did, I gaped. Why? Because they weren't characters from Worm.

The apparent leader of the duo was skinny, with a hunched posture and dirty blonde hair that appeared to be smouldering slightly. His costume consisted of a pair of dirty yellow shorts that looked like they'd been caught in a few to many explosions and a bandolier of explosives that looked like they were cobbled together from scrap, while his left arm and leg were junk-made prosthetics. He had a spiked wheel strapped to his back and a gun that appeared to be made of junk in his hand.

The other was a large man with a very large, tattooed stomach, dressed only in pants and armour that looked like it was made from, again, junk, along with a gas mask that covered his head. He was armed with a large, sharp looking hook and another junk gun. In short, they were Roadhog and Junkrat.

"YEEEHAWWW, LETS GO GET EM HOGGA!" screamed Junkrat as he opened fire, sending explosive baseballs everywhere.

"Damnit, not this shit again!" shouted the man behind the counter of the stand we'd just bought our lunch from as he dove behind his stand.

"Does this happen often?" I asked.

"Way too often," growled the man, "Those two are complete idiots, but somehow they keep getting away from the APST. Then they turn around and blow things up a week later! I really wish they'd just shove those fuckers in a deep dark hole and nail it shut!"

"Yep, that sounds about right," I muttered.

I had to wonder if the Cauldron had something to do with that or if those two were similar to a much more destructive Uber and Leet. You know, look useless but actually pretty good? Whatever, those two would be pretty good targets for seeing what I could do.

I nodded to myself and crushed the empty package my sandwich had come in.

"Hey Altera, you up for a quick fight?" I called.

In answer, her expression went cold and her outfit changed back to her white dress and vail.

"I believe I will take the big one," she said as Photon Ray appeared in her hand.

"Fair enough," I said, "Now lets get suited up."

I pulled a rods out of thin air, which glowed and morphed into a full suit of armour that looked a lot like Berserker's. Mainly because it looked damn cool. I didn't bother with any other swords, I wouldn't need them for this.

"What the…!?"

Before the stall owner could finish the sentence, I jumped, clearing three tables and nailing Junkrat in the side of the head with a kick as he ran past, cackling like a loon. The crazed bomber sailed across the street and landed head first in a bin.

"What the fuck?!" he sputtered as he pulled himself out of the waste receptacle, "Who the fuck are you!?"

"You can call me Durandal," I said as I cracked my knuckles.

"Fuck you!" snarled Junkrat, "Get him Hogger!"

As if in response, the oversized Brute slammed into a nearby picnic table, which promptly collapsed, jumped to his feet and charged at Altera with a roar.

"I think hes busy," I said, "Now lets rumble!"

I jumped forwards, making a grab for the skinny Villain, who yelped and ducked out of the way. He spun and fired an explosive ball at me. A quick flex of will turned my gauntlet into a shield that swallowed the ball the moment it hit and easily contained the explosion. It expanded back out again into a Kite shield while my other arm sprouted a long baton I used to crack Junkrat over the head. I didn't want to start lopping of limbs after all.

* * *

I was just tieing Junkrat up with some handy rope provided by a thankful stall owner (and wondering why the actual hell a good Catholic girl like Xenovia knew how to tie ropes Shibari style) when a few vans with flashing green lights came roaring up, followed by a pillar of smoke that reformed into a tall, massively muscled man in a thick, white and blue jacket with the word JUSTICE written across the back and fur around the hems, blue pants, combat boots and leather gloves. His hair was white and slicked back and his eyes were covered by a white domino mask.

The Cape fixed me with a look for a moment, before glancing around at the destruction, then down at the insensate Junkrat.

"Hnn, not bad kid," he grunted, "Junkrats a pest, but hes still dangerous. Do you know where his partner is?"

I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, Roadhog slammed into the ground beside Junkrat as Altera landed lightly beside me.

"Never mind," said the Cape.

He indicated for the troopers who were gathering behind him to take the two Villains, before turning back to us. He looked me up and down, then did the same to Altera, lingering on her maskless face, before letting out a grunt.

"You got guts kid, not wearing a mask like that," he said.

"I have little reason to hide my face," said Altera.

The Cape stared at her for a moment, then grunted again and reached into his jacket.

"Your choice," he said as he pulled out a cigar and stuck it between his teeth, "Names Smoker. You two are new, right?"

"We are," I said, "We weren't actually planning on deputing yet, but…"

I indicated to the damage caused by the two Villains short rampage.

"Yeah, I get it," said Smoker, "Still, thanks for stepping in. Those two are idiots, but they can still do a lot of damage."

He breathed out a cloud of smoke in a sigh.

"I should really ask you to come in, but things are so hectic at HQ right now you'd be waiting for hours," he said, "Instead, I'd like to request that you come to the APST HQ at some point in the next week to fill out a report."

"Alright, we'll do that," I said.

Smoker grunted and nodded, before turning on his heel and stomping over to the vans without another word.

"Well, that was...interesting," I said.

"Hmm, it was an interesting fight," said Altera as she relaxed slightly, "I discovered some limits that I didn't have before."

"Well, thats good to know," I said, "Better now against an easy opponent than against something like...an...Endbringer…"

I trailed off as a newspaper that had been thrown up by the chaos of the fight slowly floated down in front of me, somehow perfectly angled so I could see the date. I paled and snatched the page out of the air to double check. Nope, I didn't miss read it. It was the 24th of February, 2011.

"Oh you son of a…"

I was cut off by a loud wailing.

 **Welp, thats where I'll end this one. I'm not entirely happy with my depiction of Altera, but shes a bit hard to get right. The version I'm basing her on is the Moon version, so she basically has three personalities she switches between. Normally, shes kind and generally good, but she can also do cold and fearsome in battle and weak-willed and cute after just waking up or really happy.**

 **So, Charles got some use out of something other than Durandal this time, mainly because he actually had some time to consider it, but also because using a sword that can cut through just about anything against low ranked Villains is asking for trouble. Durandal is for powerful opponents or people he wants dead.**

 **The only canon character from Oz is Gavel, so I was forced to improvise. Junkrat and Roadhog were obvious choices for an easy fight to start with. Junkrat is a Tinker specializing in building things from scrap. Its genarally crude and makes big booms, but its reliable and works. Roadhog on the other hand is a standard Brute, nothing really that special.**

 **As for why I chose Smoker as a Hero, well, I was stuck for ideas and was reading a One Piece story and figured why not. His powers are pretty self explanatory.**

 **Endbringer battle on the horizon! Should be interesting, assuming I ever get around to doing more of this.**

 **Anyway, I'm done so I'm gonna sign out. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	154. Have Quirk, Will Travel Chapter 1 (V2)

Outsider Chronicles: Have Quirk, Will Travel

People often wonder whether there is a heaven or hell. I don't really know the answer, but I do know that being reborn can be a lot of fun. I should know. Born into a world of heroes during a golden age of powers, I thought I was in for a life not so different from my last one. Then I attended a gaming event in Madison and things got...strange.

 **Right, so you might remember this little idea from a while back where I changed the world the Travellers came from to the MHA world. Well, this is basically the same idea, but more fleshed out and with plenty more things to make you go WTF. Just remember that this really isn't meant to be taken seriously. ONWARDS!**

Chapter 1

My name is Oliver Queen. No, I'm not a rich brat destined to be trapped on an island or anything, the names just a coincidence. That said, I do live in a world of Superheroes, where Heroes and Villains are the norm and our streets look like something out of a comic book. I admit, I had a bit of a terrified moment when I came to after my birth (which I thankfully don't remember) and figured out what happened after I overheard my new Parents talking with my Aunts and realized that I was apparently in Brockton Bay...then My new Mum put the TV on and I was met by an image of a man with bulging muscles and blond hair doing an interview and talking about Quirks.

It took me a couple of months to figure out what was going on. Apparently, I had been reborn as the son of Lightstar and Fleur from New Wave...only the world wasn't Worm, it was My Hero Academia. In short, powers came from Quirks, most of the population had them, there were no Endbringers, no Scion and the PRT was the Government's office of Quirk Affairs and was run, not by Alexandria, but instead by Rebecca Costa-Brown, who wasn't a Hero in her off time, despite her powerful Quirk.

Naturally, the combination resulted in a few glaring differences. For one, the S9 wasn't as much of a threat because even Jack wasn't dumb enough to cause explicit trouble when doing so would get him dogpiled or worse, get All Might to show up. He'd already proven his stripes by helping take out the original incarnation of the S9. Another big difference was the fact that Brockton wasn't going to hell. A mix of the lack of need for an experiment in Cape feudalism and the fact that powers didn't have the conflict drive meant that the gangs just didn't have the ability to do anywhere close to enough damage. It helped that Lung was still in Japan, leaving what would have been the ABB as little more than a number of small, squabbling gangs that tended to get smacked down whenever they made to much noise.

As for the E88, well, they were an issue, but again, much less so. It probably helped that Purity never got suckered by Kaiser, likely due to her connections with New Wave. Oh yeah, I probably should have mentioned that, but she was actually my Mums sister. Wrap your head around that one. In short, the world was more dangerous than my last one, but infinitely less fucked than Worm.

That said, there were still a few similarities. For one, all of the BB Heros were still present, although instead of being, well, heroes, they were teachers at Wards Academy, which was America's answer to UA. Not that similar at all now that I think about it...

Anyway, one of the main differences was caused by the simple fact that Quirks are different from Shards. Oh, virtually everyone had powers similar to their Worm counterparts, including the Tinkers (although they weren't actually tech based), but there were still differences. The main ones were Eidolon, Crawler, Siberian, Vicky and Burnscar. Crawler was big, strong and hard to put down, but wasn't a bullshit adapter, the Siberian was actually a Hero and Mantons Daughter rather than a projection and had the Quirk 'White Tiger' that granted her the attributes of a Tiger, Vicky's powers lacked the aura, but were otherwise identical and Burnscar wasn't driven insane by her own power which, again, meant she wasn't part of the Nine. In fact, the only reason I knew her powers were different was that she was a famous Quirk psychologist of all things. As for Eidolon, well, he had the distinction of being the one and only Hero to graduate from any Hero Academy and become a successful Hero, despite not having a Quirk of his own. Needless to say, he was quite the celebrity.

Speaking of Quirks, mine was...interesting. As you can probably guess, it was Light based like the rest of my family, taking the form of the ability to absorb certain types of energy and convert it into the same type of kinetically charged light as the rest of my family used I could then use to either boost my strength or fire as energy bolts. I couldn't fly, which was a shame, but I could generate a decent amount of thrust with my light. On a side note, when I used my power, I gained a glowing patten over my body that seemed to follow whatever channels my power flowed through and resembled swirling tattoos. All in all, a very powerful and useful Quirk that would serve me well in the future.

But first, I had to get through my childhood which kept throwing curve balls my way so damn fast I could barely keep up. The first thing that went horribly wrong was when my Uncle Mark was killed in action. Hookwolf (who was still a complete psycho and even worse without Kaiser and the Unwritten Rules to reign him in) tore him to shreds during an escape attempt after the murderous loon attempted to take a group of schoolchildren hostage. He died a hero, not that that was much comfort for Aunt Carol and Vicky. Fortunately, the psycho was summerarly torn apart by the combined efforts of an enraged Brandish and an equally enraged Marques whos wife got caught in the carnage and whos daughter had been among the kids Hookwolf had attempted to use as leverage.

Oh yeah, Marquis isn't a Villain in this world.

Anyway, Hookwolf was thrown in prison where he was sentenced to death for his crimes, although his trial had to be delayed so he could heal enough that he no longer needed a full body cast. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy if you ask me.

Despite the tragedy, there was one good thing that came out of it. Thanks to bonding over pounding a murderer into mush and suddenly finding themselves single Parents to young Daughters, Carol and Jean (thats Marquis if your not keeping up) ended up becoming friends and, after a couple of years to move on and dancing around the issue so much that the other New Wave women got sick of it and got the two drunk and locked them in a room together, ended up dating and getting married.

Thats right, Brandish and Marquis got married. I think I might have scared some of my classmates for life with my slightly unhinged laughter when I found that out. I don't think I deserved the punch in the stomach though.

Still, that had nothing on the man Kayden was dating and later married. If you think Brandish and Marquis is an unlikely couple, how about Purity and Oni Lee? Admittedly, Lee wasn't a gangster, or even an active Cape. No, he was a baker. It was at that point that I stopped caring that this world apparently loves to make me go WTF and just rolling with the punches.

Probably wise since a number of other changes popped up on occasion, but I think I'll leave this bit here. I can always come back to ranting about confusing changes at a later date after all.

Anyway, getting back to the actual relevant things to my story. Despite the change in scenery and the fact I was pretty damn popular in school (mostly as a result of being from a family of Heroes), I was still just as much of a nerd as ever and thus, my method of winding down after a hard day of getting the stuffing beaten out of me by my Uncles and/or Cousin Vicky was to log into my PSN account and spend some time blowing up aliens. It was through my hobby that I met a group of similar geeky folks who were planning to head to Wards Academy. Considering who they were, I probably should have smelt a rat, but I honestly didn't see it coming.

* * *

The day the story really begins saw me getting off the train in Madison with a mostly empty rucksack on my back containing nothing but a bulging wallet and my lunch. I was in the city to attend a gaming event for the MMO I played with my friends, Elder Tale, which was fun but I was a little weary of having it on during an update since it was the same game as from Log Horizon.

"Alright, lets see, Noelle said to meet under the clock," I muttered as I pulled out my phone, "I think its...that way."

 **OLIVER QUEEN**

 _Quirk: Light Energy! He can absorb energy like light and heat and convert it into attack power for either physical boost or energy blasts! He can also live off the energy if needs be, but its not exactly healthy!_

I paused and glanced around with a frown.

"Thats weird, I could have sworn…"

I shook my head and shrugged.

"Nah, I'm probably imagining it."

I looked around again and quickly spotted someone stood under a rather large clock in the entryway to the station. She was...not hard to miss, mainly due to the fact that her lower body was that of a snake with bright green scales that extended up over her back, down her arms and up to her face. Her eyes were bright yellow and her hair was the same green as her scales. All in all, not someone you can miss.

 **NOELLE MEINHARDT**

 _Quirk: Echidna! She can take in the DNA of other people and create chibified clones of them from her Biomass with the same powers as their originator! However, the DNA sample is used up by the process, requiring her to acquire more and the creation requires energy and biomass to use! Also, the clones are...EVIL!_

Stood next to her and looking rather bored was an attractive blonde girl with green eyes and fluffy fox ears and tail that made the often vulpine comparisons to her infamous grin all the more appropriate.

 **SARAH LIVSEY**

 _Quirk: Communications Hub! She can create a connection between a maximum of 20 people and allow them to communicate telepathically between themselves!_

The final member of the small group looked surprisingly normal compared to a green lamia and a living star. She was a small girl who looked about nine with bright green, curly hair (yes, that is considered normal in this world) and yellow eyes. She was wearing a blue sundress and flats and was reading a book that looked thick enough to beat seals to death with on what looked like human biology.

 **RILEY MEINHARDT**

 _Quirk: Surgery! Allows her to basically perform surgery without any tools, up to and including turning off nerve impulses, pain receptors and even keeping her patient alive for a short time without vital organs! Also comes with a handy instinctive knowledge of the Human body, although she does require practice and hard work to master it!_

I stopped again and looked around with a frown. What the hell was going on? I kept getting a really weird feeling out of nowhere. Was someone using some kind of weird Quirk somewhere close by?

"Um, is something wrong Ollie?"

I blinked and turned to the girl who had been traveling with me, my best and oldest friend, one Marissa Newland. She was shorter than me and wearing a full body suit made of exceedingly tough, dark green material under normal clothes.

 **MARISSA NEWLAND**

 _Quirk: Solar Body! Shes basically a living star! She can control her body temperature, but a combination of being a teenager and naturally emotional means that she has to wear a special suit to keep from burning everything around her!_

Her Dad was one of my dads old friends and former sidekicks before he retired from Hero work, so we'd spent a good deal of our childhood as friends and, old mind or not, I still appreciated being friends with such a genuinely nice person and I didn't have the normal little boys reaction of 'EW GIRL!'. I think she liked having me around as well since she was pretty passive and kids can be cruel, even to what amounts to living stars.

"No, nothing at all," I said, "Come on, lets go.

I hefted my bag back onto my shoulder and headed over to where the three girls were waiting. As we approched, Sarah's ear twitched and she looked up. At the sight of us, she smiled.

"Hey guys," said Sarah as we approached the three girls.

"Ah, Marissa and Oliver, right?" asked Noelle.

"Thats right," I said, "Nice to meet you in person Echidna."

Noelle twitched.

"Please don't call me that," she said, "I really should have chosen a better screen name…"

"Heh, sorry Noelle," I said, "Whos the shrimp?"

Said shrimp looked up and fixed me with a glare as she puffed her cheeks up in annoyance. It...didn't really work since she was way too adorable to be intimidating.

"I'm not a shrimp!" she yelled, stomping her foot which really didn't help the adorableness.

"This is my cousin, Riley," said Noelle with a sigh, "She wanted to come along, so my aunt decided to dump her on me for the day."

Now, you might be wondering why someone would do that considering that Noelle was only 14, or even why two teenagers would be able to go to an entirely different city, but there were a couple of reasons for that. To start with, my Parents were actually attending a Hero training course the next town over, so I hadn't come all the way from Brockton, but there was also the fact that, despite the advent of Quirks making crazy people that much more dangerous, Heroes also had the effect of cutting random violence down dramatically. Plus, when you have no idea if the little old lady you just robbed could shoot lasers out of her eyes or turn into a bear and maul you, it made petty crime much less attractive.

"Nice to meet you Riley," I said, smiling at the kid while mentally sighing over the addition of someone like her to the group, "I'm Oliver."

Riley turned her cute glare from a rather amused looking Sarah and frowned at me. Then, her eyes widened and she beamed.

"Ah, your part of New Wave!" she gasped.

I snorted.

"Wellll, kinda," I said, "I'm not really a Hero yet after all."

"Thats so cool!" she gasped.

"Hey, what about me?" asked Sarah, "My brothers a Pro too!"

"Yeah, but he ain't as cool as New Wave!"

"Anyway, we should get going," said Noelle, ignoring the two girls behind her as they started bickering, "The others are waiting for us at the event center."

"Sounds good," I said, "Lead the way."

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the event hall where a large crowd was milling around outside. The snake-girl led us over to a small seating area under some trees where a couple of boys were waiting.

One of the two looked about 14, with dark skin and hair and yellow eyes that stood out rather starkly against his dark complexion. He was wearing torn jeans, a leather jacket and had a pair of sunglasses perched on his forehead. His fingers had a few rings on each hand and he was holding a cigarette. In short, he looked more like he should be out getting drunk with his friends in a back alley than waiting for a gaming event.

 **FRANCIS KROUSE**

 _Quirk: Trickswap! He can swap two objects of similar mass within his line of sight!_

The other boy was younger, probably my age, and also looked a bit out of place. He was well built and handsome in that footballer kind of way that attracted cheerleaders and was generally found in Jocks in bad teen TV shows. He was wearing jeans, sneakers and an All Might themed hoodie

 **LUKE BRITO**

 _Quirk: Ballistic! He can imbue any object that weighs less than himself with kinetic energy by touching them and launch them at high velocity!_

"Hey guys!" said Luke as we approached, "'Bout time you got here!"

"Sorry, the train was running late," I said.

"Eh, shit happens," said Luke, "Its nice to meet you two in person."

"Likewise," I said.

"Same," said Marissa, tilting her head in a smile.

Its kinda hard to see her expressions when the only part of her face visible is her eyes and even then, her visor is basically impossible to see through thanks to the glow of her body.

"Its a shame Jess couldn't come though," said Luke.

"Your just upset because you've got a thing for her," I said with a smirk.

Luke's face immediately went bright red and he started spluttering denials, much to our amusement.

"Alright guys, we all got our tickets?" asked Noelle, putting a stop to our poking fun.

"Yep," said Luke.

"Got mine," I said.

Marissa and Francis both nodded and held up their tickets.

"Great, then lets go!"

I followed my friends as they headed towards the event hall, but before I'd gone more than a few steps, I felt...something. For a brief moment, I could have sworn I smelled smoke. I paused and looked around, frowning slightly as I took in the clear blue skies.

"Hey Ollie, is something wrong?" called Marissa.

I took one more look around, before shaking my head.

"Must have been my imagination," I muttered as I continued after my friends.

* * *

There are many things that can change the future. Some are large, others are tiny. The thing about the latter is that it can be incredibly hard to predict them, such is the nature of chaos theory. Mathematicians and physicists are well aware of this truth and the limitations it put on truly being able to predict the future. Even Precog's cannot be completely accurate, with many suffering from horrific hit-and-miss predictions based on countless factors or seeing a mosaic of possible futures. Not even the Simurgh, feared as she was for her seemingly flawless precognition that allowed her to dodge attacks and even use them to her advantage, was immune to this fact about the universe.

Generally, chaos theory didn't matter to the Mighty Mindfucker since she could carefully watch her schemes unfold, even when 'inactive' and keep them on the path to her desired results. However, when the change happens right at the start as she is setting up her Rube Goldburg machine, that is an entirely different kettle of fish.

In this case, it was a simple change, an attack from Eidolon thrown more in frustration than anything as another Hero went boom due to remaining within her screams area of effect for to long. The attack was dodged of course and a car was hit instead, causing it to unravel and various parts of the engine to be pulled loose to join the spinning mass of parts that was her latest creation of doom. However, unseen to everyone, including the Simurgh, a few specks of dust and small stones were also pulled into the mass of parts. They were quickly removed, but not before they caused tiny scratches to a number of components that were incredibly sensitive. Those tiny scratches were enough that the devices intended destination was thrown off. Not that anyone noticed, not even the Simurgh.

Shortly after the damage was done, the statue-like Endbringer brought the parts together with the disassembled Tinkertech that had been kept under the PRT HQ, creating a twisted spire of metal that immediately started humming and pulsing. With every pulse, the already massive halo of rubble surrounding the Endbringer to increased as broken buildings seemed to appear out of thin air.

"Damn it, what the hell is she doing?!" snarled Eidolon as he vaporized one such chunk as it was thrown at him.

"Hell if I know," said Legend, shooting a freezing ray to up out a large fire that had just erupted close to some ground bound Capes, "But that things probably some kind of teleporter."

He and Eidolon zipped out of the way as a chunk of building was flung their way and crashed into the community center, utterly crushing the building.

"Well, wherever its coming from, we need to stop it," said Eidolon, "Shes enough of a problem without having infinite amounts of large scale ammunition."

"Got it," said Legend.

The two men charged up their powers and unleashed beams, one bright blue that twisted and split unnaturally and the other purple and strangely hard to look at. Neither beam found their mark, instead striking more pieces of rubble that got into position at just the right time. The Simurgh's slow rotation brought her around to look towards the two at that moment and Legend was certain that he could see a faint smirk on her face as she looked at them.

Then, her head shifted slightly and her sereen expression shifted slightly. Despite himself, Legend glanced in the direction she seemed to be looking in, just in time to see a flash of light erupt from the ruined community center, followed by a blast of golden yellow light the size of a semi-truck. The sheer force behind the blast nearly pulled him off balance in mid air as it shot past, carving right through the Simugh's hastily raised defences, blowing the delicate device to pieces, before it arched up and carved a surprisingly deep furrow into her body before it cut out. The Endbringer rocked back in the air, shedding feathers and ichor from the gaping wound, before she seemed to regain her balance, shoot one last look in the direction of the community center and then shot straight up fast enough to release a shockwave that shattered whatever windows were left intact in the city and knock the gathered Capes back.

"What...what was that?!" gasped Eidolon.

Legend ignored his friends question as he turned in the direction the attack had come from. He narrowed his eyes and focused his supernatural vision on the hole in the wall caused by the blast. What he saw surprised him.

It was a group of kids, all gathered around one of their number who seemed to be bleeding heavily and had horrific looking burns on his hands, which were still steaming slightly. Other than him, none of them appeared badly injured, but three caught his attention. One was an obvious Case 53 who appeared to be part snake, another was a small girl with bright green hair, the same shade as the snake-girl, and the third was a girl who was wearing some kind of heavy duty suit under her regular clothes.

"There are some kids down there," he said.

"What?"

Legend turned and shot down towards the kids with Eidolon on his heels. Something strange was going on here and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

The day had been going great, with plenty of cool events, memorabilia on sale for me to blow my savings on and some frankly amazing cosplay from the truly dedicated fans. Finally, the part we'd been waiting for had come just after lunch, the tournament we had practiced for so long to compete in. We had all met up in one of the side rooms for a last minute planning session to help us psych ourselves up.

Then things went wrong.

The first indication was when the power went out. We barely had time to react to that before everything went white and started shaking. Once we could see again, it took a moment to register the fact that we were apparently plummeting out of the sky, despite the fact we were in a two story building. Then we were put through the spin cycle as something grabbed the building and threw it, hard.

At this point it would probably be prudent to point something out. Everyone in the world of MHA is insanely tough. By that I mean that the evolution did more than just remove the useless extra bone in the little toe, it also boosted the bodies strength and limits that could be reached naturally. However, since everyone had that increase gradually over time, it meant that it hadn't been noticed. As such, despite the fact we were bounced around like crazy, none of us suffered more than a few bruises and scrapes, even when the building slammed into another.

"Owww, what was that?" groaned Luke as he pushed himself up, "Did a Villain attack?"

"I somehow doubt that," I said as I shoved a desk of my chest and stood, "Any Quirk capable of that would require one hell of a windup and I guarantee we would have noticed something."

"Well, your the expert," said Luke, "Is everyone alright?"

"I think so," said Francis as he freed himself from a pile of rubble by switching with a desk, "Noelle?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said the snake-girl, "Riley?"

The little girl in Noelles arms nodded, although she didn't let go of her cousins shirt.

"That was NOT fun," growled Sarah, "Get off me Mars."

"Oops, sorry," said the star-girl, hopping off the blonde.

Sarah got to her feet and stretched out her back. As she did, she glanced out the window and froze.

"Um, guys?" she said, "You might want to take a look at this."

"Whats up?" asked Francis, walking over to join her.

The moment he looked, he froze as well, his jaw dropping in shock. The rest of us exchanged looks and joined them at the window. The moment I saw what was going on outside, I felt my gut drop down to somewhere around my shoes.

We were still in Madison, I could tell that much from some of the still standing landmarks, but it definitely wasn't the Madison we'd been in moments before. For one, a few of the landmarks I'd seen on the way to the event venue were missing and for another, the 15 foot tall Angel Kaiju beating the tar out of an army of Parahumans was another.

"W-what the hell is that thing!?" yelped Riley.

"Bad news," I said, "This isnt good…"

Sarah took a step back from the window and put a hand on her head. Then she frowned.

"Thats strange, I can't get in touch with my Brother," she said.

I pulled out my phone and checked the signal bar. Sure enough, it was empty, which was basically impossible. By this point back home, the only place you couldn't get a phone/Wifi signal was right out in the boonies. I gritted my teeth as I tried desperately to figure out how to get us out of this mess before we got Zizzed. After a few moments, I decided to fuck it and just wing it.

"Alright guys, pull it together," I said, drawing everyones attention to me, "I think we can be sure that we're not exactly in Kansas anymore, right?"

"Considering I can't connect to anyone other than whos here, thats pretty much a given," said Sarah, rubbing her temples.

"Alright then, in that case, we should probably see about getting some help, right?" I asked.

I...wasn't entirely pleased with the idea of throwing ourselves at the mercy of the PRT, but I had no intention of letting us become anything close to the Travelers in canon. Well, where we could at least. Its not like we needed to take any Cauldron Viles.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Francis.

"Well, if we help deal with the monster, it should help us make friends with the Heroes, right?" asked Luke.

"Yeah, but we don't exactly have much that can hurt that thing," said Sarah, staring out the window at the fight, "From what I can see, its evading every attack sent its way. Some kind of precog maybe?"

"Possibly," I said, "But we don't have much of a choice. As for a way to hurt it...well, I might have something…"

"No, absolutely not!" snapped Marissa, cutting me off by sticking her finger in my face, "Last time we did that, you were in the hospital for a week! And that was after Amelia fixed you up!"

"That was years ago!" I protested, "My Quirk and bodies gotten a lot stronger since then and I have better control."

"No, its still too dangerous!" protested Marissa.

I frowned.

"Mars, we don't have a choice," I said, "We need to do something and thats our best chance."

Marissa clenched her fists in frustration, before letting out a yell and throwing up her arms.

"Fine, but if you end up in hospital again, I won't be visiting you!"

I snorted.

"Fine by me," I said, "Alright, lets do this."

Marissa deflated and sighed.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but fine," she muttered.

"Um, what are you two talking about?" asked Luke as Marissa brought up her hands and retracted her gloves, revealing the rolling orange flames that made up her body.

"My Quirk works by absorbing certain types of energy and converting it into power," I said as I rolled up my sleeves, "Sunlight works best for it, but theres a limit to how much I can get from just the sun. Marissa's body produces the exact same radiation as the sun, so if I come into direct contact with her…"

I trailed off as I took Marissa's hands and my entire body lit up with energy. Literally, the swirling markings that covered my body all lit up with golden light as my reserves of power rapidly filled to max and overflowed, lighting me up from within. I gritted my teeth as the obscene amount of energy I currently held began to burn, causing my hands to start smoking.

Marissa immediately noticed and paled.

"Oliver, you said you could handle it!" she shouted, snatching her hands back.

"I can," I said through gritted teeth, "This time it didn't explode."

"Thats hardly an improvement!" yelled Marissa.

I just grinned painfully.

"Bit late for second thoughts now," I said, "All I can do is let it all go!"

I turned on my heel and pointed my hands in the direction of the Endbringer.

" **SUPERNOVA!"**

My vision went white.

 **Annnd thats where I'm ending it. Maybe its a bit much to have him pull out such a powerful attack right from the start, but its a good way to get the Bet Capes to pay attention. He won't be using it again anytime soon though, mainly because he needs Marissa's help to pull it off and shes not likely to help if she knows it'll destroy his body to use it.**

 **Don't worry, its only MHA world characters who'll get introduced like that.**

 **I actually originally intended to include Sophia and Taylor in the Travelers instead of Riley and Sarah, but I decided that this lot would work better. I always intended to give Cody the boot, but Jess will be putting in an appearance. How? You'll see.**

 **So, what do you think of the Quirks I came up with? I'd be happy to take suggestions for how I could Quirkyfie other Worm characters powers, especially the Tinkers. Currently the only one I have is Armsmaster and Dragon, who have a Miniaturization Quirk (making anything he touches shrink) and Digitization, the power to project into electronic objects respectively. They don't have to be direct copies either since I plan for Sophia's alternate to have a Mutation type Quirk ala Hound Dog.**

 **Anyway, thats enough gabbing, I'm going to sign off. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	155. Have Quirk, Will Travel Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Have Quirk, Will Travel

People often wonder whether there is a heaven or hell. I don't really know the answer, but I do know that being reborn can be a lot of fun. I should know. Born into a world of heroes during a golden age of powers, I thought I was in for a life not so different from my last one. Then I attended a gaming event in Madison and things got...strange.

 **And we're back! Nothing to say here, other than enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The thing about Quirks is that, unlike Parahuman abilities, they are truly a part of their wielder. Push to far with a Parahuman ability and you'll hit a brick wall. Push to hard with a Quirk and it could well kill you. I pushed myself past my limits on the regular, it was just part of training after all, whether physical or Quirk based, but that usually just left me feeling sore.

I had only ever pushed myself to the point the backlash of my Quirk actually burnt me twice before. The first time was shortly after I'd gained it at three while I was experimenting with it and that was relatively minor. The second was the last time I'd used Supernova. It was my strongest attack, putting all of my energy into one powerful blast, but to truly bring out its full power, I needed a boost. The first time I used it, I had no idea just how powerful it would be and ended up shattering the bones in my forearms, in addition to giving myself third degree burns and causing the markings that acted as channels for my power to split from the sheer amount of energy flowing through them. This time, my Quirk and body were stronger, meaning that, while there was actually more power behind the attack, I wasn't as badly hurt.

That did not mean I was able to stay conscious, not when my energy was completely tapped and my body so badly damaged.

I also wasn't expecting to wake up feeling much better than when I'd passed out, if rather drained in the odd empty way I felt when my Quirks reserves were drained. I'd need to spend some time sitting in the sun later, but I could function well enough. Assuming I didn't need to fight anyone. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

I opened my eyes and was immediately met with the sight of the inside of a tent that was set up as a medical station and a frowning Panacea with a hand on my arm. I took a moment to scan her and came to the conclusion that she was basically identical to the one back home, with the sole exception that my cousin had pupils shaped like medical crosses. Mutations came in a lot of bizarre forms, especially the ones that were solely cosmetic. Oh, and this Amy looked like hell. She looked thin, her skin was pale and she had dark rings around her eyes. Whether or not that was a result of the aftermath of an Endbringer fight or if she was already feeling the effects of burnout was up for debate. Probably the former considering I'm pretty sure it was 2009.

"What the hell are you?" asked Panacea suddenly.

I blinked.

"Ah, you do know I'm awake, right?" I asked.

"Thats why I asked," said Panacea, "Now what are you? Your not a Cape, but your entire body is just...better than any I've seen before. And I swear your cells are metabolizing the light from the lamp."

I glanced at said lamp and nodded.

"More than likely," I said, "Sunlights better though."

Panacea blinked.

"Wait, what?"

I smirked.

"Lets just say we're not local," I said, "Now, mind if I ask where my…"

I was cut off as the fabric door was suddenly wrenched open and a dark green blur shot into the room.

"YOU MORON!"

THWACK!

The next thing I knew, my left cheek was throbbing and I had a clearly pissed Marissa straddling my lap with the lapels of my shirt firmly in her grip.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't burn you to a crisp you reckless bastard!" she snarled, her glove retracting to reveal her glowing skin.

I wasn't too worried though.

"For one, to hurt me with that you'd have to turn the temperature up to the point that it set the atmosphere on fire," I said blandly, "And second, you love me too much to do it."

Marissa twitched violently as the light leaking through the goggles of her suit took on a slightly redder tinge. Then she slapped me on the other cheek.

"JACKASS!"

"Well, that went better than I thought it would," I said as I rubbed my cheeks.

Panacea looked between me and the fluttering entrance Marissa had just stomped through with a rather odd look on her face. Then she sighed and shook her head.

"Whatever, I don't care," she said, "Your perfectly healthy now and the Triumvirate want to talk to you and your friends, so I suggest you get up."

"Right, but before I do that, might I get some clothes?" I asked.

Panacea nodded and left the room. A moment later, a man in body armour armed with what had to be a foam sprayer entered with a bag that turned out to contain a tracksuit that fit fairly well.

* * *

Now clothed, I followed the trooper out of the makeshift infirmary and across a stretch of wasteland that had apparently been turned into a base of some kind. There was a lot of movement going on in the direction of the city as a number of trucks containing building supplies roared past. Guess we didn't arrive in time to stop the need from doming the city. Oh well, nothing we could do now.

We entered another tent where my friends were gathered, along with a few more troopers who looked rather nervous, especially the ones near Noelle. To be fair, she was rather large and, despite the fact that her Quirk wasn't actually tied directly to her mutation, she was still a lot stronger than any normal Human. She had Riley in her arms with the others stood protectively in front of the two Meinhardts and was glaring at Eidolon and Alexandria while Legend stood between the two groups, apparently trying to get them to calm down.

"Alright, what did I miss?" I asked.

Francis scowled as he let out a lungful of smoke.

"Apparently these morons seem to think that Riley is some kind of serial killer," he growled, "Care to help us calm them down? You seem to have some idea of whats going on."

"I do have a few ideas," I said.

"Lets start with why you have Bonesaw with you," growled Eidolon.

I sighed and held out my hand.

"Phone."

There was a pop and my phone appeared in my hand.

"There have been a few things over the past few hours that have tipped me off that somethings up," I said as I unlocked it and started flipping through my photo app, "Most notably, Panacea didn't seem to recognize me."

"What does that have to do with anything?" demanded Alexandria.

"Well, considering that shes my cousin, that raised a fair few red flags," I said, "Ah, here it is."

I flipped the phone over and held it out to the three Cauldron Capes. There was a pause, before Legend stepped forwards and took the phone. A moment later, his expression went from confused to utter shock. Not that surprising considering the photo I had up was of me and my Cousins when we met All Might at a global event a couple of years ago and let me tell you, the real thing was somehow even more energetic and hammy than the Anime depicted. Then again, that might be a result of his injury and the short time he could be a Hero. That photo was taken before his fateful bout with All For One after all.

"Add in the fact that hes acting like a dick and you lot apparently think that Riley's a killer when the only thing she would kill is a bar of chocolate and I think its safe to say we're not in Kansas anymore," I finished as Legend showed his teammates the photo.

"Are you trying to suggest that we've somehow ended up in another dimension?" asked Sarah.

"Can you come up with a better explanation?" I asked, "Amelia didn't recognize me or my Quirk Factor, Eidolon isn't acting like a wise old mentor and you can't connect with anyone other than us, despite the fact that we're well within your range limit."

"Thats true," said Sarah, closing her eyes and focusing, "Its weird though, I can almost sense a connection with Jess and Dragon. Its like their right on the edge of my range...gah, its a damn weird feeling."

"Any idea which way to go to get them in range?" asked Francis.

"Not...really," said Sarah, "I'm getting...something, but its not really a direction. I'll see if I can figure something out. Who knows, we might be able to get in touch with home."

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," said Legend as he and the other two Cauldron Capes finished going through my gallery and returned my phone to me, "I guess the Simurgh's device was some kind of dimensional transfer device. That makes a certain amount of sense, a lot of Professor Haywire's old stuff was stored here."

He frowned.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we have any way to get you home. I'm sorry to say that you might be stuck here."

"That might not be true," I said, "Sarah might be able to use her Quirk to get in touch with back home and if anyone can figure out a way to build something to blow space-time a new one, its Theresa Wallis."

"Quirk?" asked Legend.

"Ah, its what we call our powers," I said, letting a small amount of my light pool in my hand before absorbing it again, "I suspect they likely work differently than over here if Panacea's reaction to my physiology was anything to go by."

"You all have powers?" asked Alexandria.

"Practically everyone back home has powers," said Luke, "I think its something like 80% of the population these days?"

"Something like that," said Francis, "I take it things are different over here?"

I clapped my hands.

"Lets play 20 questions later," I said, "For now, we need to figure out where to go from here. We have nothing but the clothes on our backs and our Quirks, so we can't exactly get by on our own."

I frowned.

"Well, I guess we could, but that would lead to explosions, collateral damage and mass hysteria."

"Dogs and cats living together?" asked Luke.

"You and your retro movies," muttered Francis as he stubbed out his cigarette.

I ignored the byplay behind me as I kept my gaze locked on Legend.

"Well, we do have some plans for people in your...position," said the head of the Protectorate, "Ever since Professor Haywire managed to open the hole between Bet and Aleph, we've known that there was a chance that we'd have to deal with unintended crossings from somewhere. That said, we never expected so many people to come through at the same time."

He sighed and rubbed his face.

"It'd be easiest for you to join the Protectorate," he said, "That way we can do more to help."

I eyed him for a moment, turning the idea over in my mind. I trusted Legend to not screw us over, but the rest of the PRT and, more importantly, the Cauldron was an entirely different story. That said, we didn't really have much choice in the matter. Considering who Rileys alternate was and Noelle and Sarah's power sets, it would be a right pain in the arse trying to get anything done without their help.

"Can you guarantee we won't be separated?" I asked.

"It would be cruel to do that, so yes," said Legend, "I'll also make sure that you get any help you need in returning home, assuming you can."

"Wait, what?" asked Alexandria, "Legend, are you sure you want to do that?"

"Lexie, our world is dying," said Legend, "You know that as well as I do. If we can get even the smallest amount of help from outside, shouldn't we take it?"

The Brute looked a little taken aback by that.

"You saw how strong that blast was during the battle," continued Legend, "More to the point, _the Simurgh didn't dodge it!_ I assume that was you?"

I nodded.

"Yes, but an attack like that pushes me way past my limits," I said, "Power on that level is rare back home and generally comes with its own set of issues."

Legend shook his head.

"Thats not important, what is is that I honestly think that you kids could represent the first hope I've had in a long time that we could do something to save this world."

Hoo boy, talk about pressure, although I do have to admit that I'd like to see what All Might would do to this world. Plus, the irony that we, the Travelers, who should have represented one of the Simurgh's most dangerous plans could be thought of as a hope for the world. On the other hand...wasn't that what being a Hero was all about? I sighed. Damn, this whole things a mess…

"Guys?" I asked.

The others glanced at each other.

"Do we really have a choice?" asked Noelle.

"Theres always a choice," I said, "Its just that sometimes the options are less than optimal."

I sighed.

"Alright, I guess we'll go with that. Now all we need to do is figure out if we can somehow boost Sarah's Quirk…"

Noelle opened her mouth.

"No, not a chance," said Sarah, "Last time you did that, Amelia nearly suffered an aneurysm and Vicky ended up hiding in her room for three days!"

"Hey, its not my fault everyone seems to have deeply hidden secrets!" snapped Noelle, "Besides, I was going to use Amp, not you."

"Oh and having to learn all my Brothers little secrets is so much better!" growled Sarah, "And when did you get Reggies DNA anyway?"

"Do you have any idea how much skin you lose in a day?" asked Noelle, "Shaking someone's hand is enough to get some most of the time!"

"Thats...a good point," said Sarah, "Never mind then, but I still don't really want to have to put up with the little monster you'll inevitably make. Besides, I think I've figured out a way to get a better signal."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"If I get closer to their location, I might be able to connect," she said.

"Brockton Bay?"

"Yep."

"I'm sorry, connect?" asked Legend, drawing my attention back to him.

Apparently the other two thirds of the Triumvirate had decided they had better things to do.

"My power lets me create connections with people I touch," said Sarah, "Once I have a connection, I can act as a hub to allow up to 20 people communicate telepathically. My range is large enough to cross continents and apparently reality."

There was a moments silence.

"Your a telepath?" asked Legend, his voice carefully level.

"Communication only," said Sarah, "I can read minds or anything."

There was another moments silence, before Legend let out a sigh.

"I think we need to have a very long discussion," he said.

* * *

"WHAT?!" shrieked Noelle, shooting to her tail, "You mean to tell me that that little fucker Nilbog is still ALIVE?!"

Legend had just got done telling us some of the history of Bet and the issues that came with certain powers. He'd just got onto the issue of Biotinkers and Nilbogs little rampage, which had got Noelle steaming mad. Considering her history with our worlds version, that isn't a surprise.

Yes, we did indeed have a Nilbog who went off the rails and tried to take over Ellisburg. The difference was that over there he ended up getting dogpilled by enough Heroes to make All For One baulk. He'd been dealt with swiftly but the aftermath had been...unpleasant.

Biokinetics were always regarded with vague mistrust, just like those with Master-like powers, even back home. Oh, it was nowhere near as bad as over here, well over a century of getting used to the existence of powers saw to that, but sometimes something happened that brought the fact that Quirks are incredibly dangerous into stark relief. Jamie Rinkes little rampage was one such event and resulted in a fair amount of suspicion directed towards the Biokinetic community, especially those with the ability to create Minions. Since Noelle's family possessed similar abilities, they found themselves in a rather precarious situation which, thankfully, didn't erupt into anything unpleasant, but had left Noelle with a rather strong opinion of Nilbog.

"You'll have to excuse her," I said as Noelle started ranting in the background about what she'd do if she got her hands on Nilbog, resulting in everyone else edging away slowly and the boys of the group wincing at some of the more...inventive threats, "Shes had some bad experiences as a result of the aftermath of our version of Nilbogs rampage."

"Shes a Biokinetic, isn't she?" asked Legend.

"And a minion maker at that," I said, "Just...don't ask her to make any unless you really have to."

I shuddered.

"They're...not for the faint of heart."

"I'll take your word for it," he said.

He sighed.

"Well, I think thats everything you need to know for now," he said, "I'll see about getting you a transport to Brockton, although it might mean your going back with the Brockton Bay Capes who came to fight."

"Thats fine," I said, "Although I am a little curious as to why your helping, despite clear reservations at some of our powers."

Legend sighed.

"Its like I said to Alexandria and Eidolon," he said, "This world is dying. The Endbringers are really only one thing that's killing it, the main thing that's driving us down is hopelessness. There are more Villains than heroes, the very nature of Trigger Events see to that, and many of the PRT's policies and actions have not helped with that. I've done my best to get the Chief Director to try and do something about it, but something always happens to stop it. Even if the Endbringers were to disappear tomorrow, I don't think it'd stop the downward spiral."

He sat up and looked me in the eye.

"But if we can make contact with another reality, one where Heroes are the ones on top, then maybe it can help us break that spiral. Thats why I'll do whatever it takes to help you succeed."

I stared at the other Light user in no small amount of surprise. I know that Legend is basically the closest person in Worm to a traditional Hero, but that resolve was honestly rather surprising. Guess this is a world where Legend isn't entirely aware of the Cauldrons more...questionable activities. Either that or their already moving to manipulate us. Either way, I honestly wasn't averse to accepting help freely offered.

"I'm not sure if things'll go how you want, but we'll do our best," I said, holding out my hand, "Thanks Legend."

The older man smiled as he took my hand.

"I know better than to believe it will be easy, but I have to try," he said, "Thank you."

* * *

"I don't like this," said Francis once Legend had gone, "Are you sure we can trust them?"

"Its not like we have any choice," said Luke, "Seriously, if we don't trust Legend, what are we supposed to do?"

"Lukes right," said Marissa, "While I'm sure we could figure out a way to make money, we'll find it a lot harder to get anything done."

"I think we can trust Legend," said Sarah, "The other two...possibly not."

"Its weird to think we can't trust someone whos so well known as a great hero back home, but I agree," said Noelle, "There was something...oddly intense about him and Alexandria. I'm pretty sure that she could honestly have killed all of us and not batted an eye."

"We need to be careful regardless," I said, "I'm certain we can trust Legend, but remember to keep your eyes and ears open. I'm not convinced that everyone will be as friendly."

"Noted," said Francis, "Do you think we'll actually be able to get home?"

"Assuming we can get in touch, I'm almost certain that Mrs Wallis will be able to figure something out," said Marissa, "Shes already got pocket dimension tech for use with her field gear, so its not that hard to believe that she could figure out how to get to us."

"Hnn, your entirely to optimistic Mars," said Francis.

"Better optimistic than losing ourselves to despair," said Noelle.

"Whatever you say honey," said Francis.

There was a thump as Noelle smacked Francies over the back of the head with her tail.

* * *

About an hour later, Legend returned and baied us follow him. He led us through the camp to a cleared area where a man in blue with a peaked cap was stood waiting.

"This the last of them for Brockton?" asked Strider, eyeing our group with an odd look on his face..

"I think so," said Legend, "If its not too much trouble, I'd like to tag along. I need to speak to Director Piggot about something."

"Sure, no problem," said Strider, "Hold onto your butts."

There was a sensation like being turned inside out, followed by a loud pop and our surroundings changed from makeshift base of operations to the helipad on the roof of a skyscraper. Waiting for us was a familiar looking large woman and a few men in PRT armour.

"Good afternoon Director Piggot," said Legend.

"Hello Legend," said the Director, "Are these the kids you told me about?"

"Yes, these are our visitors," said Legend, "I know this isn't exactly standard practice, but thank you for agreeing to keep an eye on them."

"If it means I can get even a couple more Capes willing to help hold the line, I'm willing to put up with a lot," she said, "Speaking of which…"

"I'll talk to Chief Director Costa-Brown," said Legend, "Honestly, I agree, the situation in this city is getting much to dire to allow to continue."

"Thank you," said Piggot.

Legend nodded and turned back to us.

"I'm afraid I can't stay for much longer," he said, "Even with the Endbringer Truce still in place, I have a lot of work to do back in New York. I will however keep an eye on your progress and feel free to contact me if you need any help."

I smiled.

"We won't let you down," I said.

Legend smiled and took off, quickly vanishing in a streak of blue light.

"Alright, I don't have all day so lets get you lot sorted," said Piggot.

We all followed Piggot and her trooper escort into the building. As we did, I couldn't help but grin. This was going to be fun.

 **And with that, I'm ending this chapter before I start pulling hairs. That ending was a pain in the arse. Anyway, onto the quips!**

 **This is a world where Legend isn't entirely in the know with what the Cauldron is up to, hence why hes willing to help the kids. Plus, he genuinely does want to improve the world and sees the Travelers as a way to do just that.**

 **I...honestly don't think theres much more I can say here, so I'm gonna sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	156. Empress of Escalation Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Empress of Escalation

Isekai. A Genre I love to bits and one of the few that I would quite happily jump into with both feet. However, I don't care what kind of god killing powers I get out of it, finding myself as Taylor Hebert following a close encounter with the back of a locker is NOT what I had in mind!

 **Welp, I guess it was inevitable for me to do this eventually! Of course, this is a little different from normal since our Outsider gets knocked loose later in life than at birth, which means that she'll have to deal with Taylor's past decisions. To be clear, this isn't the Outsider character replacing Taylor, its just the Outsider character regaining the memories of who she used to be. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The sound of regular beeps guided me slowly from the dark depths of slumber. I groaned softly as the darkness slowly seeped away and my body began to inform my brain that it ached. It was a deep, agonizing ache unlike anything I'd ever felt before and seemed to go right down to my bones.

" _Hurrh, where am I?"_ I thought as I tried to open my eyes.

It took some doing since it felt like someone had superglued my eyelids shut, but I eventually managed it and found myself looking up at a white ceiling. I looked around as best I could without moving my head. It took a moment for what I saw to properly register in my sluggish brain, but eventually I realized I was in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and tubes attached to me. I sighed. That made sense, I had just been hit by a car/locked in my locker with half a ton of crap…

Wait, WHAT?!

It was at that point that I suddenly realized I had two sets of memories. One belonged to a perfectly normal British man that ended abruptly with a pair of very bright lights and the sound of a trucks horn and the other of a slightly less normal American girl which ended with her screaming herself horse locked in a locker full of used female hygiene products. But...I wasn't either of them. The memories didn't clash or mix, it was more like the older ones had always been there and had been brought out by a solid whack to the head when getting pushed into the Locker.

Now that I think about it, I think I read a few Isekai that started like that…

I shook that thought off as best I could when I could hardly move and refocused on trying to figure out who the actual fuck I was and what I should do now. On the surface it was obvious, do whatever I could to deal with the Bitches Three and do my best to survive. The problem was, the part of me that was still Taylor balked heavily at the idea. It meant telling Dad and he had enough to deal with and it's not like anyone would do anything anyway and…

I groaned and draped an arm over my face. While the two sides of who I was weren't technically separate, the outlooks of Taylor Hebert, bullied teenage girl and...huh, I couldn't remember my old name...whatever, whoever I used to be, an adult man, if fairly young, were clashing and would likely cause me no end of headaches in the future.

It was at that point that a nurse arrived and I was denied the chance to think until they were done with their tests and left me alone, with the message that Panacea would be around shortly to make sure I didn't have anything nasty lurking in my body, ready to give me a nasty surprise.

* * *

Alone once again, I turned my attention to the other potential sticking point. Whether or not I'd Triggered in the locker. It was pretty obvious that I didn't have my canon power (and wasn't that a rather unpleasant revelation, to catch a glimpse of the utter clusterfuck my life could have been) since I couldn't sense the presence of the bugs I knew had to be nearby. On one hand, that was good since it meant I couldn't become Khepri, on the other, I really hoped that gaining my past lifes memories hadn't replaced a Trigger Event. While being a Cape could be dangerous and my past life knowledge had put quite the damper on the ideals I used to have about Capes, that didn't change the thrill of joy I had at the idea of possible being able to fulfil the old dreams of being a Cape.

However, I couldn't feel anything different. While its true that I had no idea how having powers would feel, there should be something, right? After a moment's thought, I sat up, crossed my legs and closed my eyes. While I had no idea what I was doing, I took the advice of all Anime mentors teaching the protagonist how to access unknown powers and did my best to look deep inside to draw out my hidden power. I somehow doubted it'd work, but it was worth a shot.

It didn't take long sitting like that for my legs to start to hurt, making me shift and breaking what little concentration I'd been able to muster. I gritted my teeth and shoved my discomfort aside, determined to at least try to see if this could work. Unfortunately, all I got for my efforts was sore legs and a mild headache from focusing so hard.

Finally, I gave up and flopped back down onto the bed.

"Well, that didn't work," I said, "I wonder if I even have powers…"

I lifted my arm and stared at my hand, imagining a ball of light appearing in it.

"Heh, would be nice, even if it would be a pain," I muttered with a smirk as I made a finger gun and mimed firing the imagined energy ball, "Bang…"

 **DRAGON BOOSTER!**

I shot bolt upright as, with a flash of green and red light, a very familiar red gauntlet appeared on my hand.

"What the hell!?" I spluttered, "Is this…"

" **Hehe, yes I am indeed here,"** said a deep voice, apparently issuing from the gauntlet, **"Nice to finally meet you kiddo."**

"No way," I muttered, "How the hell do I have the Boosted Gear? Is this...is this some kind of crossover world?"

" **Hmm, I'm...not entirely sure to be honest,"** said the great Dragon, **"I...don't think so though. My last memory before I woke up in you was saying goodbye to my previous wielder and then...well, it was a little different than most transfers."**

"How so?" I asked.

There was a moments silence.

" **Normally, when my last wielder dies, I simply lose consciousness and then wake up in my next host,"** he said, **"But this time, as Issei died, I felt something...grab me for want of a better word."**

"You think something deliberately dropped you in me?" I asked.

" **Possible I guess,"** said Ddraig, **"But I don't think it really matters that much."**

I stared at my hand incredulously.

"Something unknowably powerful grabbed you from your original world and dropped you into a new one and you say it doesn't matter?!" I asked, "Why not?"

I got the impression of a shrug.

" **Well, what am I going to do about it?"** he asked, **"I've long made peace with my status as a Sacred Gear and, as you said, whatever it was that grabbed me had to be unknowably powerful. I wouldn't even know how to go about finding it and even if I managed it, what could I do? No, better to simply accept it and move on."**

I blinked. That was...oddly pragmatic of the Dragon. Then again, its not like Ddraig was stupid and being with Issei supposidly mellowed him out a fair amount.

"Alright, I guess I can understand that," I said, "So...are you willing to help me?"

" **HAH, your the boss around here kid,"** he said, **"My power is yours to wield as you see fit. Just make sure that you live up to the name of the Red Dragon Emperor and I'll be happy."**

"I'm not sure I can match someone like Issei," I said, "I mean, the guy was a Shonen protagonist and achieved a heck of a lot for someone who started at the literal bottom."

" **Oh, I don't expect you to live up to Issei,"** said Ddraig, **"Just live the best life you can and that'll be enough. Of course, if you manage to beat some of the big bads of this world, that'll be fine to."**

I grinned.

"I think I might just do that," I said, "I wonder what Lung would make of a real Dragon?"

Ddraig snorted.

" **I've seen that overgrown salamander in your memories,"** he growled, **"The idiot barely even qualifies as a wyvern, let alone a real Dragon. If you do decide to go out and be a, whats the term…, a Cape, make sure you kick his ass for me."**

I chuckled and nodded.

"I think I can do that," I said, "Thanks Ddraig."

The Dragon radiated warmth from deep within wherever it was he lived inside me. I sighed as I let myself drop back against the less-than-comfortable pillow, allowing the gauntlet to fade as I did. This...this changed things. No matter how you sliced it, having the Boosted Gear instantly bumped me up to a level on par with the Triumvirate. Think I'm exaggerating? Well, considering that the Boosted Gear was a weapon that allowed its user to defeat GODS, I don't think I am. Sure, it'd take some time for me to reach the point where that was possible, both in terms of learning how to use it and due to the 10 second limit, but given a bit of time, I could probably outdo Lung in terms of power escalation. Especially if I could unlock a Balance Breaker. Still, I'd need to be careful. Powerful or not, the main reason Issei managed his many feats was a combination of his friends backing him up and the fact he was an Anime protagonist. I had neither and that meant I needed to get a lot stronger before I could face down monsters like the Endbringers.

"Taylor?"

I looked up to see my Dad stood in the doorway. I smiled shakily.

"Hi Dad," I said.

Dad wordlessly crossed the room and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back as the many emotions I'd been deliberately holding back since I woke up finally boiled over, all of the confusion, frustration and fear from two years worth of isolation and bullying at the hands of my former best friend, of the experience of the Locker and my own death still so fresh in my mind, of the additional life in my head and the knowledge that I was _this_ close to being put on a path that would lead to more pain and suffering than anyone should ever experience. And the relief of the knowledge that all of that suffering, past and future, could be stopped if I played my cards right.

Dad held me close as I cried and I felt better by the end of it.

Eventually, I managed to calm down, but I didn't pull away. It had been way too long since I'd felt this close to Dad and I had no intention of letting go anytime soon.

"Dad, I need to tell you something…" I said.

The sound of a knock at the door cut me off and Dad and I looked up to see a man in a suit stood in the door.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I need to talk to Miss Hebert," said the man, showing a badge, "I'm Inspector Bones with the BBPD and I was hoping to ask you a few questions about the...incident."

I shoved down the flair of irritation at the little euphemism.

"Oh, I'll answer some questions alright," I growled, "Those bitches nearly killed me this time! No way I'm taking this lying down."

"You know who pushed you in?" asked Bones.

"Most likely it was Sophia Hess," I said, "But I bet the entire idea was the work of either Emma Barnes or Madison Clements. Those three bitches have been targeting me since the start of Highschool and the faculty have done NOTHING!"

I ignored the look of shock on Dads face as the Detective stared at me.

"I see," he said at length, "I'm afraid that will be difficult to prove since there weren't any witnesses…"

I let out a nasty laugh.

"Oh, of course that's what they'd say," I sneered, "Unfortunately, I can name at least ten people who were stood around watching. Not only that, but I've got nearly two years worth of notes and printed out emails at home to establish a pattern of behaviour. I doubt those notes or my word alone will be enough to do much, but I imagine it would give you a starting point."

"I would yes," said Bones, looking rather annoyed, "If you could give me the names, it would be a big help."

I did as he asked and answered a few more questions before the detective left, leaving his email address we could send my notes to when we got home. Now alone again, Dad and I sat in silence, before he looked up and fixed me with a slightly pleading look.

"Emma?" he asked.

I winced.

"I...I don't know why," I said, "When I came back from Camp before Highschool she was...different. She told me to get lost and then…"

I trailed off and sniffed, scrubbing at my eyes. No, I'd cried enough tears over Emma, I wasn't crying any more. Dad scowled and clenched a fist.

"I really hope that Alan doesn't know anything about this," he growled.

I bit my lip.

"I...I don't think he does," I said, "I have no doubt he'll defend Emma to the end, but maybe if...maybe if you talked to Mr Barnes he could do something to help Emma. I'm...I'm not exactly sure shes entirely well."

Dad took a deep breath and nodded.

"I think I might just do that," he said.

"Don't do anything stupid though Dad," I said quickly, "I don't want you to get arrested because you punched Mr Barnes."

"That will depend entirely on him," said Dad, before catching my expression, "Don't worry dear, I can control myself."

I smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks Dad," I mumbled.

Dad sighed and hugged me back.

"Taylor, I owe you an apology," he said after a moments silence, "I've been a terrible Father…"

I shook my head.

"No Dad, we were both in the wrong," I said, "Since Mom...went away, we both lost our way. I should have told you what was going on a long time ago, then maybe all this could have been avoided."

"Maybe," said Dad, "Still, I feel guilty…"

"Hindsight is 20/20," I said, "All we can do now is try to do better in the future."

"Hmm…"

We fell silent once again, the awkwardness of the past two years still very much a thing. Fortunately, another interruption arrived, this time in the form of a white coated doctor and an exhausted looking Panacea. Her deep hood and scarf did a good job of hiding it from casual viewers, but since I was looking for it, I could clearly see her pale skin, bloodshot eyes and deep bags under said eyes. It was the kind of look that could only come from a long stretch of lost sleep.

"Taylor Herbert?" asked Panacea.

"Hebert, but yes," I said.

"Sorry," said Panacea as she entered the room and stepped up to the bed, "Do I have permission to heal you?"

"Sure, go ahead," I said, holding out my hand.

The healer took my hand and I kept a close eye on her, just in case. I had no idea if I was an actual Parahuman or if Ddraigs presence would affect my biology in any noticeable way, so keeping an eye on Panacea's reaction would hopefully give me some clues. Fortunately, she didn't react and, after a brief tingle, nodded and opened her eyes.

"Your done," she said and moved to let go.

I tightened my grip on her hand slightly, making her pause and glance at me.

"Thank you," I said.

Panacea stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

"Your welcome," she said and pulled her hand out of my grip.

She left the room as the doctor entered and picked up my chart.

"Well, now that you've been given a clean bill of health, we can get you out of here as soon as you sign the paperwork," he said.

* * *

Said paperwork didn't take long and before long we were in Dads truck on the way home. The ride was made in silence as I stared out the window and tried to decide how best to proceed. There was no way in hell I was going out just yet, not until I had some idea how to fight and more strength with which to actually use my Sacred Gear so I didn't have to spend five minutes boosting to an acceptable level. As such, it wasn't as important for me to tell Dad about my powers just yet, but...I didn't want to risk alienating him. The longer I waited to tell him, the greater the risk that he'd panic and do something stupid, but if I came right out and told him it would hopefully mitigate some of that.

Or it could backfire horribly.

Either way, I couldn't keep my powers from Dad. I'd had a good relationship with my Parents last time through and I really wanted to try and get that closeness back with my current Dad and trust was a big part of that. I'd just have to hope that he didn't run off and sign me up for the Wards the moment he heard about my powers. Not that I had entirely dismissed the idea of joining the Wards yet, but it would be nice to keep my options open.

Since it was rather late, the light traffic meant that it didn't take long for us to get home, which really didn't help my indesition.

"Alright Taylor, get to bed," said Dad, "We can talk more in the morning."

I hesitated for a moment, then steeled myself.

"Actually dad, theres something I need to talk to you about now," I said.

Dad paused on the stairs and looked back at me.

"What is it Taylor?" he asked.

I hesitated again, then clenched my fist and summoned the Boosted Gear.

"I Triggered in the Locker Dad," I said as he stared at the red gauntlet, "I have powers."

* * *

Thinking about it, I probably should have waited until morning, but I have a feeling I would have chickened out if I did. That was a rather annoying personality trait that seemed to be ubiquitous across both my lives and something I'd have to take great pains to fix if I could. As it was, I didn't get to talk to Dad about it since, after staring at my Dragon Hand for a moment, he'd just groaned, banged his head lightly on the wall and told me to go to bed.

"Its way too late to talk about this right now," he'd said, "I'm so tired I can't think straight. We'll talk about this in the morning."

Now I was in my room, stood in my underwear in front of the mirror and examining my body through the lens of an additional life that came with a male viewpoint. It didn't take me long to come to the conclusion that Taylor...um, me? Thats going to get confusing. Whatever, my old self had been a little overly self conscious about her looks. While it was true that I wasn't exactly stacked like some people, I still had legs for days and, despite Taylor's beliefs, my wide mouth and large eyes actually fitted quite well with my features and served to make my face expressive. I was honest enough to admit that I wasn't as gorgeous as Emma, but I was still far from ugly.

I sighed and dropped onto my bed face first, not bothering to put on my PJs. This entire thing was a complete mess. While I was happy that I could (hopefully) deal with the Bitches Three and could (again, hopefully) improve my relationship with my Dad, I was less than enthused with the idea that I'd dodged a massive bullet...mostly. While I no longer had any risk of becoming Khepri, I wasn't blind to the potential risk that came with holding one of the Twin Heavenly Dragons. I may not be a Parahuman, but I had no doubt at all that I'd still end up in a lot of fights. I really needed to learn how to fight…

* * *

I blinked. I'm pretty sure I'd just fallen asleep in my bed, but for some reason I found myself stood in a pure white space with nothing but a few wooden benches arranged in a lecture theater style, albeit much smaller.

"Um, where am I?" I asked, "Is anyone...YEEK!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as someone groped me from behind and reacted. My fist slammed into a cheek, sending my attacker flying into the bench with a loud crash.

"Heh, thats quite the right hook you got there," said the man as he slowly got to his feet and wiped away the small amount of blood from the corner of his mouth, "Nice reflexes to."

He wasn't really much to look at, a young looking man of average height with broad shoulders and short, spiky brown hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing an expensive looking suit with the jacket and dress shirt left open, showing off the red shirt he was wearing underneath. He also looked oddly familiar.

"Wha...who are you?" I asked, taking a couple of steps away.

The man grinned.

"Well, I'm your Senpai," he said, "I'm the last Red Dragon Emperor, the Harem King, Issei Hyodou!"

I blinked. Then what he said sank into my mind and I may have squeed slightly. Issei blinked, looking slightly taken aback.

"Well, thats a reaction I'm not used to getting from girls," he said.

I blushed brightly.

"A-ah, sorry about that," I said, "Its just...I don't know if you know, but I remember a past life where your life was an Anime and, well, your one of the better protagonists I can think of."

" **And I'm sure the large amounts of fanservice have nothing to do with it,"** growled Ddraig as the great Dragon appeared behind Issei.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it," I said with a blush, "But honestly, I liked the world more than the T&A. Plus, you were a lot more memorable than most Shonen protagonists for some reason. Probably because you're an unrepentant perv."

Issei let out a bark of laughter.

"Probably," he said, "Anyway, I'm curious. What do you intend to do with Ddraigs power?"

I sighed as I dropped onto one of the benches.

"This world is going to shit," I said, "I could see that before I...woke up for want of a better world. If I was any other Parahuman, I'd say we were still boned, but with the power of the Boosted Gear, something that can kill a God…"

Issei smiled.

"So, you want to save the world?" he asked.

I snorted.

"When you just come out and say it it sounds stupid," I said, "But yes. I know it'll take a lot of effort and I'm not even sure if I'd be able to beat Zion, but I'm not willing to just let that golden bastard destroy everything without a fight!"

For a moment, Issei and Ddraig stared at me, before Issei snorted and grinned.

"Well, you wouldn't be much of a Dragon if you did," he said, "Alright kid, I'll teach you what I know."

I looked up at him and cocked my head on one side.

"Huh?"

"You need to learn how to fight if your gonna save the world," said Issei, "And if there's one thing I know how to do, its fight bad guys."

His expression darkened slightly.

"Be warned though, I won't hold back, even if you are a cute girl. Your the Red Dragon Emperor now and that means you have to be the best you can be. Interested?"

I stared at him for a moment, before a wide grin crossed my face and I jumped to my feet.

"Hells yeah!" I exclaimed, "Do your worst Sensei!"

Issei grinned back.

"Sensei huh?" he said, "Guess I can get used to that. Alright Taylor Hebert, lets see what you've got!"

He jumped forwards and I barely avoided the first punch.

 **And with that, I'm done. This was...interesting to write in all honesty. I highly doubt I did a very good job with getting across the affects of Taylor suddenly gaining the memories of her past self, but then again, this isn't some random schmuck getting dropped into Taylors body or anything, the memories were always there just locked away, so there'd be less issues with integration.**

 **I'm not entirely sure how Ddraig found himself in Bet, but its not really relevant. That said, he is the real Ddraig and not a copy or anything and, as should be obvious, the events of DXD are long past in his world. Incidentally, Issei's presence within the Gear will have some...interesting side effects for Taylor and her future abilities.**

 **So, do you think this Taylor would do well in the Wards or remain solo and possibly gather her own team? I mean, shes technically not a Parahuman, so they'll be some confusion there, but either one could be fun.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	157. Empress of Escalation Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Empress of Escalation

Isekai. A Genre I love to bits and one of the few that I would quite happily jump into with both feet. However, I don't care what kind of god killing powers I get out of it, finding myself as Taylor Hebert following a close encounter with the back of a locker is NOT what I had in mind!

 **And we're back. Nothing really to say here, so lets get started. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The next morning, I woke up feeling surprisingly well rested considering I spent the night getting the snot beaten out of me in my mind. Issei's idea of training was to force me to fight non-stop while he and Ddraig shouted encouragement and advice. Apparently, Ddraig could take the improvements to my astral body from the exercise and apply them to my physical body, which was nice. Especially because he could apparently leave all the aches and pains behind.

I stretched luxuriously, then rolled out of bed and grabbed the dressing gown that was hanging from the back of my chair on my way to the bathroom. One visit to the toilet and teeth clean later, I headed downstairs in search of breakfast.

* * *

I found Dad in the kitchen, staring into a cup of coffee as if it held the secrets of the universe and looking like he hadn't slept a wink.

"Are you OK?" I asked, "You...don't look good."

Dad snorted.

"I haven't had a wink of sleep," he said, "To much to think about."

I winced.

"Sorry," I said.

Dad smiled a little weakly as I moved over to the fridge to start on breakfast.

"Don't worry, I can handle a few sleepless nights," he said.

Silence fell in the kitchen as I focused on cooking up bangers, bacon and eggs.

The silence remained right up until I finished cooking and we were eating. Admittedly, silence over breakfast wasn't that uncommon, but this one was different, more awkward. We had things we needed to discuss, but it didn't seem like either one of us was going to bring them up.

"Your not going back to Winslow," said Dad suddenly.

"What?"

Dad looked up from his plate and fixed me with a look.

"I read through those notes last night when I couldn't sleep," he said, "They really did all that?"

I winced and nodded.

"Yeah," I said, "And the staff never did anything, not when it was the popular girl and the track stars word against mine and no one would ever back me up."

Dad took a deep breath.

"Yeah, in that case, I have no issues with pulling you out," he said, "I refuse to leave you in that situation for a moment longer."

I nodded.

"No arguments here," I said, "Frankly, its probably for the best. I'm...not sure I could take much more without doing something they'd regret."

Dad nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, with...that, I'm sure you could do some damage."

He glanced at my left hand.

"That wasn't a dream, was it?" he asked.

I shook my head and summoned the Boosted Gear. Dad sighed.

"I thought not, but I had to hope," he said, "I'm sorry Taylor. I know what it takes for a Parahuman to...Trigger I think the term is. You never should have had to go through that."

I smiled.

"Hey, I've already said its fine," I said, "We were both a mess and made bad decisions. You can't blame yourself for it."

Dad grunted and I could tell he wouldn't be stopping blaming himself anytime soon, but I decided not to say anything. Yet. I would if it got to bad again, but for now there was another elephant in the room to address.

"So, what can you do?" asked Dad, "I assume there's more to your power than just summoning a glove."

I remained quiet for a moment as I took a sip of tea, considering how best to put this.

"Basically, I can double my power every ten seconds," I said, deciding that the simplest response would work best.

Dad frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "That sounds...a little wishy washy."

"Well, its pretty simple," I said, "Every ten seconds, my strength is doubled. Physical power, speed, durability and so on. I'm not sure about my limits yet, I'll need to do some practice for that."

I frowned as I examined the red gauntlet.

"Think of me as Lung without the transformation and a more exponential power up."

Dad stared at me.

"That...sounds a little excessive," he said, "Is that all it does?"

I grinned.  
"Nope, it also contains the spirit of the Welsh Dragon Ddraig and its previous wielder," I said, "Oh, and I have this."

I clenched by fist.

 **BLADE!**

Dad jolted back with a yelp as Ascalon's blade shot out of the Boosted Gear. Apparently, the Holy Sword had been a part of the Sacred Gear for so long it was now permanently bound to it, which was nice. I was kinda interested to see what it'd do to Lung.

"This is Ascalon," I said as I pulled the blade fully out of the Gauntlet, "The sword wielded by Saint George in his legend. It still bares the trait of Dragon Slayer and is extremely effective against Draconic beings."

I looked back at Dad, who was looking at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Um, that sounds...interesting?" he said.

" **I don't think he believes you kid,"** said Ddraig, nearly making Dad jump out of his skin at the sudden voice apparently issuing from the back of my hand.

"Well, to be fair, it is pretty out there," I said as Ascalon vanished back into the Sacred Gear.

" **Then why tell him?"** asked Ddraig, **"You didn't have to mention me, Issei or Ascalon."**

"True, but I didn't want to lie to him, even by omission," I said.

"Taylor, who is that?" said Dad, sounding more than a little worried now.

"I told you, his names Ddraig," I said, "I don't suppose theres any way to let him meet you face to face?"

" **I don't normally do this, but yes,"** said Ddraig, **"Just touch the Boosted Gear and I'll bring the two of you inside."**

"Right ho," I said as I held out my hand to Dad, "Well?"

Dad looked between me and my hand.

"Taylor, are you sure about this?" he asked.

I grinned and nodded.

"Yep, I've met Ddraig face to face," I said, "I guarantee hes not a Master or anything. Or if he is, hes so powerful that it probably doesn't matter anyway."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," muttered Dad, "Alright, fine. Lets see this 'Dragon' then."

He took my hand and the gem lit up brightly. I felt the table between us vanish and, when the light faded, we were in the white space that was the inside of the Sacred Gear. Dad blinked as he slowly looked around.

"What the...where are we?" he asked.

"This is the inside of the Boosted Gear," I said, "And this is Ddraig."

I pointed straight up as the vast, red wall behind me shifted and lowered his head so he could see us. Dad followed my finger and paled. Considering that Ddraig made Behemoth look small, I can't blame him.

Ddraig lowered his head enough that it was just above mine and looked Dad up and down.

" **Greetings Danny Hebert,"** he rumbled in the softest voice he was capable of, which was still deep enough to feel in your bones, **"I am the Red Dragon Emperor, Y Ddraig Goch, more commonly known as Ddraig."**

Dad's mouth flapped for a moment as he tried to properly register what his eyes were telling him and muster a response to a being his brain was no doubt telling him couldn't possibly exist.

"N-nice to meet you?" he eventually managed to squeak out, "I, um…"

He shot a helpless look my way. I grinned.

"Like I said, Dragon," I said.

"That you did," he said weakly, "Um, you mentioned a previous wielder as well?"

"That'd be me," said Issei from where he was sat at one of the benches, unnoticed next to Ddraigs ever intimidating presence, "Sup."

"And you are?" asked Dad.

Issei grinned.

"Issei Hyodou, previous Red Dragon Emperor, Harem King, Devil King Asmodeus and Taylor's teacher!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"You never told me you were the Asmodeus," I said.

Issei shrugged.

"It wasn't relevant," he said.

"Harem King?" asked Dad, looking like he wanted to punch Issei.

The Devil didn't look worried and held up his hands.

"Hey, don't get to worked up, I don't intend to do anything to Taylor but teach her how to fight," he said, "I've done my loving and I'm dead anyway, so there's nothing for you to worry about."

Dad glared at Issei for a moment longer, then turned back to me.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"I'm not about to go out and start punching idiots on the street if that's what your worried about," I said, "Yet. The Boosted Gear potentially puts me on the same level as the Triumvirate, but if it takes me half an hour to reach a level of strength where I can actually do anything, its not very useful."

"Plus, unless she can actually use it, all that power goes to waste," said Issei, "Thats why I'm teaching her how to fight, along with some other tricks."

Dad looked between us, then sighed.

"Well, I suppose thats something," he said, "I don't suppose I could convince you to join the Wards, could I?"

"I'm not a Parahuman, so no," I said.

Dad raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked in deadpan, "You have powers and yet your not a Parahuman?"

"Parahumans are defined as Humans with preternatural abilities and identified by certain structures in their brains," I said, "Structures I lack. Right Ddraig?"

" **Right you are kid,"** rumbled the Dragon, **"You did have one of them, but I don't like sharing my host with anything, so I removed it."**

Dad goggled at the Dragon, who was now lounging back and picking his teeth with the tip of a talon, then sighed again.

"Well, I had to ask," he said, "Alright, fine, I know better than to try to stop you. However, I want to know before you go out, understand?"

I beamed.

"Understood," I said, "Don't worry Dad, I have no intention of getting myself killed anytime soon and I certainly don't intend to make you worry more than I have to."

Dad snorted.

"Taylor, your my Daughter," he said, "Even with a Dragon as backup, I'll always worry about you."

My smile increased to almost painful levels and I jumped forwards to hug Dad.

"Thanks Dad," I whispered.

I had no doubt that there was still work to do, but it was nice to know that our relationship could only improve from here.

* * *

Three days later, morning dawned bright and early with me and Dad driving down to Winslow. He was going to shout and Blackwell and get my transcripts while I was going to grab some of the last things that were left in my gym locker. There wasn't much, but I wasn't willing to leave ANYTHING behind in that hellhole. Plus, I wouldn't put it past whatever crazy ROB gifted me with Ddraig to leave something in my Locker that would serve as a powerup later and I really wasn't willing to leave that potential plot point laying around if I could help it.

"Are you sure you want to do this Taylor?" asked Dad as he pulled up into the carpark outside of Winslow.

"I think I have to," I said, staring up at the school that had been the bane of my existence for the past two years.

Seeing it brought up some...interesting feelings. Despite the fact that I was still very much Taylor and my past self was remarkably similar to me, despite being male and from the opposite side of the pond, the fact remained that we were still two different people from two very different worlds. At our cores, we were the same and had similar enough personalities, likes and dislikes that I wouldn't trigger any M/S alarms, but our experiences made us different. As a result, the visceral reaction of fear and hate I probably should have felt upon seeing the hated school.

To be honest, I was actually glad for it. With any luck, the additional memories and the perspective they brought would let me get through this whole experience without trying to blow something up. Hopefully. If not, Ddraig could keep me from doing anything I regret.

I took a deep breath and followed Dad into the school, ignoring the looks I was getting from the students. I did note a couple of the Trio's minions scuttle away with their phones out though, so I was probably going to get ambushed later.

"I'm going to get my stuff," I said, "I really don't want to deal with Blackwell right now."

Dad glanced at me, then looked around with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I can handle it," I said with a grin, "And if worst comes to worse...I've got more than a few tricks up my sleeve."

I held up my left hand. Dad glanced at it and sighed.

"Alright, but be careful," he said.

I nodded and headed off down the hall towards the gym, noting a few more toadies ducking out of sight with their phones in hand.

" **I think you'll have to face those girls soon enough kid,"** said Ddraig, **"Can you manage it without snapping?"**

I took a deep breath.

"Probably," I muttered, "Especially with you here to back me up."

I smiled slightly at the soft warmth that radiated from my hand.

* * *

I managed to make it to my gym locker unmolested and retrieved my PE kit, change of clothes spare pencil case and glasses that I kept in there. For some reason, my gym locker wasn't targeted as often as my normal one, likely because the girls coach was a frankly huge woman with biceps the size of my waist and a take no shit attitude who wouldn't think twice about kicking Sophia off the track team if she ever caught the bully doing anything untoward. Honestly, it was only because she was terrifying to everyone that prevented the old me from trying to get her to help, even just by being present.

With that done, I headed back through the halls towards my other locker and found myself walking slower and slower until I finally reached it. I stood in front of the metal door, staring at the lock while a number of conflicting emotions rose in me. In that moment, the differences between who I was before and the me that went into the Locker came into stark relief. I could _feel_ the old me starting to panic as the Locker loomed in front of me, but the other part, the older part, was still calm, although I could feel the righteous anger that any decent person would feel in the face of a heinous act. The end result was a confusing mess of emotions that had me rooted to the spot, staring at the Locker with a rather odd look on my face.

Unfortunately, before I could get my head around how I felt, a familiar and hated voice distracted me.

"Well, look who it is," said Emma's voice.

I sighed and turned around. The Trio stood there in a familiar formation that looked casual but served to prevent me from making an escape. At any other time, the sight of them would have me cringing back in my hoodie, but now, with the benefit of a god damn Dragon on par with Gods in my left hand and the memories of someone who knew why they treated me like they did, the three girls seemed...less than threatening. Honestly, looking at them here, I almost pitted them. Well, Emma at least. Sophia was a stone cold psychopath and, judging from the memories, Madison was most likely just doing it to stay at the top of the heap. There was nothing personal there, just business.

That was...honestly kinda sad.

"I'm surprised to see you back so soon Taylor," said Emma, "I would have thought you'd still be curled up in bed crying."

I stared at her for a moment, then sighed and shook my head.

"Thats low Emma, even for you," I said, making the three bullies pause.

"What was that Hebert?" growled Sophia.

I ignored the Ward as I kept my gaze on Emma.

"That little 'prank' nearly killed me you know," I said, "If I had been found any later, I would have almost certainly died of sepsis. Hell, if it hadn't been for Panacea, I'd probably still be in hospital tripping balls on a cocktail of drugs just to keep me alive."

Madison flinched slightly at that, but I didn't take my eyes of Emma, who looked slightly shocked, although whether that was because I wasn't cringing or my blunt admission I'd nearly popped my clogs, I don't know. I sighed and shook my head.

"You know, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could figure out what I did to make you turn on me and everything could go back to normal," I said, "But now...I guess the Emma I knew died a long time ago. I'm done pining for her and I'm done putting up with you three."

I turned away.

"You're gonna run like a little bitch then?" sneered Sophia.

I paused and glanced back at the bully.

"...You know what?" I said after a moment, "Yes. Yes, I'm going to run away. I'm getting out of here, away from you. You've chased me away, done me in. You won, I lost. And somehow I know that my life is going to be far better without you in it, which is the greatest gift you have ever given me. You've kicked me when I was down and made me feel worthless, but now I'm done with you. I'm not going to watch you waste your life, trying to ruin mine anymore. I'd say it's been a pleasure, but it hasn't. Not ever. And you won, congratulations. You're an awful human being. Goodbye."

I brushed past Emma and walked away, then stepped to the side to avoid Sophia's lunge. I'd been training with Issei for a grand total of four days, and no, time did not pass differently in my mind, but if there was one thing that Issei was good at, it was knowing exactly how to draw the best out of people. He didn't bother teaching me Kata's or anything fancy, instead he taught me how to read the battlefield, extend my perception and win any fight I happened to enter. I wasn't anywhere close to being good enough to match even a fraction of a single percentage of Issei's frankly insane level of skill (it was blatantly obvious that he wasn't even trying, despite the fact that I never even got close to touching the guy unless he let me), but he knew exactly how much of that skill to use to push me to improve at a pace that was actually rather scary.

Considering all that, a stupid girl with an overly inflated opinion of herself who I'd become intermately familiar with in an attempt to avoid her was frankly easy to avoid. I shoved her gently as she went past, making her stumble a short distance before regaining her balance and spinning around to glare at me.

"You really want to do this?" I asked, "Cus I guarantee it won't go well for you."

"Why, because your so tough?" growled Sophia, "Please, your just a little rat Hebert! I would have thought that the Locker would have shown you your place!"

I tilted my head on one side.

"My place?" I asked, "And where would that be?"

Sophia sneered.

"In the dirt, with the rest of the useless worms," she said, "Your weak Hebert, always will be, so don't you dare act like a big shot!"

I stared at her for a moment, before my lips slowly curled into a grin.

"Weak, am I?"

Sophia faulted slightly and took half a step back before catching herself. I guess that she must have good instincts, either due to experience fighting or due to some side effects of being a Parahuman.

"I guess that means that your strong, right?"

Sophia drew herself up, apparently shoving down the fear that came from facing off with an angry Dragon.

"Damn right," she sneered.

I stared at her for a moment longer, then snorted and turned away.

"Then I think I'll take that as a complement," I said.

"Eh?!"

"If being strong means treating people like crap, I'd rather be weak," I said, "Besides, its not so bad to be weak. It just means you can work with other weak people until your strong enough to stand on your own."

I glanced back at Sophia and grinned at the stumped expression on her face.

"Later bitches, hope you choke on that self righteousness," I said, before pausing and glancing back at Madison, "Oh, and Madison? I suggest you take a good hard look at yourself. I don't believe for a moment that you have any actual malice directed towards me, but that doesn't change the fact that you idiots nearly killed me. I got lucky, the next girl might not."

I guess I must have really stumped them because this time I managed to leave unmolested.

" **Are you OK?"** asked Ddraig.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I muttered."

" **Hmm…"**

"Hey Taylor, wait up!"

I twitched violently at the familiar voice. Greg Veder, my own personal annoyance, a boy who my old self sympathised with to a degree...and the boy who had stood back and watched me get shoved into the Locker without doing anything and then didn't come forwards as a witness during the initial investigation despite the fact he was under the impression we were friends and may have a crush on me. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly his biggest fan right now. I sped up in an attempt to get away. It didn't work.

"That was awesome Taylor!" he gushed as he matched my speed, "You really showed those bitches…"

"Shut up and fuck of Greg," I growled, "I'm not in the mood."

Grag faulted slightly, a betrayed look on his face.

"Wha...but Taylor…"

I growled and stopped, spinning around to face the geek and shoving a finger in his face.

"Alright you, listen up," I snapped, "We're not friends. At best, we're acquaintances who occasionally talk and work together."

Greg took a step back, a look of hurt on his face.

"But…"

"I don't blame you for not getting involved with most of the bullshit those three idiots put me through," I said, "But I know you were there at the Locker and yet the cops said that there were no witnesses. Tell me Greg, what kind of friend leaves someone in a situation like that?"

I ignored his flinch as I turned on my heel and walked away, this time making it to the doors without interruptions. I paused just outside and took a deep breath.

" **Taylor…"**

"I'll be fine," I muttered as I scrubbed at my face, "I'm done with this place now. I won't be coming back."

I shook myself off, forced a smile and headed over to where Dad was waiting by his truck with a sheaf of paper and an angry look.

"You OK kiddo?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Lets...lets just go home."

Dad eyed me for a moment, then nodded and opened the truck door. I climbed in and closed my eyes. I was so done with Winslow, now it was time to get started on the rest of my life.

 **And done. Well, that was more of a pain than I was expecting. It was surprisingly hard to get the right tone for the confrontations. You might be able to guess where I'm going with them.**

 **I'm sure that I'll get some grief for having Taylor spill everything to Danny, but I generally prefer Danny's who actually help Taylor. He won't have a big role, but it will be there.**

 **The dissonance between the two sides of Taylor won't be a big thing for long, its just because of the differences caused by their experiences and the fact that, even without the usual drama that comes with this sort of thing, theres still a certain amount of time needed for the two sets of memories to fully integrate.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**

 **EDIT! Since GlassedGamer came up with a much better speech than I did, I added it to the chapter with his permission. Thanks man!**


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